Do you tend to bite your lips or the inside of your cheeks when you’re stressed or worried? Although this gesture may seem insignificant, it can sometimes turn into an unconscious habit that is difficult to control. “It can range from a simple mechanical gesture to a compulsive habit that leaves marks“, specifies our expert. This behavior, called cheilophagia, can harm the well-being of people who suffer from it, causing pain, injuries, and often revealing an underlying psychological disorder.
Why do I constantly bite my lips?
This may seem obvious: it is often because of stress that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) develops. “It is most often an attempt to manage stress, anxiety or boredom. It’s an unconscious way of soothing yourself, a bit like when you play with your hair or bite your nails. Except that here, the skin on the lips is so thin that it shows!”, explains Amélie Boukhobza. Over time, this reflex becomes unconscious.
How to break this bad habit?
The important thing is to be aware of it in order to identify the moments when the reflex comes back to gallop, and to avoid this moment. According to Amélie Boukhobza: “We can try to identify the moments when this happens. In the middle of a meeting? During a stressful conversation? Better understanding the trigger is already a step“. You must try to replace this OCD with something else, another healthier action that will make you forget this old reflex anchored in your brain. “Chez some, uA lip balm on hand can do the trick: apply it rather than biting for example”, suggests our expert.
“But if it persists, it’s because it hides a deeper tension. Working on stress management, or consulting a psychologist can then help to free yourself from this habit, which is only a symptom of a more general malaise”,
she concludes.