https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439757#M34021 Thank you 44Max44 and Summer Rose for the ideas. I've purchased a couple of stress balls so I'll see how they go. Wish I'd thought of blu-tac! Tue, 03 Sep 2019 06:49:24 GMT yeahilovecats 2019-09-03T06:49:24Z https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439754#M34018 <P>Hi friends, I was wondering if anyone else picks the skin around their fingernails when they are stressed/anxious? If so, how do you manage that? How do you stop the bad habit?</P> <P>I have stress from work (shift work and studying) but I’ve realised in the last couple of years that I have difficulty in social situations, and this bad habit of mine certainly isn’t doing me any favours. Any help would be much appreciated!</P> <P>J</P> Sat, 31 Aug 2019 16:31:46 GMT https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439754#M34018 yeahilovecats 2019-08-31T16:31:46Z https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439755#M34019 <P>Hi and welcome to bb.</P> <P>Thank you for sharing your story. My daughter has anxiety and OCD and she has the same habit. Like you, she struggles to stop.</P> <P>One of the strategies she uses is to keep a small ball of blu tac in her pocket or pencil case at uni. Instead of destroying the skin around her fingers, she fiddles with the blu tac.</P> <P>Hope this helps. Kind thoughts to you</P> Sun, 01 Sep 2019 00:29:33 GMT https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439755#M34019 Summer Rose 2019-09-01T00:29:33Z https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439756#M34020 I do this all of the time, either I'm chewing my nails or picking at the skin around them. I've been like for as long as I remember.<BR /> <BR /> What helps for me is having something to fidget with whether it's an actual fidget toy or just something like a magnet, necklace, stress ball, etc. <BR /> <BR /> Sun, 01 Sep 2019 09:35:16 GMT https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439756#M34020 44Max44 2019-09-01T09:35:16Z https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439757#M34021 Thank you 44Max44 and Summer Rose for the ideas. I've purchased a couple of stress balls so I'll see how they go. Wish I'd thought of blu-tac! Tue, 03 Sep 2019 06:49:24 GMT https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/my-poor-fingers-show-that-i-have-anxiety/m-p/439757#M34021 yeahilovecats 2019-09-03T06:49:24Z