This Technique Will Have You Stop Your Nail-Biting Once And For All | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

This Technique Will Have You Stop Your Nail-Biting Once And For All

So long, bitter nail polishes.

258
This Technique Will Have You Stop Your Nail-Biting Once And For All

Ever since my childhood, I've bitten my nails. I can almost remember the exact age I was – four years old. Studies show that obsessive-compulsive behaviors like nail-biting and hair-pulling occur not just out of boredom, but also instability and stress. We start the behavior to comfort ourselves.

Nail-biting, hair pulling, and picking scabs fall into the OCD/anxiety spectrum of mental illness. Some people don't consider it a mental illness because it is a physical preoccupation. But it is how and when it arises that makes it mental.

When I was four, my mom and dad were on the fringes of separation. Eventually, he moved back to Chicago and we stayed in Florida. As the oldest in my family, I guess I had this intuition that my family was falling apart and that I couldn't do anything about it. So I bit my nails and cuticles for comfort until they bled.

It would get so bad that I would develop pus in my left thumb at six years old. I remember this because I had to go to the doctor and have the nurse extract it with a needle. This was my first encounter with a needle that wasn't a standard flu shot. I fainted not only because of the action but because I saw the whole thing transpire, the brackish fluid extracted.

You would think that would inspire me to stop. But I didn't. If anything, it made it worse.

As an adult, I would be so ashamed by the act of shaking someone's hand. I felt even more embarrassed if it was for an interview or networking. I could just see them asking themselves, what professional woman bites her nails?

Honestly, it was really bad. So bad that eventually, the one fingernail I would constantly gnaw at barely existed. Although my grandpa would be sarcastically loving about how frequently I bit my nails and their short length, it would aid my shame about them.

If they ever got long enough, I went to the nail salon and got acrylics. This proved to be an expensive endeavor though. I would take them off and admire how long my nails had gotten underneath the acrylic. But often, I would forget to ask them to clean up the beds or do a simple manicure. And I would be back to square one.

It wasn't until I researched trauma and nail-biting to find a technique called movement decoupling. This therapy consists of touching the area that you inflict your obsessive behaviors on with a soft touch, then diverting that touch to a less obvious place (like the ear) and doing another action to counter that soft touch.

The first time I did this, I'll admit, I almost cried.

I almost cried because I guess part of me thought that I didn't receive love and attention as a child. That the soft touches I gave myself both before and after my diversion were touches that I didn't receive back then.

I still have horribly pink, sharp cuticles. But instead of biting them, I apply lotion and try to keep up with those soft touches. I wash my hands and lovingly put on pink nail polish frequently. I know my mom did these things back when I was younger, but I was too upset by the separation to think that it was done out of love.

I've not bitten my nails in two months as a result. Because nails grow about one-tenth of an inch per month, they're slowly growing to look like hands that are appreciated and loved. Every once in a while, I apply hand lotion to calm the redness and irritation of the cuticles.

I don't mean to invalidate your need to bite your nails. But if you have been/are obsessive about biting your nails like me, then I'm sure that you have experienced the same levels of shame as I have.

I want you to love your entire body, even your nails, because they are wonderfully made. There is nothing to worry about, to be shameful about, in your hands. And if you say to me, "But I would still have ugly hands," I would still tell you to do the opposite and touch them as though you love them.

Chances are, you'll learn to appreciate what your hands look like and can do. It's a small act to love your hands, but it'll then trickle to other areas of your body that you've normally hated and you will start to recognize that you are a beautiful, mystical creature that deserves love in all forms.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

106
college shirt
pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less
Aubrey Plaza
Flickr Creative Commons

Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite humans in Hollywood. She's honest, blunt, unapologetic, and hilarious. I just started my sophomore year of college, and found that some of her best moments can accurately describe the start of the school year.

1. When your advisor tells you that you should declare a major soon.

2. Seeing the lost and confused freshmen and remembering that was you a short year ago, and now being grateful you know the ins and outs of the campus.

3. Going to the involvement fair to sign up for more clubs knowing that you are already too involved.

4. When you actually do the reading required for the first class.

5. Seeing your friends for the first time since last semester.

6. When you're already drowning in homework during syllabus week.

7. Realizing you don't have the same excitement for classes as you did as a freshman.

8. Going home and seeing people from high school gets weirder the older you get.

Keep Reading...Show less
graduation

Things you may not realize are different between high school and college:

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

20 Things You Forgot To Thank Your Mom For

Moms are super heroes dressed in yesterday's clothing and they deserve an award for that.

1373
family
Facebook

Dear Mom,

You took care of me and my brothers our entire lives and you still continue to! I will not be able to truly grasp all of the hard work that you put into this family until I create my own one day. But, I know that there are plenty of times I forgot to give you a simple thank you or an appreciative smile. I thank you for everything that you have done for me and will continue to do for me. Here are some examples of those times where you had my back and I forgot to pat your back for saving me:

Keep Reading...Show less
pumpkin
Holytaco.com

College is hard. As people ages 18-22, we’re just trying to figure out what we’re doing with our lives, our careers, our eating habits, exercise routines, sleep patterns, and other necessities for adult life. We definitely don’t take proper care of ourselves; it’s basically impossible when we have essays, tests and readings due and somehow we’re supposed to eat right, exercise and sleep. We’re doomed to get sick. I have zero experience in science but when I get sick there are certain things I do to make myself better.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments