pyske

I hate the idea of someone's hands in their mouth, so many germs 😖 if you're a nail biter, you're constantly putting your mouth germs on every surface you touch and immediately putting every germ you've touched in your mouth. NO WONDER I had strep throat and colds so often.

Even as an adult, 20 years old, working in childcare (um, what the hell was I thinking???) I was still biting my nails. Somehow it was a comfort? A habit that, though very painful, was satisfying and aided in my feeling like I was safe.

The summer after I turned 20 I got a job as a nail technician. We were specializing in natural nails, so no acrylic/fake nails. Our goal as a business was to ensure you could grow your natural nails out strong and healthy.

Anyone, but especially girls, knows that if your nails are painted you're less likely to bite them. 1. Because they're pretty, 2. Who wants paint chips in your mouth? and 3. If you can't see that there's nail to bite, you probably won't bite it.

We didn't just use regular nail lacquer (plain nail polish) we also did gel polish. It cures in the light, doesn't chip, adds layers of polish- strength thickness to your nails, and if applied properly, could stay on your nails for two weeks or longer. As nail techs at this business, we were required to wear Shellac (brand of gel polish) and as intended, all those beneficial things applied to me.

Over the course of a few months I was constantly wearing this gel polish, trying new colors, seeing how long it could last on my nails (that were in acetone and alcohol all day), growing them out and shaping them into different nail shapes.

I basically stopped biting my nails over night. But I didn't realize it.

Before- I was seeing my nails as an out to my anxiety and stress, a way to manage how brittle and easy-to-tear off they were. But as I shifted my perspective, I, too, broke my habit.

Now-as a medical professional- I wear my nails without any polish on them at all and usually grow them out pretty long because they're naturally strong (😍 Who knew?!). I never put my hands in my mouth because it's not something I think about anymore. I do have to keep a nail file close just in case a nail breaks so that I don't feel the compulsion to remove the nail in unhealthy ways (read: rip it off 😳). But I feel so good about myself, proud, that I broke a habit I'd had for nearly two decades.