5 Tips To Stop Nail Biting

Being aware of the triggers and urges of nail biting is the first step in preventing the act from re-occurring in the future. It’s advised for you to take a hard look at where in your day you're commonly engaging in the behaviour; you may, for example, often start nibbling when you’re thinking, working on your laptop or watching TV. Moreover, it’s also recommended that you closely monitor your emotional states when nail biting arise; common emotions/feelings that are associated with nail biting are impatience, boredom, frustration, concentration, stress and anxiety.

Once you know what exactly kicks you into the nail-biting drive, you can take the next step to modify your environment or stay conscious of your emotions to make it harder to engage in the habit. For example, if you find that you most often start biting your nails when you’re highly concentrated in a task, try taking a 5 minutes break every 25 minutes of working, as suggested by The Pomodoro Technique; in this way, you won’t be feeling highly anxious for a long period, which makes nail biting habit disappear over time.

2. Get a nice manicure:

When it is at the cost of your beautiful, new manicure, nail biting can become less enticing. Make sure to get a manicure done regularly to get an extra reason to stop chewing on your nails.

3. Cut them short:

If there's not enough nail for you to grab with your teeth, it won't be as satisfying when you go to bite them! You might tend to bite your nails more when they're long — which is why it's a good idea to cut them short to help yourself kick the habit.


4. Try chewing gum:

Chewing gum is a good way to keep your teeth busy, so to reduce the chance of biting your nails at the same time. Plus, chewing gum also helps increase confidence, increase concentration and keep your teeth healthy!

5. Coat your nails with a bad taste:

You may not know this, but there’re foul-tasting polish that prevent you from biting your nails, like ORLY No Bite Nail Bite Deterrant. Applying a layer of hand cream or cuticle oil to your hands could also make the nails taste bitter, which help alleviate the desire for nipping on your nails.