Nail biting is universally acknowledged to be a bad habit.
It creates uneven, unsightly nails, and can lead to damage and even infection as you expose the quick to injury and germs.
And it is distracting when done in public.
But if you are like millions of people world wide, you are a nail biter and would like to find a way to stop nail biting.
To find a way to stop nail biting, we need to examine why people bite their nails in the first place.
While there is no specific cause that anyone can point to, most behavioral experts agree that nail biting is most often a reaction to stress.
This is one reason many people want to stop nail biting.
No one wants to advertise their emotional state like that.
But just because nail biting can be linked to stress does not necessarily mean that the nail biting person is weak or unable to cope.
People are different, and they deal with emotions, stress and external events differently.
Each of us has their own 'stress habits', just not all of them are as visible and noticeable as nail biting.
So how do you stop nail biting? To begin with, you must understand nail biting, is a conditioned behavior that you, as an individual, have linked to certain external or internal triggers.
And, like other conditioned behaviors, it can be altered or eliminated.
But for each process, there is always and important first step.
Like everyone with an addictive or compulsive behavior, you must first admit that you have a problem and get to the point where you really want to find a solution.
To stop nail biting, you must want to stop nail biting.
Without commitment, no cure will work.
Now that you have determined to stop nail biting, you must select the technique that will work best for you.
You may not select the correct method on the first try, so don't be discouraged if your first choice did not produce the results that you were looking for.
Hypnosis has been used to help people lose weight, quit smoking, get over their fear of flying and it has been shown to help some people stop nail biting.
It is simple and painless, but should only be done by a medical professional who is also trained in hypnosis.
Unlike what we see on TV, hypnotizing does not work miracles.
If you don't really want to quit, hypnosis probably won't do the trick.
And it doesn't work for all people, nor is always a permanent cure.
But in many cases, it can change your pattern of behavior long enough to allow you to create new, more positive patterns.
Another method is aversion training.
By putting a bitter tasting chemical on your fingernails every day, you will be less inclined to bite your nails and may eventually train your self away from this habit.
There are many brands on the market, each with their promise of guaranteed results.
But for any of these to be effective, you must do it every day.
If you are in a situation where you wash your hands often, you may have to repeat the treatment throughout the day.
Wearing gloves has been tried.
While this is often not practical out in public, it does allow you to work on modifying your behavior at home, which can lead you to stop nail biting full time.
One technique that some people have used effectively is to carefully polish only some of your nails.
When you go to bite a nail, you will tend to avoid the polished nails and go for one of the unpolished ones.
Every few days, add another nail to the polished group.
Eventually, you will be down to one 'biting' nail, with the other nine reminding you of why you want to stop nail biting in the first place.
' Once you are ready, polish that last nail.
In many cases, people have developed enough will power by that point to go the rest of the way themselves.
Another method of behavior modification is to transfer the habit.
Find another, less destructive outlet for your stress and gradually substitute one for the other.
Keeping a record is always a good idea, no mater which method that you use to stop nail biting.
Awareness of your behavior is key to making a change.
A journal will help you make the change from a nail biter to a non-nail biter.
Dealing with the cause of the stress is also a help.
If you are less tense, the need to bite you nails will also be lessened, making it easier to stop nail biting forever.