Nail Biting while Musing

[kgord]

I know the subject of nail biting has come up on here before. I know that nail biting is a symptom of anxiety..but for different people it can mean different things. As a life long nail biter, I decided to keep track of when I was biting my nails, I have found sometimes I am just preoccupied with my thoughts and am musing. I may not be especially anxious, but the fingers are in my mouth. Other times there is an anxiety component to it..so I think it is a habit that may have started for one reason...but continued for another. What do you all think?

 

[EntropiaAddict]

I often find myself doing the same thing... Also a life-long nail biter. I feel that for me, nail-biting definitely was an anxiety thing, and eventually became a habit. Now I often find myself doing it without even being consciously aware of it: while thinking, when bored, while watching TV, etc. However, when I get into situations that cause my social anxiety to come to the front, I am consciously aware of biting my nails, which in turn leads to me being more anxious as I feel many people think this is a strange (and unsanitary) habit. I think in your case, biting your nails while being preoccupied in thought is more of a habit than anything, and that part can be corrected with the proper motivation if you want it to be (something like snapping your wrist with a rubber band anytime you catch yourself biting your nails when you aren't anxious). The rubber band needs to be snapped hard enough to sting a little for this method to be effective (it worked great for getting me to stop saying "Ummm" during conversations). Biting during the anxiety times is a lot more difficult to stop, if it is even possible to stop at all... depends on your personality and how ingrained the compulsion is at this point.

 

[kgord]

My nail biting doesn't bother me all that much. Alot of people do it. I have other habits I would like to correct more than that actually. I would like to have nicer nails but I think the habit is rather innocous in the overall scheme of things. I just think that that the awareness is a good idea. If you know you are going to bite...and don't want to..you could do something else to occupy your hands. I would like to have nice nails, but my nails aren't unsightly, so I think I just need to be aware of it.

 

[KCanxi]

Nail biting was always one of my "bad habits" growing up. I wouldn't say that anxiety was the cause. As I got older it became much less frequent, but most notably it still occurs when I'm anxious. I guess it became associated with my worrying. I find myself doing it when I'm driving or working out a tough problem. I suppose it does happen when I'm seriously concentrating, but if I'm working that seriously I'm probably also worried. I wish I didn't bite my nails because I like to paint them when they look nice, and painting them also keeps me from biting them.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

When I read the title of this thread I remembered a niece and a best friend who had this habit of biting their nails from childhood up to the time they are teenager already. To the point that their nails are very short already because of their nail biting habit. Even in front of other people they are biting their nails while the are conversing with them. They are really always ashamed that they are doing that kind of thing and they didn't like it. Then things had changed and in the long run they had stopped already and it just came to an end. There are no valid explanations how it started and how it ended.