How to Stop Picking Your Nose

How do you pick your nose? How to stop nose picking? What do you feel when you see a person picking their nose. Are you aware that despite the disgust you feel you could also be doing it unconsciously? Are you among those who do not seem to keep their hands off your nose? Find out how what could be causing this and how to avoid it here.

Compulsive Nose Picking, Obsessive or Addictive

When nose picking becomes repetitive or a compulsive obsessive disorder, it is referred to as rhinotillexomania. This may require some medical or even psychological attention.

Compulsive obsessive nose picking disorder is caused by the victim’s feelings of anxiety. They are inclined to suppressing negative feelings. To vent out these feelings, they excessively pick their noses. This inflicts injury on them and healing is inhibited by recurring picking and injury. When the injured parts are re-picked, there is possibility of an infection occurring.

Mostly, people are usually feeling suppressed fury and as a result habitually pick at the contents of the nose. At times we do it to the point of inflicting too much pain on ourselves which leads to more fury and rage.

Everyone picks their nose once in a while. For people suffering from rhinotillexomia, they derive pleasure in doing it. There is relief despite the fact that they inflict pain on themselves.

Compulsive nose picking can cause infections in the victim’s nose. The nose is close to the brain and they share the blood supply. As such, an infection around the nose is a cause for alarm.

The area from the corner of the mouth to the bridge of a person’s nose and then from the bridge to the othercorner of the mouth is known as the danger triangle. When this area is affected there is a probability that the infection could spread all the way to the brain. Excessive picking of the nose could cause this.

Picking your nose can lead to nasal infections. It can also cause nose bleeds. However, doing it for hygienic purposes will cause no trouble. People suffering from compulsive picking face a great health risk. Early medical attention may eliminate the requirement for emergency medical attention later when the infections have progressed.

How to Pick Your Nose

At times, picking the nose is unavoidable. There are a number of times when doing it can’t be resisted. This is more so if it is for genuine purposes as opposed to it being a habit. Among the reasons why one could pick their nose are:

To Relieve Irritation:If one is living in a dry environment, there is a possibility for the nasal passage to dry up. This irritates the nose. Being allergic to things such as dust, chemicals, pollen, mold and animal fur may also irritate it. This may lead one to picking and scratching the affected areas.

Nasal Secretion removal:Allergies and sinus infections may cause secretion of mucus in large amounts. As the secretions dry up, they tend to obstruct the nasal passages and makeit hard to breath. As the mucus builds up, one is prompted to pick their nose to unblock the system to make it easy to breathe once more.

As much as nose picking may appear to be a natural response to some issue, it is important to have nose picking etiquette. This will ensure that we do not leave people observing us disgusted. Here is how to pick your nose:

• To begin with, avoid doing it in public. Look for a private place where you can relieve the contents of your nasal cavity. If in a place where there are washrooms, excuse yourself.
• Whether we manage to get to a private place or not, the next caution that one should take is not to use their bare hands. Always make sure you use a handkerchief or tissue to pick the nose. A tissue would be perfect as it will be disposed. This reduces possibility for spreading any nasal infection you may have. It also makes it less disgusting.
•  To ensure flu is not transmitted to others wash hands after picking. While this may not be easy, wash hands frequently.
• Make your nose picking inconspicuous. No one has to know what you are doing. Faking a cough or a sneeze as you pick the nose will be construed to be a way of covering up. Everyone will excuse you for that.

How Not to Pick Your Nose

For people suffering from a compulsive nose picking disorder, doing away with this habit will take conscious efforts. To help you get rid of it:

• Clean your nose well any time you have access to a washroom. This will ensure that there are no residuals left in the nose cavity. As a result, there will be nothing to pick and the victim can keep their fingers off their noses.
• Keep your hands busy. At times, people tend to pick their nose while idle. Avoid being involved in passive activities such as watching TV for too long. Getting to do things such as crossword puzzles may help keep your fingers offyour nose.
• Find out what triggers your urge to pick the nose. For example, if this habit occurs when you are watching TV, you could try and read a book instead. This way your fingers remain busy on the book pages and helps keep away from picking it.
• Wrapping the finger mostly used for picking with a band is another way to not pick nose. This way, as you try to insert your finger into the nose, the roughness of the band will stir you back to reality and remind you that you are not supposed to be doing it.
• Nail biting remedy is irritating to taste. In the same way, it will cause an irritation of the nasal membranes. Any time you try to insert the fingers into the nose you will be reminded how terrible it feels.
• Seek help from friends. True friends are most probably always disgusted by your habit. They may even have mentioned it to you. Ask them to stir you up any time they see you doing it.

  

• Another way through which one could stop picking the nose is have someone take pictures of you doing it. These are not bound to be good looking. Print some and hang them in places you are can see them every now and then. Also keep one as a screen saver for your electronic gadgets. This way, any time you see how horrible you look while doing it, you are likely to keep off your nose.

Picking a Nose and Eating It

Mucophagy is the process in which people ingest what they have picked from inside the nose. In general terms, it is known as picking your nose and eating it. Children are very fond of this which is normal though disgusting.

In some communities, this is taboo when done by grownups.  To help stop this habit, apply nail biting remedies. These will not only irritate the nose but also make it taste horrible. This is bound to reduce the nose picking and eating it.

Suggested Further Reading:

• Pimple in Nose – Causes, Meaning and Getting Rid
• Nose Twitching – Cause, Meaning, Superstition & How to Stop
• Nose Pain – On Nose Bridge, Inside Broken Nose Pain
• Itchy Nose – Meaning, Superstition, Myth, Relief & Runny
• Cold Sores in Nose – Causes, Pictures, Treatment and Home Remedies
• Sores in Nose that Won’t Heal – Causes & What to Do
• Scab in Nose Causes, Bloody, Painful Scabs in Nose that Won’t Go
• Swollen Nasal Passages Causes, Allergies, Treatment & Medicine
• Swollen Nose – Causes, Red, On Bridge, Nose Tip and During Pregnancy
• Nose Bridge – Piercing, Sore, Painful & Surgery
• Dry Nose Symptoms, Remedies, Treatments, Dry Skin on Nose
• Causes of Redness around Nose and How to Get Rid of Redness Around Nose