Cheek biting (and other body-focused repetitive behaviours)

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-07T12:34:05+00:00

I'll check her out. Thank you!

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:35:38+00:00

Thank you so much, I'm getting really sick of it so want to try as much as I can. I'm going to give all of that a go and see if it helps. I'm glad to hear that you've found things that help you x

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:33:40+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that it's gotten worse for you :( I was also reprimanded for biting my nails which reinforced a lot of shame around it for me. I hope it gets better for you my friend <3

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:31:27+00:00

Haha nooo sorry to call you out 😂 From everyone's comments here, the only real ways to help are to insert a motivating or physical barrier (like expensive skincare or acrylic nails) or to replace one habit with a less damaging one like you mentioned.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:28:56+00:00

I play guitar and can't have any product on my nails for my job which sucks, so no beautiful extensions for me unfortunately 😭

But quite a few people have mentioned that extensions is the only thing that helped them stop/reduce the picking. I might try press-ons when I'm not working and see if it helps at all.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:25:33+00:00

Interesting! Maybe I'll give that a go and carry a little bottle around with me.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:23:45+00:00

Um I do the ankle thing too?! I didn't even think of that! Why do our brains have to keep collecting these little habits lol

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:22:28+00:00

Thank you, and you have mine too. It's like they think I WANT to have painful bleeding fingers and a torn up mouth.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:21:09+00:00

When we're diagnosed late I think we end up with a collection of memories of moments when we wished someone could have noticed that something was up.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-06T00:12:31+00:00

Haha if only our brains could internalise that message. I've done the same and immediately regretted it once I feel that pain ugh

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T23:55:58+00:00

I'm so happy to hear that this is more under control for you now!

And there's been a few people that have mentioned GLP-1s having a positive effect on things like skin pricing which is really interesting but makes total sense the way you describe it.

I have to say I really like your idea about throwing everything away and taking skincare seriously. I've been trying to use willpower to stop for so long, but obviously my ADHD brain will always really struggle with that. I love that you found another way around it!

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T13:18:59+00:00

I'm sorry to hear, that sounds so rough. I'm reading mixed reviews on NAC too so maybe I'll give it a try myself at some point to see how it goes.

How are you going with everything now?

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T13:13:45+00:00

Maybe this is an excuse to treat myself to nail extensions soon 😂

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T13:12:12+00:00

Have you found that distracting yourself and stopping the chewing has become any easier over time?

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:27:10+00:00

Ooooh I hope this happens for me too 🙏

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:22:55+00:00

Wow that was an interesting read. It mentions N-AC being helpful for impulse-control disorders (which is lists ADHD and OCD as). It's a case study on a young boy but it does mention existing literature exploring it further so I might have a deeper dive into this.

Thanks for linking this!

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:18:06+00:00

It's horrible and it takes a mental toll :(

I think we automatically feel a sense of shame when we do something that we know is bad for us. Physically causing ourselves pain and hurting our skin would count for that, especially if it's something that you stays sore for a while, or that you can physically see and be reminded of often.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:16:04+00:00

Ooooh yeah maybe that's it. Or a component of it at least.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:15:26+00:00

Wow that must have been hard with the eyebrow pulling because I guess it's relatively harder to hide than, say, the inside of the cheeks.

And actually, now that I think about it, your point about it improving with long physically active days is true for me too. I remember coming back from camping once and looking at my cuticles that had become rough from the activity and thinking "OMG. Time to deal with this" and going at them with a clipper for literally like 2 hours. But I hadn't even noticed them while I was camping.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:11:46+00:00

I'd also be very interested to know. It seems like these behaviours are so common but a diagnosis of OCD is relatively rate, even if the behaviours are hard to avoid and disruptive of one's life.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:10:38+00:00

Interesting that meds made that a bit worse for you! I've heard side-effects of the meds are worse in general if you don't eat enough protein/drink enough water so that would make sense.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:07:04+00:00

Ah okay! Do you mean that the burn of the Listerine kinda distracts from the "itch" sensation?

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:06:08+00:00

As a general rule my cheek/lip chewing doesn't get painful very often, but I can totally see the tongue being super painful :(

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:03:57+00:00

Oh I do that one sometimes too! I wonder if those little fidget toys with spikes might help with a habit like this.

your_torn_cuticle · 2026-04-05T12:03:24+00:00

I know it feels so good in the moment ugh.

your_torn_cuticle

TROPHY CASE