My Behavior Modification

The behavior I want to eliminate is my habit of biting my nails at school and while watching the Mets games.

After observing my behavior I notice that I bite my nails more when I am nervous and when I am bored. The change would bring healthier nails and a better outlet for my stress and nervousness.

For this experiment I will use a positive reinforcement by allowing myself to chew more gum when I did not bite my nails, also when I find myself biting my nails I made a note in my agenda and I would run 1 sprint on the basketball court for every tally I marked down.  Also I tried to keep myself more occupied during the day because I found that I tend to bite my nails more when I was idle, I doodled more in my notebook and tried to pay more attention to my surroundings. The program would be carried out every day at school because I bite my nails more often at school and I made sure to chew gum or gave something in my hands during the Mets games.

The experiment worked somewhat because I was able to somewhat control my bad habit of biting my nails. The experiment I found worked better on days I didn’t have anything due or a test. For the Mets game I was almost completely successful because I tried to keep my hands occupied and my mind on the game. The sprints really killed me but took effect fast because I didn’t want to be tied up with physical exercise for something I could control. Lastly to further the success I could put tape over my nails for one week to try and break the habit and cure me of this behavior.