I’ve been seeing a lot of posts lately bringing light to skin picking, hair tearing, and other anxiety disorders. I wish I knew about these and read about them sooner in life because I didn’t realize my nail picking was a result of anxiety https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😔" title="Nachdenkliches Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Nachdenkliches Gesicht">

I’ve picked at my nails ever since I could remember, and had family members notice and tell me to stop all the time. I didn’t think it was a big deal, I thought I was just bypassing the nail clippers and making them shorter. But it was more than that.

I picked at my nails and skin around them until the bled. I pulled at them even if they hurt, and sometimes will go so far as pulling the whole nail off even though it was extremely painful. And it wasn’t just at home, but also in class or in social settings.

As a result, some of my nails don’t grow back the same, or even at all. It’s embarrassing when I go get a pedicure now, but it’s hard to stop. I can’t stand sharp nails now because I’m so used to my nubs. And even if I grow them out & paint them, they don’t last long https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😩" title="Mattes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Mattes Gesicht">

This thread was inspired by @suffraguliette and @rickyrouze who were very candid about similar habits. It feels good to know that I’m not alone and that there are names of my condition(s) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">