Nail Biting Cure: More Stress Cutting Tips So You Can Stop Nailbiting

If stress is one of your triggers for nail biting, I've got some more ideas for decreasing stress in your life.

1. Eat Healthy. Many foods actually have effects on our emotions. Some will increase calm and others will increase your stress level.

Foods high and sugar will make life a little more stressful. While protein rich foods like turkey will increase the feeling of calm. Healthy eating is important. Setting up a healthy diet can increase optimal health for each one of us. A healthy diet can help even out the up and down spiral of stress in your life.

2. Stay in touch with friends. Have at least one friend you can call to vent when life gets crazy. Make sure you choose a friend that is willing to listen and not "tell" you what to do and judge you.

3. Create the Zen mindset. Make an island of calm in your life. This place is somewhere you can mentally escape. This way you can take a break and travel in your mind. It's a great place to travel to when everything in your life is piling up.

4. Laugh. Sometimes when stress gets high we forget to laugh. Grab a funny movie at the video store. Google some funny jokes or videos. Steer clean of the gloom and doom.

If stress is a trigger for your nail biting habit, then try a couple of these stress cutting tips.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny

Nail Biting Treatment: Can't Stop Nail Biting Because Of Stress? Try These Tips

Stress today is a given part of life. Frequently stress ripples over and people end up biting their fingernails.

It's easy to understand. Juggling family, career, home and church, it all adds up to an increased pace of life. With this almost frantic pace, increased stress levels can be a natural result.

Stress can impact many areas of life such as work, family, and other relationships. Stress can cause one to experience irritability, impatience, and distractions. For busy people, stress management is a necessity. Here are four tips to assist in living a more stress free life.

1. Determine, no matter what, to create time for yourself. So often people make time for others, but don't take time for themselves. The activity really doesn't matter as long as you take some time for yourself.

2. Listen to calm, soothing music on the way to work, while at work, and while going to sleep. Music has a way of calming and soothing the mind and the body.

3. Practice deep abdominal breathing periodically throughout the day.
Rest your hand on your belly button. Breath in deeply through the nose pulling the belly button toward the spine, hold for a few seconds, and then slowly release. You will be pleasantly surprised at how this simple technique can result in a more relaxed body and mind. This can be done anywhere and anytime.

4. Take time to exercise. Exercise helps to increase self-esteem, decrease depression, increase concentration and energy, and gives one a greater sense of control over stress. Hitting the local gym is not always necessary. Taking a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood, taking walks on lunch breaks, taking the steps instead of an elevator, and parking farther away when shopping are examples of how you can squeeze in exercise during the day.

Your nail biting cure may come as a result of decreasing your stress.
It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

Nail Biting Cures: Using Distraction

Distraction is another way of changing your attention from nail biting to another activity. Some people take up a new hobby such as knitting or crocheting to keep their fingers occupied and out of their mouth.

Other people use things such as therapy putty, koosh balls and prayer beads to keep their hands occupied.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

Many people find the method that changes the habit at its root in the subconscious really works.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

Nail Biting Treatments: Changing the Habit

Ok, so you're still looking for a treatment to help you kick the nail biting habit.

Some nail biters have found success when changing the nail biting habit to a totally different habit. Try having a supply of sugarless lollypops or hard candies around. When you have the urge to nibble on those nails, try a lollypop instead.


Other people have used chewing gum as a substitute for nail biting. Again it's all in finding a nail biting treatment that fits you.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

Nail Biting Cures: Using Physical Barriers

One technique for stopping the nail biting habit is the use of physical barriers. A barrier makes it difficult to bite your nails.

