Well, I haven't bitten my nails for three months. This is not only a new world record, but completely smashes any other previous attempt. I'm like the Usain Bolt of not nail biting.The trouble is, I'm still nail obsessed. My nails are constantly near my mouth. It's so habitual, and inescapable. I'm always fidgeting and playing with them. Craving a nibble.
Apologies if this is in poor taste, but say I was an alcho, trying to go cold turkey. Well imagine how much harder that would be if I had to carry around a six pack all the time. This is my pain.
Out of interest, how often are you meant to clip? I have become acute(ical)ly aware (oh man, how good was that pun) of other people's nails now. I look at how much white they have at the end, and how rounded they are. To be honest, I am mostly repulsed by what I see. Males with this horrid, white three millimetre overhang. Repugnant. Buy some clippers already.
So far, I have been unable to go more then a week without clipping. Anymore than that, and I just feel like a freakshow. I may as well just put on a dress, some leggings and 'ballet flats' and be done with it.
So, what about you? I'm not talking about long girly nails, but say a regular man-nail-- what is the appropriate amount of white, and the appropriate time before clippings?
18 comments:
I am an ex-addict. But every now and then I can't help myself and I just bite a thumb down to the bone.
I reckon the key to keeping clean is to make sure that there are no rough edges on the nails. After I first came down I used to file my nails smoothly so that there would be no temptation to bit a jagged edge off.
Now I clip them every 2 weeks or so.
Well done, btw. It's a lot harder than most people think.
I used to bite my nails all the time - now I only do it after I've cut them. They just don't feel smooth, even if I use a file, so I end up trying to take the edges off with my teeth.
Gah!
I hate cutting my nails, every time I do it, my hands dry up and I can't sleep. Jen thinks this is weird, but my sister has the same problem (although she just lets hers grow long).
You know, I've given up actual nail-biting, but now I do this pseudo-nail-biting thing where I run my nail across my teeth (I know, am trying to give this up too!). I've actually tried filing my teeth, so they didn't have these rough edges for me to fiddle with with my nail! So you have my sympathies.
Al- Thanks. It's definitely about smoothness. I have a file near my desk at work to avoid temptation. 2 weeks? Wow... how do you live.
Rodeo- I think what you need in order to avoid roughness is a finer kind of file. Borrow your wife's emery board thing if she has one. You too can acheive smoothness. That's really strange that your fingers dry up and you can't sleep.. I wonder what the heck that's about.
Ali- Ali!!!! That is EXACTLY what I do, and can't stop doing. I didn't know how to explain it succinctly in this post. It's so annoying isn't it? To other people it probably looks like I'm still biting. I'm forever trying to just concentrate on keeping my hands in my lap.
ps- don't file your teeth!
Yes, it is annoying! Others watching don't realise the vast difference between biting and just looking like you're biting. I try to keep my hands away from my mouth - then I end up twirling my hair. Hopeless!
Ben - I do use my wife's emery board...
Ali- I know. I'll have to take up knitting to occupy my ADD hands.
Rodeo- Well, then I've got nothing for you. Hand and nail cream?
You guys could try a stress ball. Or something small and less obvious to fiddle with.
Ali - I had that habit 10 years ago; broke it for 8 or 9 years and have fallen off the wagon again. DH keeps trying to 'help' me stop and doesn't understand that it's something I have to do for myself. I expect it's got something to do with his being (a) male - he says it's an innate thing for males to try to solve a perceived problem even if they haven't been asked for help or (b) a teacher or (c) both.
Ben (and Ali, Alistair) - I'm envious! Been biting my nails for more than 25 years and (apart from a month or two before my wedding) I cannot stop! How on earth did you all do it?
Also.... does this make you think you have a lot of readers prone to nail-biting, Ben?
Joanna. When I was in primary school my mum used to paint on my nails some foul tasting stuff (Stop n Grow?) which tasted bad for a while but I'd still bite away. It was useless.
My wedding photos show my nails all bitten down to the quick. I actually used to tear my nails more than bite them which often meant they bled and were painful.
But then I just realised that it was a dumb thing to do. That it made my nails/hands look ugly. And so I decided to set myself a challenge of growing 1 nail at a time.
After a while I got quite protective of the nail that was off limits. Then I added another and another and within about 6 months I had stopped biting all my fingernails.
By thumbs were still a big problem though. And they still are occasionally. (Like when I was watching the Masterchef final). But at the moment I have 10 unbitten (but still not normal looking) nails.
The trouble with a 'rule of how much white' is that bitten nails have the pink/white ratios changed from years of biting at them. So my man nail rule is nothing past the end of the fingers, preferably 1mm down from the top - not interrupt the rounded shape of the finger.
I'm proudly nail-biting free for 18 years now. Should I be ashamed that all it took was my dad offering me $20 to stop? Probably. But they are only starting to look 'normal' shaped now. Nail polish helps you not chew on them as well, but probably not a good man-option.
Yes, Jo, I was going to say, I have had some success with nail polish in the past. I don't especially like coloured nail polish, but it hides how far down the white begins as your nail starts to grow - and if you must attack your nails you can keep busy scraping the polish off for a while :). Clear polish helps a bit too. But even now, I carry a nail file with me all the time or I start chewing on jagged bits (as someone above said). I feel a bit precious whipping out a file sometimes, but I can't leave ragged edges alone.
Joanna, it did surprise me how many sympathetic comments this post got. I was more expecting comments about what a gross habit it is.
I think what worked for me, was quitting about three days before a biggish thing I was stressed about (a kids party for the two girls). This wasn't a planned thing, but once I'd gotten through the party with nails intact, I felt really pleased and thought 'well, if I can do that, I can do anything'.
Al- I had brown stuff painted on my thumbs as a kid to try and get me to stop thumb sucking. It was gross, but I'd just take a deep breath, quickly suck it off, and then continue as before!
Interestingly, when I first tasted chinnotto many years later, it reminded me distictly of that brown stuff!
I think what eventually convinced me to stop, was that I was annoyed by the pain involved. After a 'heavy session' all my fingertips would be really sore and red, especially if I'd also gone in with clippers to try and tidy it up. When I played guiter, it'd hurt, when I cut up onions it'd hurt, when I'd draw it'd hurt. It just got so annoying.
Ah yes Jo, this is like an open therapy/addiction recovery session don't you think? I propose we form NBA (Nail Biters Anonymous, incase that isn't obvious). We can all report in and support each other in this most difficult endeavour ...
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