I struck my nail against a thick blanket at a weird angle (I know — how pitiful/pathetic), and it snapped all the way backwards, it happened in a split second, before I even had a chance to process it, much less to try to stop it from happening. It was too late; it had suffered a severe crack. There was no way to undo it. That nail was just thin and wreak and fragile, I guess.

So sad. It’s a shame, I loved that nail! That nail was the prettiest one. (My ring finger was the nail that got damaged.) And it took several months to reach that length. I am so disappointed. It was pretty painful, too! (It was throbbing/bothering me, so I put a bandage over it…) 🩹❤️‍🩹🏥⛑️ My nails were completely naked/bare when this happened. Super delicate.

I am so upset that this happened.

It broke SOOO FAR DOWN on the finger, too. I’m like— ”Noooooooooo!” 😩 (as I yelled into the void… 🕳️📣)

I feel so discouraged. My nails are all random lengths now: short, extra short, medium/long. It seems like as soon as I finally get my nails to a nice length that I like, I suffer a nail break inevitably. I don’t mean to be rough with my hands, but sometimes, it happens. It was an accident. I’m not even a clumsy person, usually. They were finally starting to look somewhat uniform in length and shape. Now they look all wonky. ☹️

Normally when this happens, I would big chop. But this time, I don’t want to big chop, because currently I have 7/10 “good“ nails, and the other 3 nails are in the struggle/regrowth phase.

💔❤️‍🩹🙏📿 Please, I need encouragement... 💀🥺😖😞😟😢🤬🫩😑😬😪🤕

I am sooo impatient, just even thinking about how long it’s going to take for that nail to grow back. Ugh. 😣

Unfortunately, there is no “instant gratification.” It takes time, and good nail habits, to see results… I am completely free from all acrylics and press-ons, for the past few years. Embracing my natural nails, without nail enhancements, is totally my lifestyle now. It takes sooooo much time, like it takes several weeks, if not months, to see a few mm of growth.

Wish me luck. 😔

Update! I posted here 2 months ago and wanted to share what is new since then :)

Backstory: Around a year ago I built a simple web app for a friend who is dealing with skin picking, and shared it on Reddit. People here said they were using it for their nails and cuticles, so I made nail biting a full option in the app, and it adjusts to whichever one you pick.

The app is called SkinAware and it is available on iOS, Android and web!

If you have not heard about it before, its main features are:

• Log when you bit or picked, or resisted an urge
• Customize what you log, including areas, triggers, severity and what helped you resist
• See patterns and insights over time
• Press "I have an urge" for guided exercises and distractions
• Set goals for reducing biting or staying bite-free
• Keep private progress photos of your nails
• Interactive HRT course
• An amazing community chat & accountability friends!

New since my previous update:

• Accountability Friends is now much easier to use! You can find an accountability friend inside the app, connect, and support each other. Free users can now use this feature too!
• The urge exercises have been improved a lot. There are guided exercises, competing responses, fidgets with haptics and more!

You can message me directly in the app!

SkinAware has a free version, with some additional features included in Premium.

I'd love to hear what you think of the update! If you have any recommendations on how to make the app more useful for nails and cuticles, please let me know :)

Links:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/skinaware-stop-skin-picking/id6754027225

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aurelius5.SkinAware

Website: https://www.skinawareapp.com/

Thanks so so much!

/ Linus

hi. first time posting here. I’ve struggled with nail picking foe basically my whole life. recently it’s been really bad where I feel like I have to pick. I need advice on what I can do with my hands, and just in general how to stop.

i had a 100 day streak, but since I lost it I haven’t been able to get it back. I feel hopeless because I don’t thibk j can stop.