Will my fingers stop swelling?

What can I do to stop biting my fingers?

• I am always biting my fingers. I chew on my nails all the time and im embarrassed of my hands because my nails are like half their length D: not only that.. I also chew my fingers. Like the actual fingers. I'll gnaw on the skin and peel it off. It's a really disgusting horrible habit and i want to stop. I have had this habit for 6 years. )= Any advice beside from wearing full on gloves? Note: because of this, my fingers tips are super hard because of the dry skin. And because of me chewing my nails, the tips of my nails turn white and idk why o.O Another note: I read an article about how scientists determined that if you do something for 28 days, it will become a habit. So I just need to find a way to stop chewing fingers for 28 days. By then I hope my fingers will be healed.

• Answer:

  1. First and foremost, promise yourself that you will stop biting your fingers and nails. 2. Notice the pattern of your biting fingers and chewing nails - like during what activity, in what mood state, etc. 3. During a high-risk activity, keep your hands very busy. E.g., if you have a tendency to bite fingers / nails while reading, hold the book with both your hands rather than keeping it on the table. If it is while watching TV, sit on your hands or hold the remote with both your hands. If you find yourself feeling tempted to bite nails, you can even close your fists very tightly. 4. Reward yourself for micro gains. For this, first think of roughly at what frequency you find yourself to again begin biting fingers / nails (this can just be a good estimate rather than a very precise one). Suppose it is 2 hours, then at a slightly lesser duration of that, say 1.5 hours, give yourself a small reward - it can even be a star in your notebook. As you slowly keep reducing the habit, gradually keep prolonging the time duration at which you will reward yourself. This is easier done with the help of a good counsellor or clinical psychologist, but it is possible to do it with yourself also. 5. Allow yourself to have a few lapses. But get back on track again. All the best!