One barrier that works for many people is to have artificial nails applied. Acrylic or sculptured nails are applied over your own nails.
*Talk with friends who have sculptured nails that look good.
*Ask about the nail techs they work with. Have they had infections? Do they have
problems with the nails staying on?
*Call the salon and speak to the nail tech. Ask if they apply nails to short or
bitten nails. Ask what their experience is with nail biters.
*If you do decide to use artificial nail, make an appointment with the tech who
has experience and no infections

Another method that can work is applying tape to the ends of your fingers.
*Using athletic tape or band aids, cover the nails.
*Don't make the tape or band aid too tight. You want to cover the nail, not cut
off circulation to your finger

Using gloves or finger tip covers can also
be helpful.
*Gloves can be useful to stop your nail biting. They can be a fashion accessory
too. (Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City wore leather finger tip gloves)
* Wear gloves at night. Apply hand lotion and get a softening experience at the
same time

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

Nail Biting Treatments:Which "How" Are You Going To Use To Quit?

Ok, you've made your list of benefits of why you want to quit nail biting. Now it's time to decide what method you want to use to stop biting your fingernails.

What methods are there?

• Yucky tasting nail polishes
• Snapping an elastic band on your wrist every time your fingers go to your mouth to bite the nails
• Seeing a therapist to discover the cause of your nail biting
• Wearing mittens or gloves
• Having acrylic nails applied
• Being hypnotized
  
• Starting a new hobby that keeps your fingers busy

There are many ways of stopping nail biting. The methods fall in one of three categories:

• Physical barrier: making it difficult to bite your nails
  
• Distraction: doing something else so you don't think about nail biting as often
• Changing the habit: substituting a new habit for nail biting.

I'll cover some of the options in more detail over the next few posts.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny

Ready, Set? What If I Can't Stop Nail Biting

Many of us have heard it takes 21 days to change a habit. I always did too. But in my research I found more information in this blog entry by Stephen of 'Getting Things Done.'

It seems Dr Maxwell Maltz, a skilled plastic surgeon, came up with the 21 day opinion as a result of his observation of his patients. (Dr. Maltz is a very interesting writer who truly teaches how to use the mind body connection in his book Psycho-Cybernetics .

Dr Maltz had an opinion, but the magical 21 days to change a habit has not been verified later with studies I could find.

So what does this mean to you? What happens if you are at Day 23 and you're still having the urge to bite your nails?

Too often when changing a habit there is a lapse back to the old behavior. Some of us pick up and restart. Others get upset with ourselves and resolve to start tomorrow. While the third group just tell ourselves, we couldn't have stopped our nail biting at all and stop trying to quit nail biting.

How about letting ourselves realize it might take more than 21 days to change our nail biting? Or it might take less. Whatever the time frame, the thing to remember: you are doing this for yourself. If it takes longer, oh well, it takes longer.

You are worth changing the habit. You can stop nail biting. If you stick to your plan you will have strong healthy nails.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny

Nail Biting Cures: Ways To Stop Nail Biting

Most of us plan our vacation with great detail. Where are we going? What are we going to pack or wear? What do we want to do?

All of the planning comes together to insure a successful vacation. If we plan then we have more of a chance for having the vacation we want-whether restful, adventurous, fun or just doing nothing. The planning helps remember the details that make our vacation enjoyable.

Let's focus on how you can set up a plan to stop nail biting successfully. You've been working in your notebook. So far you've listed your trigger times, and circumstances leading to your nail biting.

Take out the notebook and look at your trigger items. What activities cause you to bite your nails? Is there a particular time of day when the urge to bite your nails strikes?

Designing Your Personal Success Plan

• For each activity write down a minimum of two alternatives to biting your nails. What do you need to start using the alternatives? Do you have the supplies for each?
• Who do you want in your support network? Family, friends, therapists, or family doctor

Taking some time to design your success plan can make stopping nail biting easier.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny


Some people have found self hypnosis to be part of their Quit Nail Biting success plan. Find your self hypnosis guide, go to No More Nail Biting

Is This Your Time To Stop Nail Biting?

You've made the decision to stop nail biting. Motivation is always an important part of making a habit change. It's the initial push, ok maybe a shove, to get us started. You can help increase your motivation by giving yourself some extra reasons why stopping nail biting is important to you.

Take a few minutes to make a list of benefits you will have when you have successfully stopped nail biting. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine what your life will be like with strong healthy nails. Take yourself through an ordinary day and visualize how your day would be different when you no longer bite your nails. (Some people have difficulties visualizing. In this case imagine how your day would sound different when you no longer bite your nails. What would people say? What would you say?)

