Most people find stopping their nail biting extremely difficult. Changing a habit successfully means having a good support network. People who will support and assist you when you need encouragement should be included. Friends, family and professional resources all can be part of your support network.

1. Positive Reinforcement Helps With Behavior Changes Changing a habit is difficult. But without the support of friends or positive influences it can be even more of a challenge.

By informing your support network and friends of your plans, they will be ready to assist you. The public announcement reinforces your intent which helps in quitting.

New activities or a change in environment can be most important during the first critical days and weeks of your stop nail biting plan.

Negative feedback is used by many people to change their behavior. As a child many of us were yelled at by our parents. But did the yelling give your parents the behavior they wanted? In contrast, the times you were praised made you much more willing to repeat that behavior.

It's no different as an adult. Use positive reinforcement and people to reinforce your plan to change your nail biting habit.

Avoid people who bite their nails. If the person is a family member or close friend, this may be difficult. Minimize times or situations where you frequently bite your nails.

2. Successful Behavior Deserves Rewards Changes in behavior occur more easily when reinforced. Your brain registers the positive reinforcement or reward as part of the new behavior plan.

Reinforcing the new behavior sends a signal to the brain to override or minimize the old habit. Daily reinforcement makes new behavioral reaction patterns in your brain. All of this focus on the new behavior allows you to stay on track for stopping your nail biting habit.

Elaborate or large awards are not needed for reinforcement. Some people use colorful stickers mounted on a calendar. For each day you meet your goal you post a sticker on the calendar. If a whole day is too much to consider, then take it hour by hour. It may seem childish, but all those stickers lined up can be very good reminder of the progress you've made.

If stickers aren't your thing, then make your reward something special for you, a reward you value. The reward doesn't have to be big or even expensive. The idea is to reward yourself for each successful step you take in stopping the nail biting habit.

3. Join a support network on or offline Having other people going through the same experience as you gives people who can support you on those difficult or stressful days. Check with Yahoo or AOL groups for a nail biting support group. Frequently message boards or forums on dieting will also have a conversation thread about stopping nail biting. Or just type "nail biting support group" or "nail biting forum" into your browser search window. You can use MSN, Google, Yahoo, AOL or any search engine browser can quickly connect you with people sharing the same experience.

Be gentle with yourself. Nail biting took time to learn. Now give yourself time and the effort to stop.