QA188 QUESTION: [Child] I want to know, why is it that I bite my nails?
ANSWER: There are many, many feelings in you, my child – many different feelings that you are ashamed of and that you do not want to say to yourself, or perhaps even to your parents or anyone else that you might trust. Nail biting is then, indirectly, this tension, this nervousness that is being created by these feelings that you believe are so disturbing or so wrong or so bad. This is the reason.
If you could have the courage to just say to yourself what you really feel, you do not have to act upon this. You do not have to act upon this. Just admit it to yourself and know that you are, nevertheless, a very nice human being. And that will, if you can do this, make you stop biting your nails.
It is like, you are driven to do something because you need so much energy to keep these feelings down, and then you do not know what to do with these energies. Some of these feelings that you think are so bad, they really aren’t bad at all. You’re merely confused, and if you would just speak them out, you would find a lot of help. But first of all, you must really want to do this and intend to do this and pray that you be helped to know what you feel. And you will be helped. Do you understand me? {Yes}
It is really something very wonderful if you can do this. It is not something you have to do just immediately. Do not feel worried about it. Every human being has some problems, you know. So therefore, if you can just look forward to this whole new venture that you embark upon every day to find a little more what you really feel – not just what you think you feel or not just what you tell yourself you ought to feel.
If you can really admit it and know you are perfectly free to choose your actions, even while – or just because – you do say to yourself the truth of your feelings, then you’ll gain a wonderful freedom. Life will become very, very wonderful for you.
