How to stop biting your nails
Often onychophagia begins in childhood, in anxious and stressed young people, and can continue ... until adulthood! In 10-14 year olds, 10% of teens are biting their nails. The problem often resolves itself beyond.
We distinguish mild onychophagia and severe onychophagia. If the first is limited to eating the nails, the second is self-injury and leaves as fingertips bloody stubs! In psychoanalytic terms, we even speak of a "sadistic oral impulse" which turns against the subject. A serious infection can become lodged in the injuries that the person inflicts and a dental deformation can ensue.
The causes of known onychophagia are first the stress and anxiety. It may also appear in case of boredom, loneliness and, in younger children, transfer following the cessation of thumb sucking. Of course, some children also sometimes imitate other family members.
For mild onychophagia, which is to equalize the tips of the nails, people can overcome it with tips and tricks easy to implement. So try what can work. Because to stop overnight, just by the will, it works for some but not for all!
1- Put bitter nail polish on his nails; it gives the nails a bad taste. Well, some become "addicted" to bad taste but usually bitterness discourages most rodents.
2- Stop gnawing a finger a week. Often the "onychophages" eat all the fingers and do not have fetishes. So in 10 weeks, the problem should be solved! At least if the nails at rest do not become too appetizing ...
3- Eat candies or chewing gum instead. Without sugar, of course!
4- Treat yourself to a nice manicure. To massacre her would be so bad.
5- Taking care of your hands a little every day allows you to learn to give them attention so respect for their shape and beauty.
6- Put in a kitty one or two euros per day without gnawed nails. After a month of effort, do not fail to offer a reward, such as a beautiful manicure for example!
7- If we scratch our nails by mimicry, perhaps we can also stop gnawing at them by mimicry. So look at your best friend with her manicure always impeccable. This does not make you want to?
8- The day we have eaten the nail and the skin with it, and that it hurts a lot, we stop, period. It hurts too much. And we do a cure of vitamins B1, B2 and D which help to fight against the stress.
9- Do you go to yoga or painting to evacuate the stress in another way and express your emotions.
In case of severe onychophagiait is recommended to take things in hand with a lot more depth. The cause is probably a stress, anxiety, lack of confidence and it is extremely difficult to cope alone. Nail biting becomes a symptom of a malaise to be solved with the help of a professional. Psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy ... are then strongly recommended.
Our advice
In case of infection on a nail bitten with too much fury, it is advisable to disinfect and then to pass wheat germ oil. If your nails have suffered for many years, do not hesitate to strengthen them with cystine, whose tablets are freely available in pharmacies.
