Nailed It!

Hours away from the big day, and here I am officially checking the last item off my list.  

#17.  Stop biting my nails - check!  

This one is last for two reasons...1) Because there's not really a point in time when I can say, "And that's the day I stopped biting and picking at my nails", and 2) Because this one has probably been the most difficult for me to cross off.  

I've been making efforts for over a year and using different strategies to tackle this one.  For a while I used the special nail polish that had an extremely bitter taste that would linger for a while after I brought my nails anywhere near my mouth.  It worked great as a way to identify when I was biting my nails, as the feedback was immediate.  The only problem with this method was that it had a tendency to negatively affect my enjoyment of food, as I had to be careful how close I let my fingers get to my lips or risk a disgusting taste in my mouth for the rest of my meal.  Blech!

I admit that I didn't really get serious about this one until recently.  While I was making strides during my March travels to Europe, I recall not being as diligent as I might have liked while on the road.  That all changed in April as I found a great fidget replacement in the act of ring twirling.  (Originally I had thought pen twirling might work as a mindless, nervous energy replacement, but I soon realized it required far too much concentration from me than I could spare during those moments.)  So far it seems to be working, as I almost always have a ring on one of my fingers for me to fiddle with.  

For proof of how far I've come, here's the before and after...

Thank goodness for Tammy at Star Nails in South County who has made my nails look great for the past several years.  (My new polish from my nail fill tonight makes me want an orange Tic-Tac.  Ha!  I've been having fun with colors lately...)  As you can see, there's absolutely no traces of bloody cuticles or recent gnarling.  I've been doing well!

I've also gotten a lot better about not picking at my real nails underneath my fake nails.  This will be great, as eventually I'd like to test the strength of my real nails and see if they would last (with gel support) after being subject to the abuses of fake nails over the years.  This will be a future challenge once my real nails are more consistently grown out underneath my fake ones.  Until then, evidence of my continued focus and success on tackling nail biting (and picking)...

No doubt this one will be something I need to continue to focus on to ensure the habit is completely broken and I don't regress, but as I sit here at 11pm on the eve of my 30th birthday ready to pop some champagne...I DID IT!  

Last. Timestamp. Ever.