Sometimes you have those habits that in themselves don't do much harm, but are very annoying. Nail biting is one such habit. You bite that nail off, then you have to clean it up, and if you're unlucky you bite too far and hurt yourself. Besides, of course, those bitten off nails are no sight either and putting on a nice nail polish just makes it stand out even more.
Since nail biting is a habit that most people would rather lose than get rid of, I will discuss nail biting and how hypnosis can help against it in this article.
Why do people start nail biting?
Nail biting is a habit that usually begins in childhood. It is estimated that 60 percent of children bite their nails and 45 percent of adolescents. Nail biting is often associated with stress, but nails are also often bitten during moments of boredom. You have to get through that super boring history lesson somehow since the teacher has figured out that smiling at your lap is smiling at your smartphone.
Usually nail biting stops around age 18, but if it does continue by then, it has become a habit you subconsciously engage in. It is only when you bite too far and notice that it hurts that you then become aware of what you are doing.
Nail biting and boredom
When bored or lacking interest in a boring class, for example, nail-biting acts as an action so that the body and mind are at least engaged in something while doing nothing.
Nail biting and anxiety
Nail biting is also common during or before an anxious moment, such as before a presentation is due. Nail biting ultimately makes your fingers look like crap, which only increases that anxiety before a presentation. So it actually doesn't help reduce anxiety either.
Nail-biting stress
In addition to anxiety, stress is also often a trigger for starting nail biting. Busyness at work, for example, can be a reason why not popcorn but your nails are on the menu once you watch a movie.
Nail-biting perfectionism
If you have an extreme form of perfectionism, also known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), nail biting can be a symptom of this.
Nail-biting ADHD
Many children who nail bite, so not all children who nail bite, also suffer from other mental health problems such as ADHD and ADD. Fear of being alone or abandoned or are quite late bedwetters. So nail biting can also be a symptom of another problem.
The effects of nail biting
Nail biting may not seem that dangerous, but nothing could be further from the truth. Nail biting damages the skin around your nails so it can be sensitive and hurt.
Nail biting can also sometimes cause you to bleed, making you more vulnerable to bacteria that can enter your bloodstream that way. Normally, your skin protects you from these bacteria. Bacteria and viruses can pass through your mouth to your fingers and vice versa. This can make you seriously ill.
If you regularly bite your nails to the point of bleeding, this can also be considered a form of self-mutilation similar to cutting yourself and otherwise harming yourself.
In addition to these health risks, nail biting also prevents your teeth from developing properly. As a result, people who bite their nails are more likely to suffer from crooked teeth than people who do not nail bite. Also, nail biting causes your teeth to become weaker.
Getting rid of nail biting
Getting rid of nail biting is very difficult. For example, you can try using bitter-tasting nail polish to stop yourself. For some people, simply putting a nice color on your nails that you don't want to get rid of also works.
- Keeping your nails short also leaves you with little nail to bite. Is this not helping? Then you can also look further into what triggers you to bite your nails.
- By getting regular manicures, you are investing in how beautiful your nails look. A shame to bite that money away right?
- Sometimes it is also better to tackle a bad habit one step at a time. For example, you can choose 1 nail that you no longer bite on. You can still bite all the other nails. The following week you pick an extra nail that you are not allowed to bite anymore. So in week 1 you have 1 nail you are no longer allowed to bite and in week 2 you have two. In week 10 the nail biting should be over.
Is it still difficult to stop nail biting despite investments, keeping nails short and taking a step-by-step approach? Then it is important to address the underlying cause.
A hypnotherapist can help you figure out why you bite your nails if you find it difficult to figure it out yourself. You can also keep a nail-biting diary to find out if you are biting your nails out of boredom, anxiety, stress, perfectionism or ADHD.
To do this, the hypnotherapist can apply regression and other hypnosis techniques to find out what triggers you to start nail biting.
Teaching children to unlearn nail biting
When children start nail biting, it can be a sign of stress at school, at home or in their social circle. In such cases, it is always wise to talk to your child and possibly ask at school how things are going.
Stop nail biting with hypnosis
The beauty of nail biting is that you usually do it unconsciously. The beauty of hypnosis is that it works on your subconscious. Your subconscious in turn drives actions that you perform subconsciously. So for that reason alone, hypnosis should work to get you to stop nail biting.
If nail-biting has become a habit or ritual during boredom, the hypnotherapist can help you place a replacement ritual for where you first nail-bite. For example, when you are bored it is better to draw than to bite your nails. The hypnotherapist can help give you a new "I'm bored" ritual that is less destructive.
For example, there is a case of someone who discovered that he always started biting his nails after dinner. As a solution, the man figured out to use wash gloves to wash the plates, cutlery and pans after dinner from now on instead of sitting on the couch and biting his nails. Through hypnotherapy, the new ritual after dinner was programmed into his subconscious.
If it is precisely fear that triggers you, then we can look at why you are afraid and what beliefs you have that create that fear. Ego-strengthening suggestions and removing unreal fears can help you stop nail biting.
In addition, hypnotherapists can give you tools other than nail biting to deal with anxiety. For example, relaxation exercises and self-hypnosis can work well against anxiety. For example, if you are that person who starts nail biting before a presentation, you can get relaxation and self-hypnosis exercises that you can use before such an important moment. This then improves not only the feeling. It also improves your appearance because it keeps your nails and fingers looking neat and cared for.
Stress is very unpleasant. A hypnotherapist can help you relax and give techniques to reduce stress and to make it easier to say no to something if it stresses you out. Also, conscious relaxation helps you. So lie on your bed for 20 minutes during the day and do nothing at all. You can also use those 20 minutes for self-hypnosis to reduce your stress and to relax. The beauty of the state of hypnosis is that you always have to start relaxing before the therapeutic part can begin. You also only stop relaxing after the therapeutic part of the hypnosis session. Two birds with one stone.
You can also have the ritual of nail biting mapped out by the hypnotist. For example, what is the moment when you know you are going to nail bite and what do you do last with the nail that ends up in your mouth. By experiencing the steps in this in a different way, you are confronted with the fact that it is actually a very nasty habit.
To make your goal even stronger, the hypnotherapist can also help you with a visualization of your goal. A visualization of what your hands, fingers and nails look like when you haven't bitten them for six months.
Want to learn more about hypnosis and how you can help yourself and others with it? Then check out the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands' events and trainings.
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