kaylangel4
- Date posted
- 3y
Bad habits
How do I get rid of bad habits. I often bite my gums and it’s painful but I can’t stop. This usually occurs when I’m stressed and have a lot of intrusive thoughts.
.anonymous..anonymous.
- Date posted
- 3y
And pick my lips
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 3y
Firstly, talk to your therapist if you have one for a more detailed plan and strategy tailored to your specific personal needs and situation. In short, you've identified that it is harder to stop when you are stressed, but it is not impossible. The next time you are stressed or intrusive thoughts are heavy, resist the urge to bite your gums for just one minute. Then notice that if you can go one minute, you can go two. Small steps lead to big gains over time! I cannot stress the importance enough the value of doing Habit Reversal Training with a therapist who is trained in the approach, which includes every therapist at NOCD.
.anonymous..anonymous.
- Date posted
- 3y
Same
tulipomaniatulipomania
- Date posted
- 3y
I used to profusely bite/pull at my nails, cuticles, and cheeks inside my mouth until I would bleed all over the place. It was painful and horrible. One thing that really helped me was finding a way to prevent the action. My therapist told me to paint my nails, and although that partially worked (because I couldn’t bite my nails), I could still destroy anything I put my nails into (literally). She then suggested I start doing dip polish on my nails which made them indestructible and bulky so I couldn’t pick ANYTHING orrrr bite them at all. I don’t recognize my hands anymore, and even when I don’t have my nails done, I bite and pick a looooooooot less. It’s almost never now! I also wore some mouth appliances when I was/am alone to control biting. You can’t tear things with Invisalign or bulky things in your mouth! The physical prevention paired with mental work is awesome. Don’t know if something like that would help! Good luck, I’m so sorry you’re going through it right now!
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- Date posted
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- Date posted
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KAW1007
- Date posted
- 13w
Obsessed about teeth
I can’t stop myself from taking photos of my teeth. I have had numerous fillings and I definitely have staining / some other fillings that need done / one extraction / one root canal. But they don’t look terrible. However I have a lot of decalcification spots by my gums. One dentist told me that if they all broke through I’d need like 20 fillings. I keep checking my mouth of cavities… stains… recession… white spots. Everything. It’s driving me insane. And it got to the point where I was scared to eat… or drink fizzy drinks (I drink carbonated water) in fear of erosion. 🥲 I used to scrub the shit out of my teeth so that’s doesn’t help. I also went through a medical issue and after I was taken off of a medication I was on - my teeth went to shit along with it even worse than before. Genetics at play too. But holy hell. Does anyone have obsessions over oral health / hygiene? I brush and floss daily, too. Other than an occasional depressy day or when my ADHD is ADHDing and executive dysfunction kicks in. Sigh. Almost 28 years old for reference and I feel like I have a monthly subscription to the dentist for how much work I’ve had.
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