Take out your spiral notebook and write your list of benefits. This list can help reinforce your motivation in the upcoming days. Motivation is the energy fuel for starting to change the finger nail biting habit. Your benefit list can be a refueling option on days your motivation needs an extra boost.

If you are not able to decide on a list of benefits then maybe this is not the time for you to quit nail biting. Realizing and recognizing potential benefits can reinforce your desire and motivation to stop nail biting.

Can you stop biting your nails without knowing how you benefit? I can't answer that one for you. But I do know people who have decided how they will feel, and look and act after quitting biting their nails have an easier time stopping the nail biting habit. Changing a habit involves effort. Recognizing your benefits of stopping nail biting gets you through some of the bumps and challenges of changing the behavior around your nail biting habit.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny

If you're ready to change your thinking about nail biting, take a look at No More Nail Biting

Reason To Stop Nail Biting: What's Your Why?

Changing a behavior takes time and effort on your part. So why are you bothering?
Why have you decided to change your nail biting now?

Some people stop nail biting because they were told to stop by parents, spouse, friends or whoever. Others stop because of infections. Still others stop because they are embarrassed by the short bitten nails.

What's your motivation? The reason I ask is knowing the why makes it easier to tell yourself to continue when you have one of those difficult days. Nail biting can be one of those coping behaviors used to get through a difficult day. It may be a stressful day-if stress is one of your patterns. It may be after an argument-if fighting is one of your patterns.

Whatever your pattern, it's going to take time to change. Think about why you want to stop your nail biting. Do you want better looking nails? Are you ready to change the habit?

Stopping nail biting because your doctor, your mother/father/spouse told you is a reason. But it's not necessarily a reason that can carry you through a difficult day. (Difficult day is whatever you consider one to be or not be.)

Not sure that's true? How many people have you known that were told they should stop smoking or lose weight to improve their health by their doctor? Lots, I'm sure. People usually don't quit or stop a habit until they are ready to do it for themselves.

So think of a reason why you want to stop biting your nails for you. In your spiral notebook, write down the reason(s) you want to switch from biting your nails to stopping the biting.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny


Some people find using self-hypnosis an easy way to stop nail biting. To find out more click on this No More Nailbiting link.

Nail Biting: What's Your Pattern?

Habits become so repetitive, so usual, so customary we don't even have to think to make the behavior happen. Nail biting fits in that category for most people.

To change or stop a behavior means first having a conscious level of awareness when the nail biting happens. There are a variety of ways to develop your awareness of when you bite your nails.

1. Get a small spiral notebook. You want it small enough to fit in your purse or jeans pocket.
2. Add a pen or pencil you can attach to the notebook.
3. Keep the notebook with you at all times.

For the next week, write down the following notes in your notepad.

• date, time of day when you notice/find/ were told you were biting your nails
  
• what you were doing when you found, felt or knew you were biting your nails
• what were you feeling as you bit your nails (happy, sad, angry, bored, frustrated, scared or ??)

By spending the time discovering when you bite your nails, you can then focus on the way you want to change.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,

Sunny

Stop Nail Biting

Nail biting is one of those difficult habits to stop. Non-nail biters will say, "Just tell yourself you're going to quit." Wish it were that easy.

Since biting one's nails is an unconscious habit, the key to successful change is found in the part of the brain that governs unconscious behavior. The subconscious is the part of the brain that allows us to go about our everyday living without conscious thinking about every thing we do. Think how difficult life would be if we had to remember to tell ourselves to take a breath or to blink our eyes when they get dry.

Our subconscious stores our behaviors as memories or thoughts. That's how we "know" or remember the way home from work. We've memorized or placed the pattern for the drive home into our subconscious.

Not sure of this? How many times have you started driving to a familiar location and then suddenly you were there? Scary when you think how often we go on automatic pilot. We do or follow old patterns without much conscious thought.

Nail biting uses the same automatic pilot process. This is why a successful plan to stop nail biting works with our subconscious mind to change the behavior.

It's all about changing the nail biting habit,
Sunny