Babies suck and chew their fingers as it’s very comforting for them and makes them feel secure in between feeds.

Rodents chew their nails whenever they are caged or stressed because chewing off bits of their own flesh can distract them from their anxiety.

You are not a baby or a rat though so to stop biting your nails…

1. Tell yourself that you look like a trapped rodent and it’s very unattractive to see people biting of bits of their own flesh. This image can be enough to stop you chewing your nails.
2. Nails are full of bacteria from everything you touch like door handles, toilet flushers, money, etc.. When you touch a handle you are picking up whatever was on someone else’s hands and putting it straight into your mouth through nail-biting.  Notes and coins are coated with faecal matter and mucus, which you are putting into your body, increasing your risk of infection. Reminding yourself of this will help you to pull your nails out of your mouth.
3. Imagine running your nails down your boyfriend’s back or giving him a scalp massage.
4. Get manicures every week so you can focus on making your nails attractive keep telling yourself, “I am growing strong healthy gorgeous nails” and it will help you to grow them instead of chewing them.
5. Keep an eggcup of olive oil by your bed and massage it into the nail bed every night, as it helps nails become stronger, less brittle, and less prone to breaking (it also stops hangnails).