How I Quit Biting My Nails

Hellooooo lovelies! Once again, long time no talk. Seriously, I feel like every single intro to every single one of my posts is me apologizing for my lack of writing...ughh. And once again, my excuse is the same as always, with everything being so CRAZY I haven't had concrete time to sit down and create a post. Or, it could be that my brain won't slow down enough for me to stop and tell myself that I have time to write something. The thing with anxiety (or my anxiety at least), my mind always tricks myself into thinking I have to get EVERY. SINGLE. THING. done before I can finally relax. This is a pretty bad anxious habit that I am slowly working to break. Luckily for me, school is pretty much wrapped up, so now I don't have to worry about tackling a huge list before I can do something for myself.

Speaking of habits, I wanted to write about my nails, because I don't know about you, but the anxiety and stress used to cause me to pick! And pick...and pick. It was seriously not good. I would bite my nails like crazy and leave them raw and stubby. My hands are small AF to begin with, and you should seriously see my nails. Ask any one of my friends or come up and compare your hand to mine, my fingers and nails are so small! I have always loved long nails, but I hate the feeling of acrylics. The only time I ever got acrylics, Cruiser bit the acrylic (along with half of my nail) off by accident when I was feeding him an apple (sorry for the visual!). So, with all being said, my nails are already small to begin with, and the biting made them worse. It was something that calmed me down when I was stress and took away any tension I was feeling. But man, would it make my nails look worse!

I normally don't do New Year's Resolutions, but right before this past New Year's, I made a goal to quit biting my nails and picking my skin in 2016. And so far, through all of 2016, I haven't bitten my nails off or picked them like I used to! Yay! I have a lot of friends and classmates with this habit as well, so I wanted to make a little list of things that worked for me when it came to biting and picking my nails. But keep in mind before reading this that if the ends of my nails/a particular nail are hanging off, super loose, or cracked, I usually play around with it until it peels or falls off. This is the only thing I do, and usually only when I end up doing my nails myself. I don't bite, pick at hangnails (or create hangnails by picking). So, with this information in mind, here is my list:

1. At the beginning of your goal to stop biting and picking, start with a no-chip manicure, press on nails, or acrylics.
-I got a no-chip manicure a few days before New Year's, and from January-March, all I got were no-chips. My Valentine's Day no-chip manicure lasted for over three weeks and my nails grew to the longest they have ever been! It is nice to have something on your nails like a no-chip or acrylic, it really helps you avoid biting and picking! Press on nails aren't bad either, the photo below show press on nails that I used last week, I loved them but they were a little too long. Having something like press ons are good because they cover up your nails.

2. Then, take a break from the heavy manicures.
-I don't know about you, but going to get manicures all of the time can get expensive! It may work well for different people, depending how long it takes for their nails to grow. But acrylics and no chips can be hard on your nails! My nails were constantly flaky after my two month no-chip binge, so I decided to take a bit of a break and do my nails myself for a while.

3. Realize that when you do your nails yourself, they aren't going to be perfect!
-I for one, cannot do my nails well by myself. And this is not a put down, I promise, I truly just can't! Something always happens- they either smudge or chip the next day or something equally as frustrating. It is good to take a break from the heavy manicures, but seeing all of that chipped polish and exposed nail could make you want to pick. It is one thing if the end of the nail is coming off already and you peel it, and a whole other thing if you begin to bite again at the sight of an exposed nail. If your polish chips (which it will eventually, sad face), just paint over it with a new coat ASAP.

4. Or, go without polish.
-Going without polish can help your nails (both toes and fingers) heal and recover the right way. They usually say that it is best to take toenail polish off after a while (it usually stays on forever) because it is better for your nails. Same goes for finger nails, too! It is sometimes nice to give them a break. To resist the urge to pick or bite, use a clear coat, a few coats of nail repair, or some cuticle oil.

My Valentine's Nails got so long and lasted forever! 

Hopefully these tips all work well for you! And remember, there is no better time than now to make a new habit! If you just decided that you want to stop the picking and biting for good, welcome to the club! The journey won't be perfect but it will lead to healthier nails! Best of luck, and let me know if you plan on quitting biting and picking after reading this :)

Have a great day! <3

Grace