Nail biting is less of a symptom of stress or emotional disorders, and more of a bad habit that has been ingrained into the subconscious over a number of years. As is the case with most bad habits, there are multiple ways to get rid of them, with some methods being more effective than others. Whether or not a particular treatment works for you will depend on a variety of factors, but if you are truly motivated to stop nail biting once and for all you should consider starting with one of the treatments mentioned within this article. Here are 4 commonly used methods to stop nail biting:
1. Developing a Strong Will
This is probably the first option that comes to mind for most people. Why not just learn how to recognize the problem when it occurs and make a conscious decision to stop doing it? However, mastering this technique is a lot harder than it seems, although not impossible. It will require you to understand yourself and learn that you are your own greatest enemy when it comes to stopping nail biting. Many people make strong resolutions to quit a bad habit only to pick up on it again several months later, and this is particularly easy to do when dealing with bad habits that are ingrained or unconscious.
2. Medication
Doctors often tend to prescribe antidepressants as a remedy for nail biting. There are many different antidepressants that might be used, and some are administered in combination with anti-psychotics simply to increase the power of the antidepressants being taken. As you may have realized, this type of medication could turn out to be quite expensive and chances are that if you were to quit, nail biting would pick up right where it left off. Needless to say, medication might be an excellent temporary solution but you should not expect it to actually stop nail biting permanently.
3. Nail Polish
This is probably the simplest method available to stop nail biting. Many parents have successfully used this method to solve their nail biting in young children. It is a type of behavioral therapy where you condition the mind to avoid nail biting simply because it is unpleasant.
4. Hypnosis
Although a lot of people are skeptical whenever they hear the word "hypnosis", the reality is that there are numerous success stories associated with this type of treatment. Many people from around the world have scheduled appointments with specialized hypnotherapists, and have successfully managed to stop nail biting after several intense sessions of unconscious reprogramming. It works because nail biting is essentially an unconscious activity, and hypnotherapy is performed through tapping into the unconscious areas of the mind. Options include personalized sessions or even an audio CD.
1. Developing a Strong Will
This is probably the first option that comes to mind for most people. Why not just learn how to recognize the problem when it occurs and make a conscious decision to stop doing it? However, mastering this technique is a lot harder than it seems, although not impossible. It will require you to understand yourself and learn that you are your own greatest enemy when it comes to stopping nail biting. Many people make strong resolutions to quit a bad habit only to pick up on it again several months later, and this is particularly easy to do when dealing with bad habits that are ingrained or unconscious.
2. Medication
Doctors often tend to prescribe antidepressants as a remedy for nail biting. There are many different antidepressants that might be used, and some are administered in combination with anti-psychotics simply to increase the power of the antidepressants being taken. As you may have realized, this type of medication could turn out to be quite expensive and chances are that if you were to quit, nail biting would pick up right where it left off. Needless to say, medication might be an excellent temporary solution but you should not expect it to actually stop nail biting permanently.
3. Nail Polish
This is probably the simplest method available to stop nail biting. Many parents have successfully used this method to solve their nail biting in young children. It is a type of behavioral therapy where you condition the mind to avoid nail biting simply because it is unpleasant.
4. Hypnosis
Although a lot of people are skeptical whenever they hear the word "hypnosis", the reality is that there are numerous success stories associated with this type of treatment. Many people from around the world have scheduled appointments with specialized hypnotherapists, and have successfully managed to stop nail biting after several intense sessions of unconscious reprogramming. It works because nail biting is essentially an unconscious activity, and hypnotherapy is performed through tapping into the unconscious areas of the mind. Options include personalized sessions or even an audio CD.
