Nail biting due to stress

• Break down bigger projects into smaller, more manageable ones - Instead of thinking that everything you're doing is impossible or just too big for you to handle, try breaking up your projects into smaller tasks. For example, if you have to write an article, you might start by brainstorming. Then you would find sources and information. You would write the opening and closing paragraph and then you would write the middle.
  
  
• Give someone one of your responsibilities - If you can, try to hand off one of your most troublesome responsibilities to someone else. This will help you feel more in control of the situation and will allow you to feel less stressed about what you do have to do. Or you can simply share a project that you don't enjoy with someone.
  
  
• Use your hands for other tasks - Instead of focusing all of your nervous energy on your hands, try to use your hands for other activities. When you feel the urge to bite, try washing your hands or painting your nails, for example. Distract yourself away from your nails in order to start breaking down that stress response.
  
  
• Try polishes that make your nails taste horrible - There are also many polishes and lotions that you can put on your nails to give you a bitter taste in your mouth whenever you try to bite them. Experiment with a few different kinds until you find one that you hate.
  
  
• Spend money on your hands - If you head out for a manicure or a hand massage a few times a week, you might not want to ruin the results by biting your nails.

Nail biting may be a common reaction to stress, but that doesn't mean that you need to continue to do it. Try these tips and start finding other ways to deal with your stress in order to be a more relaxed and longer-nailed person.

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