Stopping nervous tics

[wavering_radiant]

So I tend to have a couple of nervous tics, but can't seem to stop them. One is nail-biting, and another is picking at my beard. I've tried several things to stop them, but I can't seem to do so. I've tried writing myself reminders everyday to stop doing it, I've even tried bad-tasting nail polish to stop the fingernail biting, but I actually just bite through anyway. Has anyone else had either of these two tics and stopped successfully? How did you do it?

[SeXyBaCk]

Hmm, sounds bad. Shaving your beard will fix nr 2. As for nr 1....clip your nails short, but i guess that wouldn't make any difference, sounds like you're determined to do it matter what. You're neurotic about something. You probably need to figure out what is making you nervous, the tics are just a symptom.

[Tim]

Wavering_radiant I'm a nail biter and I'm currently putting in the most concerted effort I've ever had to stop it. If it works, I'll describe what I've been doing here.

I'd recommend you read Power of Habit by Charles DuHigg. In there he talks about how habits work, and actually mentions a chronic nail biter who managed to stop it. Was helpful to me.

Actually here's an excerpt from something I wrote about habits the other day, summarising a bit of what DuHigg says:

"In his excellent book The Power of Habit, Charles DuHigg notes that there are three steps to any habit: 1. The cue. This is a trigger that tells our subconscious brain to go into “automatic” mode. 2. The routine. This is physical (such as biting our nails when we’re bored), emotional (such as feeling anxiety when we see an email from our boss) or mental (such as reducing focus when we’re watching TV and ads come on). 3. Finally, the reward. This tells our brain that there is a benefit for us when we perform that action. This can come in physical form (like buying ourselves chocolate as a post-workout treat) or mentally (the sense of accomplishment you get from clearing your inbox)."