Nail Biters: how do you stop your habit?

[Nippo]

I have a very terrible nail biting habit. From looking online I seem to believe it is a common issue, so I'm wondering if there are any other nail-biters here and if you were able to stop the  problem (or if you're still struggling with it like I am). I feel like ive tried so many things but I end up coming back full circle to having really short nails.

[Cele]

I uhhhh just stopped to be honest. I liked how long nails look. (Now I bite the skin around the nails instead oops.)

But I think that painting your nails can work. At least I don't wanna bite into them if there's nail polish.

[tarraxahum]

Okay, uh. Time to put myself on blast, I guess.

I don't remember how it started, definitely was an anxiety byproduct, but by now I'm in a curious situation. Like, I don't exactly bite them absent-mindedly or on reflex anymore, not even when I'm nervous. Well, maybe sometimes, but veeeery rarely.

But. I'm so used to having short nails (and I do prefer them that way, I don't paint my nails anyway) that the moment they grow out even the tiniest bit, I'm getting highly annoyed and want to get rid of them.

The catch is, well, firstly, I'm too lazy to go to the bathroom and look for tools to do it proper. But secondly and more importantly I just HATE how scissors/nail clippers feel on my nails. I bodily cringe and wriggle at the sensation and YUCK. Sensory issue, maybe, I don't know.

Sooo uuuh pardon for potentially being gross, but by this point I just bite my nails off... intentionally? All at once, the same length, only when they aren't visibly dirty and I spit them out into trash so that they don't harm my stomach. I, of course, do that when I'm alone.

My parents are frankly disgusted at their adult kid doing THAT (which they only know 'cause they never see me clipping them nails), but we've gone through every method imaginable at some point in my teenagerhood and I persisted, so, you know... It is what it is, I guess.

I've tried going back to tools, but that just throws me in a vicious circle of avoiding the repulsive sensation and letting the nails grow out and then getting pissed about it, so I stuck with the pass of gross survival 

If anyone knows methods of trimming your nails that don't involve the conventional tools - be my guest...

[Gans]

Stopped with the end of school time. Now that indicates a pretty stressful time in retrospect, which is definetly was!

So that means, you have to organise yourself properly to have less stress. Maybe the nail biting will go away then.

Nowadays, biting the nails off is only an emergency for me, if something got damaged out of my living place. When crafting things for example, nails have a tendency to get stuck somewhere and break.

@tarraxahum: What about using a nail file? Would it make the nail shorter after using it for a lot of time?

[tarraxahum]

What about using a nail file? Would it make the nail shorter after using it for a lot of time?

Filing also feels the same way (although I admittedly still do it so that I don't scratch everything and everyone including myself)

[Nippo]

But I think that painting your nails can work. At least I don't wanna bite into them if there's nail polish.

I've tried using a clear nail polish with a bad taste on it and somehow my instincts still end up fighting through it. The nail polish reminds me that I shouldn't be biting my nails but I continue anyway... it really sucks. I've considered painting my nails but I don't really want to draw attention to them given how short they are. I think I might actually pick them more if I ended up painting them.

I don't remember how it started, definitely was an anxiety byproduct, but by now I'm in a curious situation. Like, I don't exactly bite them absent-mindedly or on reflex anymore, not even when I'm nervous. Well, maybe sometimes, but veeeery rarely.

I figured out that three large triggers for my nail-biting habit is boredom, hunger, and anxiety, and I'm sure there are many more triggers that I am not sure about. I think sometimes I will bite them if they just don't look right to me.

[Guest]

Bubble gum. Some people have bad habits and chewing gum does help a bit (my stepdad likes to vape but he chews gum to stop vaping for a bit when he's at work or something)

[Gans]

Might have been an urban legend, but I've heard about people who never have to cut their nails, because they wear them down through their work.

However I forgot which job that was... probably something with hand-crafting and rough surfaces. Maybe something with rocks? Was it a farmer who digs a lot in the ground?

So solution: Get a nail-degrading job? Scratch a stone every day?