In 2016 we will…
Stop biting our nails!
OK I confess, I am a nail biter. Every year I make the same resolution to stop biting my nails and don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty good for the first couple of weeks, but old habits die hard and it’s not long before I’m back at it again with a vengeance.
I remember as a child my grandma promising to buy me a watch if I could just stop biting my nails, which you think would have been enough, but oh no, the urge to pick away at the edges was just too great and it was bye bye watch, hello stubby, ragged nails. I tried all the usual things to get me to stop; foul tasting nail varnish, painting them to look nice in the hope it would prevent me from picking, I even had a go at wearing gloves for a while but that was clearly not the most practical of solutions!
I worked out I needed to take a look at what triggers my nail biting and I have discovered, like many other fellow nail biters, that it gets worse when I’m:
- Anxious
- Bored
- Stressed
- Or when my hands are dry (I’ve noticed my nails are a lot worse during the winter and when the skin around the nails become dry I also pick at that to)
I know that nail biting isn’t nice, it’s not hygienic, it spreads bacteria, can cause infection and weakens future nail growth. Yes, I know all of these things, but does it stop me…no. I will be making the same resolution again in 2016, but am going to approach it with a lot more motivation and determination. My husband bought me a UV nail lamp for my birthday, so I figure that as long as I make my nails look pretty, well as pretty as they can be at the moment, it might just be the solution to a habit I’ve had my whole life.
If you’ve managed to stop biting your nails, please let me know what worked for you and help me to break this nasty little habit once and for all!
