Lindsey (Nail Biting)
Singer
Austin, TX
I've been chewing and picking at my cuticles for almost twenty years. I'm a musician, and on stage I would stress out and worry that a video or photo of my hands would show my cuticles. I was worrying about my fingers instead of being in the moment and enjoying the performance. I never wanted to show anyone my hands and I hid them all the time.
I was really stressed because I want to be in control, but I was biting and picking my nails at least ten times a day. I couldn't stop and I really didn't want to. I never got manicures because the nail ladies yelled at me and told me that they didn't want to see me again until I had stopped ripping at my skin. They couldn't do anything with it and the cleaning stuff really stung.
I tried the nasty tasting stuff to stop chewing at my cuticles, but I just started picking instead of biting. I tried wearing gloves in movies or at times when I knew I would normally pick, but I just took them off when I was out in public and did it anyway. I tried putting athletic tape around my cuticles, but it made me feel weird so I stopped doing it. I even had a friend slap me whenever I did it, but that didn't work because I just got mad at her.
I heard about A New Day hypnosis from my dietician, Jenny Leman. I had the erroneous view from the media that I wasn't going to have control; I thought I would be under someone else's influence. Laura explained that I would be aware the whole time and that I would be relaxed, so after I read her website testimonials I decided to give it a shot.
I thought it would be hard to quit, but I stopped after the first visit. It was relatively easy and just allowed me to see that the problem was evidence of a deeper issue that I had with anxiety. I realized that I was thinking about it before I picked or bit my fingers.
I'm a lot more relaxed and confident now. I'm more rested and I think more clearly. I stopped messing with my fingers and haven't touched them in over two months. I feel more confident because my hands look awesome. I talk with them and don't even think twice about it. When I interact with people I don't worry about hiding my fingers. I realized that it wasn't just this annoying little habit and it was a big deal that wasn't healthy for many reasons. As I became mentally and emotionally aware of the issue, I started to ask myself why I wanted to do it. I don't feel like something so silly is controlling me anymore and that is a relief.
All my family, friends, and people I work with have commented that they are so proud of me for overcoming this. They are amazed at how healthy my fingers look. Just last night, my best friend said that she'd never seen my fingers look better. About a month ago, I got my first manicure where the lady didn't say anything. It was wonderful and I felt more ladylike. I had a victory and I was rewarding myself for my hard work.
There have been so many benefits. I am free from my addiction and I'm really proactive about battling it. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants help because it works. Laura is very relaxed, non-judgmental, and a kind, intelligent person. I feel like the habit has been broken and I'm not even tempted to pick or chew. Because I now know that it's a deeper issue, I'm dealing with the root of the problem. I have tools to fight it so that I can have peace and stay on top of it.