If you know me or have a class with me you know I bite my nails... a lot. Sometimes it’s a result of anxiety and nervousness while other times it’s just a way for me to pass the time. Most of the time it’s a way of thinking and processing. It sounds weird but I guess it’s a way for my mind to drift and think about stuff I need to do while my body just kind of goes on autopilot.

I’ve never been that proud of nail-biting, I feel it’s a lot like smoking. It’s an addiction and it only gets more addicting the more you do it. So I figured I’d put down a list of the thoughts that go through my head when nail biting.

1. Why Am I Doing This?

I have pretty good nails. Am I just nervous? Am I thinking? Am I just bored? It kind of hurts to do this but I guess it makes the time go by. God, I’m bored. That nail is sticking out and it’s really bugging me. Guess I better do something about it.

2. Lost In Thought

A common thing that will happen when I bite my nails is that I’m often trapped in my own head trying to come up with a solution to an issue. Sometimes that issue will be social, most of the time the issue is a stressor like school, work, or schoolwork.

3. I Know I’ll Regret It Later On

Biting your nails can really hurt. Some people do it casually while I bite them to the nub. It’s some kind of primal compulsion that tells me, “hey, there’s a hangnail, you should take care of it.” And before I know it my entire fingertip is in pain. Not to mention the fact that the nail also gets dry afterward which can get pretty annoying.

4. It’s Impossible To Open Anything

Fingernails can sometimes be used as a way to open different packages or cans. I’ve seen people do it but since I bit mine off a long time ago and still do it to this day I’ve never had that luxury. When I need to dig into something I’ll only have the skin around my fingertips as opposed to something that will actually be able to grab onto something. If I get a package from Amazon or need to unwrap something my fingers are almost never able to get the job done.

5. I Want To Stop

I’ve tried to stop my habit three or so times over the past few years. College, in particular, has made me want to stop given that I’m going to be facing the real world soon and if my fingernails look out of place I probably won’t be taken as seriously. No matter how many times I stop there’s just something about biting my nails that’s satisfying to me.

6. I Need A Manicure

God, it would be amazing to just sit back and have someone fix my mangled nails... even if I’d probably find a way to mess them up again.

To be honest, it’s a terrible habit and one I don’t encourage playing around with. I’ve been trying to quit for years and hopefully one day I’ll actually do it. In the meantime, this article is a great means to get my thoughts out there. Especially given that the thought of deadlines being due in half an hour makes me want to... oh shit, I’m at it again.