I have this really bad habit of biting my nails. I bite them so much and so hard, that they bleed and hurt. I really need to stop, because my nails are getting ruined, plus I work as a cook so it is extremely unsanitary. Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can stop.
Just slowly start realizing when you're doing it and tell yourself to stop. You'll get there eventually. How do you think most of us stopped picking our noses? Just takes time and effort.
I have the same habit, and I came to realize that I do it for very specific reasons, eg when I have too much work to do etc. I haven't managed to stop it by disciplining myself, and I doubt I will ever manage to that way. But whenever I get away from the aforesaid reasons, like during vacations, I effortlessly stop biting my nails. I don't even think about stopping, it just happens. Maybe you have the same problem, so I suggest observing what you are thinking or doing and what emotional state you are in when you are biting you nails. And if you notice something in common for all the times you observe yourself, then you should try getting rid of that first. By the way, I never stopped picking my nose, I just stopped picking it in public.
Trust me, I bite my nails a lot, but they don't bleed. They hurt sometimes, but when they start bleeding i would take it as a sign to stop.