How can I break my nail-biting habit?

Paint something really disgusting to eat on your nails, im not meaning sh*t because thats not good for hygiene. Then if you bite your nails the taste would probably disgust you so you stop biting them. Another idea to always wear gloves, its a little hard trying to bite threw the gloves and the tastes isnt something to cheer for. The worst thing i can come up with is to get some cind of mask so you cant bite your nails at all, only removing it when you need to eat 'real food'. I think the second suggestion sounds best, the third is only for extreme danger of biting your fingers off. Because walking around with some cind of mask may be intimidating to people, and give tham thoughts that you are some sort of psykotich freak, not fun at all. Majbe they have courses and stuff, i know there are courses to help stop smoking, majbe there is for stop biting fingernails.

I think people who bite their nails are cute, but maybe that's because my son used to bite his nails like that. He doesn't do it so much anymore and so I asked him what he did to stop. He said he had been meaning to try some of that nasty tasting stuff but he never got around to it because 'not biting' his nails wasn't high on his priority list. He said he started carrying a pair of clippers around with him all the time and so he has basically switched habits, which you said you don't want to do. But he said that now he is in the habit of clipping his nails rather than biting them.

Anxiety and worry will make you bite your nails. You should try and get some help for that.

i find swimming v good for stress release i keep my head under the water for 3 strokes then i breath deeply i think it is the breathing that helps me im a bit of a shallow breather normally i enjoy your posts-thanks

I've got something similar to Red's idea. I'd just pick up a new habit, or maybe do something to occupy the mouth (chewing gum). Personally speaking my lone habits diminish when focusing a lot of attention on something. As for you Clarus, since you mentioned the habit picks up during stress, maybe have a short getaway, or just take five and relax. No matter what happens, I wish you luck dealing with it.

Yeah i bite my nails too, but not as bad as you by the sounds of things. There is stuff you can buy at the chemist that you paint onto your nails it is natural and tastes like crap, so you will pull your hands out your mouth each time you go to bite your nails. im sure this will work it is for kids that bite their finger nails and it breaks the habit. Make sure you BREAK your habit not just swap it.

Sometimes one habit can be replaced by another. Simply substitute a good habit for this bad one. I once broke a bad habit by becoming extremely involved in my career. Of course, working 6-7 days per week up to 18 hours in a single day and at least 10 hours every day has its drawbacks, too.

YellowBlackDog's suggestion is a very good one and I think if you try that you will be successful. In addition, it helps to know that this is one of those so-called obsessive habits that in like a symptom of stress, and even more than hoping not to ruin your fingers and make them look all ratty, you probably don't want to have everyone who sees you think, "Hah, got that person all stressed out!" So if I did that, I would tell myself that I needed to find a way to relieve stress that would be less obvious and also good for me instead of bad for me....something like exhaling fully after taking a deep breath! I have noticed that many of the nail biters I know are also what we call shallow breathers, who take air into the top part of their lungs and never get rid of the stale air from further down. Whether that is a coincidence or not I do not know, but I think it would be rather difficult to bite your nails while exhaling.

This is just a habit..i had a friend who chewed her fingers to the point of bleeding and she smoked to many Pall Mall cigerettes.. but all habits can be changed as I chewed my nails too..it was something I did and now I cut my fingernails very short..maybe too short as I can't stand them when they are long... To quit a bad habit will take more then will power. Go to a good library if one is avaibable and study up on behavior modifcation / self help books are all under different titles but to conquer any bad habit it takes a lot of trial and error to find the solution ..maybe you could find a trusted adviser to head you in the right direction.. i did not stop any bad habit in a day but it took a long period of time to overcome and conquer this but it all starts with your positive thinking...as you believe you will recieve...

I used to bite my nails all the time, and one thing that helped me to stop was to put clear nail polish on. It helps them grow faster and stronger, and made them taste bad so I didn't like doing it. I guess it's like breaking any other habit, you have to be determined and you have to keep trying. Don't give up when you make one little mistake. You can also tell the people around you and ask them to give you friendly reminders if they catch you biting. Try wearing rings and bracelets, and buy yourself a couple of really pretty colors of nail polish to reward yourself when you let them grow out a little bit.

The quickest way is to chop off your fingers or less drastically shut your mouth with duct tape.