If you just can’t seem to quit biting your nails, you’re in good company. According to an oft-quoted 1995 study of nail biting by Terry M. McClanahan called “Operant Learning Principles Applied to Nail Biting,” 28 to 33% of young children have the habit. The incidence of nail biting peaks in adolescence at about 44%, diminishing to 19 to 29% in young adulthood.
About 5% of older adults engage in nail biting, also called onychophagia, including well-known celebrities like Phil Collins, Lisa Marie Presley and Bruce Springsteen. Onychophagia can be triggered by stress, lack of attention, boredom, psychological trauma or even a mental disorder.
Because nail biting is a nervous habit that most often serves to relieve tension, it’s not surprising that superficial remedies alone don’t always help people stop biting nails and cuticles. If you’ve tried manicures and bitter nail polish to no avail, you may need to take a look at how you deal with stress in your life and take a more strategic approach.
First, confront the problem head on. Realize that nail biting is a way of dealing with stress and train yourself to be aware of situations that cause you to tear up your nails. Are there other ways you could handle anxiety? Should you build more exercise into your daily routine? Would it help to seek counseling? What about introducing yourself to yoga or another calming activity?
To support yourself in facing the habit squarely, commit to a long-term quitting process. Nail biting is one of the more difficult behaviors to change and it’s bound to take time. Consider taking a picture of your nails before you start and studying it objectively. Write down your goals; it’s amazing what extra resolve you can feel from seeing your desires in print. Determine ahead of time that you won’t beat yourself up if you backslide. It’s a rare individual who is absolutely and utterly successful with a “cold turkey” approach to any bad habit.
Think about what kind of strategy might work well for you as an individual. Maybe you’d like to set aside one nail to “spare” at first, or maybe one hand. Perhaps you have a friend who also bites his or her nails—you could form a mini support group. You could take up a hobby you’ve wanted to try, preferably one that keeps your hands grimy like gardening, pottery or painting.
Tactical approaches to quitting can be helpful when added in to your overall strategy. Along with the old bitter nail polish standby, you might try artificial nails and gloves at night if you bite in your sleep. You can carry a nail file at all times and file your nails when you have the urge to bite them. Some people swear by a pocketful of small items to distract their hands like stress balls and paper clips and a mouth distracter like chewing gum or sunflower seeds.
No matter what combination of strategy and tactics you choose, the most important thing you can do when you decide to stop biting your nails is be positive and kind to yourself. There’s a world of difference between telling yourself, “I want to have whole, attractive nails,” rather than, “I must stop biting my nails.” Give yourself something to work for, rather than something to fight against, and be sure to celebrate each small victory along the way.