Excessive nail bitting

[Neorez]

I've been nail bitting for as long as I can remember and can't seem to kick the habit. Does anyone have some advice, experience with quitting or an explanation as to why people bite their nails? I even bite the skin around so it's not a pretty sight but even then I can't seem to stop myself. 

[hamedsf]

I had the same habit months ago sometimes I notice as it rises.

the consequences of not being in the body for the longer period of time will manifest variously in various individuals. so it's nail biting in your case.

as I practice being in my entire body for longer period of time, I see a sense of lightness in my body so give it a shot too.

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by hamedsf

[Neorez]

@hamedsf You mean on working on my body awareness or...?

[hamedsf]

Just now, Neorez said:

@hamedsf You mean on working on my body awareness or...?

Yes, unconsciousness of the body create tensions and your body in order to relieve it, it compels you to do extra things like nail biting, hair picking and so on. the more unconsciousness creates more tensions, the more consciousness creates more lightness and the sense of being comfy.

remember the practice of being in your body is the anchor to the present moment.

[tsuki]

@Neorez I've been struggling with this myself ever since I was a teenager.
In my case, the immediate interpretation when I catch myself doing it is that I dislike the way they look, and that I'm trying to 'improve' them (which obviously makes them even worse). It does indeed get worse when I'm in my head for various reasons.

I know of two ways of 'fixing' this problem:

1. Bitter nail polish with denatonium benzoate to break the habit (yet to try this method).
2. Actually caring for your hands (manicure). This gives me peace for a week or two.

In my experience, body awareness practice lessens the habit, but does not completely remove it.

[Truth Addict]

@Neorez

• Learn how to sew.
• Play video games.

Do anything that occupies your hands with work until it becomes easier for you to break that habit. Once it's become less serious, you will have more chances at ending it forever, but that'll require emotional labour at first, and then from there on, things will only get better.

[Neorez]

@tsuki For me it's exactly the same it's me trying to improve them and get away with the scabs. I can stop myself from bitting my nail now but I found myself bitting the skin more than before. it's quite unconscious indeed.  I don't get why it's so difficult to break this habit.

[tsuki]

6 minutes ago, Neorez said:

I don't get why it's so difficult to break this habit.

It's difficult because that habit is serving a purpose. The purpose is to take care of your hands. It takes effort! Shocking, isn't it?
You dislike how they look and try to fix them to the best of your abilities, but those abilities are not effective. 
The intent is good, but the technique is not because you learned it unconsciously.

If you dedicated two hours per week with professional tools and proper knowledge on how to handle the skin of your hands, then you would have no reason to bite them whatsoever. The problem is that biting your fingernails is only a problem when you catch yourself doing it. It causes guilt and shame then, but this matter is absent throughout the day.

What I suggest is that you actually go to a beauty studio just once and pay someone to do it for you. The ladies are very nice and they know that you're sensitive on this subject and won't judge you. When choosing a studio to go to, judge the book by its cover - the more glamorous and expensive it is, the better the service will be. See if it helps.

[pluto]

Anxiety is usually the root cause of excessive nail biting. Try some natural anti-anxiety supplements, methods, techniques and possibly up your magnesium intake. My cousin used to do this and now she uses sunflower seeds instead, she has to bite open them because they are whole to get the seed inside at the same time high in magnesium and many nutrients nourishes the body and she is more calm also stopped her from smoking as much since it keeps her occupied while she watches movies and tv shows. She does yoga nowadays and is much more calm.

 

 

[Michael569]

Definitely anxiety-based as @pluto said. Do you have teeth marks on side of your tongue as well? 

Stress management is essential whatever that means for you. 

[Neorez]

@Michael569 no i don't have any teeth marks. But it's definetly anxiety based. I do bite my cheeks. Now I think of it quit an amount of nervous ticks

[Raptorsin7]

@Neorez Hey I've been a scratcher and a nail biter almost my entire life, and recently I've gone long stretches without biting my nails so Ill try and give some advice based on why I think I've stopped. First, don't beat your self up about the habit and i'd recommend coming to peace with the behavior and don't demonize yourself or it. Second, I would take up meditation so you can become more aware of the circumstances surrounding the nail biting. There is likely some feeling/thought pattern that is occurring that is prompting the urge to nail bite. You don't nail bite 24/7 so clearly there are times where you aren't thinking about it and then bam you get the urge, try and understand and observe that pattern and I think it will help a lot. Good luck.

[TheGreekSeeker]

Is there a chance the nail biting is nerve-based?

Essentially, it boils down to either feeling anxious about a problem you've long been avoiding to address (so you get a kind of weird sensation of relief) or being neurotic about how your nails appear.

[Neorez]

@TheGreekSeeker I think it's nerve-based. For some reason it calms me down. It almost feels like an oral fixation like smoking.

[tsuki]

I'm just gonna leave these three here in case they are relevant:

5 hours ago, Neorez said:

If it feels good, fluffy and warm it's ego. If you feel enormous resistance, you're going in the right way. Read some Jed mckenna. He gives a good breakdown of the mechanics of the ego and how it gets back in through the back door. 

55 minutes ago, Neorez said:

@tsuki Very true, I don't like this path though but it has some benefits at certain times. But I do think it is quite capable of killing the ego(when you do Jed's spiritual autolysis). Like everything, it depends on the individual to find their path. I found myself clinging to the magical stuff in spiritual teaching, trying to find objective meaning in symbols. Jed Mckenna showed me very clearly that my clinging is holding me back and that is was the ego who wanted them to be true. Especially the higher-self and the lower-self thing which I think @JPaulo  stands before now. 

38 minutes ago, Neorez said:

@tsuki It sure is, because I don't like it  

Please don't be too hard on yourself.

[Neorez]

@tsuki I'm working on it. But thank you for noticing. Leo's latest video about letting go is a great help.