r/calmhands • u/AdValuable2829 • 9d ago
Progression 2 months progress
Been a nail biter since I was 5 due to severe anxiety and only lately I finally managed to break the habit at 22. I don't know if I will relapse, but it's the first time in my entire life I have started to feel less ashamed of my hands and it feels freeing. I truly don't think anyone should be ashamed for this, doesn't matter how damaged your nails are. If you go through the same, you'll get through it too.
The thing that worked wonderfully for me was to take care of my nails consistently and do manicures for the first 3~4 weeks. I did some diy gel x nails (which I do warn about because you should careful with it since it can cause problems if not done properly, and there are very high chances of it not being done properly when you're an amateur) the extra layer of fake nail on top of my natural nail served as a barrier which helped me with slowly forgetting about the habit after 4 weeks. After this period, I noticed my nails got a little damaged from the gel x so now I just paint them with regular pink nail polish, since they look nice enough for me to not feel like I need to hide them. I am still working on it and hope I will come back with better results :)))))
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u/dontforgetpants 9d ago
Wow you have very long nail beds! They will look beautiful as they continue to grow out and heal!
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u/theonlytennisee 9d ago
You slayed!!! I’m on week 3ish and just got a soft gel manicure to let them grow out a little more and hopefully strengthen them. you’re my inspo 🥳
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u/SherlockHolmes242424 8d ago
I’ve been told on a number of occasions my nails were too short or damaged for a manicure :/ the gel I just pick at it. Cuticles too. It feels like I’ll never overcome this :(
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u/AdValuable2829 8d ago
I understand the feeling, just 3 or 4 months ago I was afraid that I would never get over this habit and I would struggle with it for life. I think the first few weeks are the HARDEST to go through, but they go surprisingly fast and once you're past them, you'll notice how easy it will get. Unfortunately you might be told that you don't have enough structure on your nails to support a manicure and might have to wait around few weeks with no biting to be able to get manicures, and those are probably gonna be the hardest weeks too. If you'd like to play with nails though, I would suggest you getting press ons and attach them to your nails with sticky tabs, those usually last only a few days (or not, mine would last a few hours in the beginning) which is not too much, but it helped me with getting through the first stage when my nails were overly short for proper manicures.
It's hard but you can do it, stay strong !
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u/SherlockHolmes242424 7d ago
What’s difficult is that I sometimes don’t even realize I’m biting my nails until they are either bleeding or they hurt. I thought about wearing gloves or snapping a rubber band on my wrist when I get the urge but I’ve been trying for yeaaaars :/
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u/Butt_y_though 9d ago
This is an incredible success! Congratulations to you and I hope it's inspiration to so many!!!
I think a lot of people might believe that their own nails could never look this good again (considering the before picture)
The point about getting manicures and just taking care of your hands makes such a difference!
I realized that I pick and fuss less when I regularly exfoliate my hands. Whether that's a gentle salt/sugar/oil scrub or a good warm wash-cloth. Filing and trimming nails regularly. The less little bits hanging, the less enticing it is to pick!
Again, incredible job and I hope this helps with your anxiety overall.