Does anyone else pick the bits of skin off the side of their fingernails and pull and fiddle at them until they rip down in a satisfying and bloody mess?

[FrannyandZooey]

and could you kindly suggest to me that I STOP DOING IT as I fear I may lose a finger or two at this rate

I have no idea why I am indulging this bad habit so much this week. I have 3 on the go and it ruddy hurts tbh

it's not so bad as soon as you have done it, but the next day when you wake up and it is all swollen

apologies to the squeamish btw
thank god for 'hide this thread'

what lumpy bits Greeny? you mean lumpy bits from the last time you picked around and made yourself bleed, or were there once original lumpy bits which you felt driven to eradicate?

yes indeed about the booze etc
I think pulling the sides of your nails out is a laugh compared to stuff I used to do, so well done us

how huge stuffit? wasn't it a relief when it burst?

I have every ugly and prominent ciggie burn scars on my wrist (and other wrist-related scars too) hence the never-taken-off bracelettage

I wonder sometimes what I will say if the kids notice them... "It's nothing to worry about sweetheart, Mummy used to be a gibbering suicidal wreck"

For those of you who enjoy picking your fingers though - take up the guitar! Callous heaven

omg I do this

mainly on thumbs but have doing whole set of fingers

I used to do my feet but have stopped doing that

and I chew my cheeks sometimes

do you think we are all stressed or something?

taking up the guitar is the only thing that has stopped dp biting his nails, ironically

he now manicures them

I do this too, my hands look horrible at the moment, and I'm also a cheek- and inside-of-lip chewer. I have a psychiatrist friend who says these behaviours are normally more to do with "grooming" (as in primates picking fleas, not as in elegant women having facials) than with self-harm, which you may or may not find comforting.

I do it when I am reading so have now taken to playing with the girls hair bobbles to distract me

it is not working v well

ok so we are all stressed
I am going to work out what i am stressed about and deal with it
I am going to turn this into something positive

(I know I have nothing serious to be stressed about so can do this
apologies to people who truly are badly stressed with good reason)

i tried the guitar, but picking skin is so much more satisfying, i love nail clippering off the hard bits

maybe we should have all just been made to knit instead

right I think I am stressed about my sports job
it is quite hard and I am very tired and pg and I am just about to do another 5 Saturdays of it

then it will be over

what can I do in the mean time to stop worrying about it? I quite enjoy it when I am doing it but the planning / anticipation bit is doing my head in
also I can hardly walk for the rest of the day as am so tired

can no-one stand in for you, at least for the last two or three?

or could someone come along with you and do the more physical bits? It does sound like rather a lot to cope with when you are pg and knackered.

meditation fran? Some women I know who do it swear by it (though admittedly they do not have very stressful lives lol)

it was a huge relief and really quite fun to see all the gunk come out

ooh i love finger skin, especially when they take off my false nails and its all hard and I havent bitten it for ages mmmmmm.
Have a nice set of bloody finger sides atm actually

I do this, it is gross, I enjoy it

yes someone new is coming in to train as my replacement
I am stressed about that too
I have to work with her and I don't know her from adam and for the last 2 weeks she will be leading and I will be supporting

not really ME being in a supporting role you see

i think the problem is I have no sporting knowledge but have been winging it on enthusiasm and energy
now those are palling
I am fucked

Me too but only at night while reading in bed.

you'll soon be back to that role though won't you? you have to hand over and have faith .

Yes I am a secret thumb molester too.. both my thumbs have nasty reddish skin over them that actually looks as if i may have burnt them at one point in my life - but it's just from picking away the skin constantly. Gets worse when i'm stressed (I seem to remember constantly bleeding thumbs when doing Finals).

Both my kids do it, and my dad - maybe there's a genetic element to it? (Goody if so that lets us all off the hook!)

you're not 'fucked', you're heavily pregnant, it's a temporary state! (Actually yes, 'fucked' covers it quite succinctly)

I think supporting role just means sit back and observe, with an air of polite menace... you can do that, can't you? You can be knitting little yak-hair bootees at the same time

I used to do my fingers a bit. I used to do my feet a lot.

I only stopped doing my feet because I had to be barefoot for antenatal yoga and couldn't face the embarassment of showing off my gross feet.

These days I don't pick at all.

I don't know how you can deal with your stress. Oh ... wait ... could you find another fiddly thing to do? Bubblewrap? Knitting? Something?

I was mostly just expressing my that so many other people did the feet thing, or had done it.

I just mean how can I carry on winging it and deceiving parents into thinking I can actually teach their children sports when I can't even walk without waddling

I hate my replacement already
no I haven't met her, I hate her on principle
despite having been asking for her for about a year and a half, as there is never anyone to cover me so I can never have a week off sick

anyway sorry this is another thread
but at least I know why 3 of my fingers are bleeding
I think i shall go to bed

i'd cover for you if you lived nearer. you care so people will miss you and look forward to your return