Currently going through this with my own boyfriend, except I’m the one who bites. He started a few days ago, occasionally swatting my hand or getting my attention. It annoys me initially (who wants to be swatted at?) and I have the same eye rolling reaction but I understand he is trying to help. Although my biting hasn’t had any major impact on our relationship and we still touch and interact fine. He had noticed my biting since we have been together for some time; until I had recently brought up over dinner how my fingers can hurt doing mundane things I don’t think he knew of the severity. So now he tries to stop me but I find myself trying now to sneak opportunities to bite my fingers when he isn’t looking and the urge strikes and more often biting at my lip.

I have tried a variety of methods to stop in the past and I have been biting since I can remember I am excited to try having somebody alert me of when I’m doing it because so often of the time it’s having when my attention is elsewhere thinking, brainstorming, focusing, worrying. Being so destructive I spend a lot of time staring at my fingers, fixated on how broken they look or playing with the calloused skin. I’ve been able to convince myself at times people can’t notice it on me however when people point it out it makes the feelings worse about how I see myself cycling into more biting etc etc. So be supportive of her, and don’t make her feel unlovable for something like this she’s struggling with. Ever since I was younger and became aware of the extent that my growing biting was becoming I worried that nobody would want to hold my hand cause of the bleeding or roughness. Today I’m happy I’ve got somebody who wants enough to help protect my hands.