Saturday, October 25, 2008

Hard to Break




These are my poor, chewed off nails. Yes, I know it's a horribly nasty habit. Yes. I've tried to quit. Yes, they are typically hidden beneath a few layers of acrylic.

But I can't do it anymore--I hate going to the nail shop and increasingly, the hair salon. These are things I used to consider treats to myself. My opinion has changed because 1)good grief, these are time-and-money-sucks and 2) I don't feel compelled to "look pretty" for anyone else anymore--and I hope that compulsion stays buried. If I'm happy with my appearance, that's enough.

I'm still keeping salon appointments, but it takes every bit of my energy to motivate myself to get my nails done.

I also pull out my eyelashes, curse like a fiend, and use retail and food therapy to soothe my ragged nerves.

Any bad habits you want to divulge?

12 comments:

RageyOne said...

Oh, I am not giving up my visits to the hair salon. That my dear soror, is a must! :) As much as I dislike sitting under the dryer, I go. Pus, I don't like doing hair, and it is not something I mastered as a youngster. My mom has been sending me to the salon since I was a youngster. My only consolation is that my stylist is very time conscious and gets her clients in and out pretty fast.

My bad habit is twirling my hair. When I'm really concentrating on a task I twirl a lock of hair around my index finger. I guess it helps me, but it also musses my hair. boo.

Renee said...

I am not here to report a bad habit but to deliver the news that you have been tagged elle.

The History Enthusiast said...

I twirl my hair too!

And I eat too much candy and watch too much TV.

A question, though: I've always been told that eyelashes don't grow back, but I suppose that was false? Now that I'm thinking about it, it sounds like an old wives' tale.

k8 said...

I twirl my hair, too - it's fairly common among female ADhD folks. But, considering I just finally got a hair cut after 6+ months, I'm not obsessed with going to the salon. I never actually do anything with the hair.

Can chocolate be a bad habit? Really?? Yeah, I'm addicted.

At the moment, my bad habit is my obsession with the the xm radio station POTUS '08 - all presidential campaign news 24/7. It is a sickness. Actually, that's part of my overall bad habit of going through mini-obsessions (about topics, books, foods, anything).

elle said...

ragey, I hate the dryer AND doing my hair, so as long as it's relaxed, I'll be schlepping to the salon.

Renee, got it.

K! Hey, long time no see. I used to keep a bag of chocolates in my room, but since I eat like five hershey's kisses at a time, I had to give that up.

Eyelashes will grow back, but as I get older, they grow more slowly. I always have big, gaping spots between the lashes on each end. The ones closest to my nose hurt too much to pull. And I usually manage to stop myself before I get to the last few on the end.


k8, see above :-) I definitely share the chocolate addiction.

Re: the hair-twirling, I don't so much twirl as pull or fidget with it. Especially my perpetually growing-out-bangs. (I cut them and immediately regret it, spend several months growing them out, then cut again. Don't ask)

Sylvia said...

I obsessively clean my ears and neurotically play with my eyelashes most of the time. My nails are notoriously unpolished and while I don't bite them, they are inevitably chipped and messed up by the elements.

I've started randomly squeezing my hair lately, too. I think it's to make sure it's still there. :-p

elle said...

sylvia, i have a friend who cleans her ears with bobby pins all. day. long.

quarter-life-crisis said...

I have a couple of bad habits, but the nail biting things is one of my worst. Please do not feel bad about your nails because mine look worse! LOL

Courtney said...

Nail biting. Scratching my face (which makes my zits far, far worse.) It's probably a borderline mania at this point.

elle said...

Q-L-C,


hey, Soror, I don't think anyone's nails look like these--except maybe my friend Kendra's.

Quinn, I never noticed your biting your nails. Hmmm.

CCG said...

Aaaaaaawww, Daaaaaaaaayyyummm. I thought U were doing it for me. If U don't wanna do the nail salon; find out what the EFF it is that makes U nibble 'em to the nub, then STOP!!!

elle said...

LMAO!

Revelations and ruminations from one southern sistorian...