To ask how you stopped nail biting

[yoursworried]

I'm 33 and have severely bitten my nails for as long as I can remember. It looks horrible but I barely know I'm doing it.

Today I had to go to the doctors with a very painful infection round the nail which involved draining and now a course of antibiotics. It's been a painful and expensive lesson and I'm a bit ashamed really as it's entirely self-inflicted by a mindless habit that worsens when I'm a bit anxious (like now as about to move and start a new job)

I am prompted to try again to give up but I've failed many times. The bad tasting stuff isn't enough for me - I can mindlessly chew through that so I am searching for any tried and tested ideas from the ever experienced mumsnetters. Thanks in advance

Oh wow,I expected them to be much worse than that, they're fine! Well done you,think what they'll be like at the end of next week! Make sure you have a nail file on hand in case you get a scraggy bit and you're not tempted to have a chew.

Good for you @yoursworried !! That's excellent, you should be really proud. I used to be a nail biter as a child, I stopped as a teen because I wanted my nails to look nice but then started picking at my cuticles and skin around the nails, so I basically just channelled the nervous energy elsewhere. It's got really bad over the last year as I've started a new job and been extremely anxious - I would routinely pick until I bled, had large patches of raw skin... It was so painful, and looked horrendous. I felt so ashamed but couldn't stop. What finally stopped me was getting gel/shellac nails - they look so pretty I don't want to spoil them, and they're 'thicker' so harder to pick anyway. Yours are a great length now to get something like that, maybe just a pretty nude colour? I can't tell you how transformative it was for me.
I would also recommend chewing gum - something else to do with your mouth, distraction, and use up that nervous energy.
But seriously, well done, it's HARD to change the habits that we've built up to express anxiety and self-soothe, even when those habits are self-destructive. You've come so far!

Get the quit nail biting app. Its hypnotherapy and has a photo diary so you can take pics of your lovely new nails.