Inserting a finger or other object into the nasal cavity to remove dried mucus, or picking the nose, can occur in children and adults. For many, this is a way to distract, get rid of stress. This not only looks unaesthetic, but also allows infections to enter the mucous membrane, causing wounds and damage to the nasal cavity. In order to avoid such consequences, it is important to save the child from this bad habit.

The reasons

The main reason for nose picking is improper hygiene of the mucous membrane.

Nose picking appears as a medical symptom. It all starts with common colds. Any virus initially attacks the upper respiratory tract. The body's natural reaction is to put up defenses against the virus. This protection is mucus, which clogs the airways. This actively develops the need to pick one's nose.

AT natural state this mucus must be liquid. As soon as it begins to dry out, it turns into hard or thick lumps. Mucus irritates sensitive receptors. As a result, there is some discomfort. The child will want to get rid of dried lumps. In this sense, picking is a normal baby's reaction to stimuli.

The habit of picking your nose usually develops in young children. The reason for this is curiosity.

In many cases, picking is accompanied by depression, stress and nervous breakdowns. Trying to overcome fear or excitement, a person remembers his bad habit and again remains in a very unpleasant occupation.

Stages of rhinotillexomania

A number of stages pass, when picking from the stage of the usual removal of mucus passes into the stage of rhinotillexomania in adults.

There are such stages of the occurrence of rhinotillexomania:

1. On the early stages the child just wants to clean his nose. Therefore, he begins to pick his nose and get dried lumps of mucus. There is nothing wrong at this stage yet, and the process of picking your nose is normal, harmless.
2. Habit formation. Prolonged exposure to this occupation may indicate a psychological disorder. Improper care of the mucous membrane pushes even more poking around. Children adapt faster than adults. For them, in two weeks, picking will become a habit.
3. Aggravation. The aggravation of the habit occurs due to the wrong reaction of adults to this action. Adults begin to scold the child. Or laugh at him and with him, shame.

Wrong actions of adults and hyperactivity of children will lead to undesirable consequences. And the usual need to clean your nose can turn into a psychological addiction.

Worsening bad habit

It is possible, without suspecting it, to exacerbate an unpleasant habit. Any strong emotional reaction will lead to undesirable consequences.

Here are some examples of such reactions:

1. Screaming, smearing fingers with something bitter, beatings. Parents do this instead of just going and washing their child's nose. Such a sharp negative reaction will make him afraid of mom and dad. It will leave negative memories in the memory and become a childhood trauma. In the future, picking your nose will be one of the ways to quickly and easily survive stress.
2. Joke and laughter. For a child, this will mean permission to act that caused laughter. He will also want to repeat the situation that caused laughter, and will put his finger into the mucous membrane on purpose. To re-evoke emotions of approval or laughter in adults.
3. Shame manipulation and humiliation. It is easy to evoke negative emotions in any person, such as shame and resentment. It is enough to point out his shortcomings or go to the personality. The child may no longer be poking around in the mucous with his finger, but he can remember the feeling of shame for the rest of his life. Better teach to defend your dignity and accept your shortcomings as they are. Help the children confess what they are doing wrong. Let them realize it. Then it will be easier to deal with the child's own negative reaction and habit.

Any bad behavior is corrected with the usual word "no". Another option is to calmly discuss the wrong actions with your child. Just explain to him that picking will not end in anything good and only testifies to the bad manners of the baby. Other reactions, such as screaming or physical punishment, can make him nervous and worried.

Correction methods

This habit is antisocial. It will be difficult for such a child to adapt in society or get rid of ridicule.

Get rid of bad habits using the following methods:

Method name	Description of the method
Keep the nasal cavity clean.	Initially, children need to be taught that the nose should be cleaned every day, just like teeth. It is necessary to do this in the bathroom or in a secluded place. You need to rinse your nose with water so that no mucus remains.
Increase indoor humidity.	This keeps the nasal mucus in a liquid state. Drinking plenty of water will also help with this.
Trim your nails as often as possible.	With cut nails, it will be difficult for a child to get dried mucus out of his nose.
Send to the bath as soon as they noticed his finger in the nose.	So he will get used to solving his problem with water, and not with a finger.
Check if the child is picking his nose with a foreign object.	This is one of the signs of a habit. If you notice such an action in a child, try to distract him. Keep him occupied with a new toy, or something useful for the house.
Praise him for not picking his nose.	But know everything in moderation. Praise is good, but don't put too much emphasis on the habit itself.
Simply and correctly explain that you can’t pick your nose.	Tell them that this is not accepted in society. And you can't pick your nose in front of people.
Ask the child if he is uncomfortable or scared.	Be sure to talk to your child about this. Find out if something is bothering him or if he is nervous, so he picks his nose. If he confirms any of these statements, then this is a problem in psychology.

Help of a psychologist and self-treatment

When it comes to an adult, correction is possible only as a result of the person's recognition of this behavioral feature. Nose picking in an adult can occur unconsciously. In the easy stage a common person can correct his own behavior by increasing awareness and analyzing his behavior.

Self-correction consists of the following elements:

1. Keep your nose clean. Make it a rule to clean it only in designated areas.
2. Track your emotions that arise during this action. They can be associated with negativity, guilt, lack of attention and love. This may be accompanied by boredom or thinking about something, restlessness and anxiety. They can be tormented by remorse. Only by establishing the cause, you can work with the habit further.
3. Correction of negative factors, strengthening of positive ones. There are two ways to get rid of negative factors. You can remove them from life: change the environment, place of work and residence, you can change the attitude towards them. And you can take your relationship with others to a new level.
4. Get your hands on something. A rosary, sewing, a mobile phone - in this case, everything will do. You can wear gloves. Gloves will be difficult to dig into. And also a great solution - to go in for sports. Not only will it help to distract, but it will also benefit the person who suffers from this problem.

When this goes into a painful stage and a person can no longer cope with this problem on his own, the help of a psychologist is needed. To get rid of the picking habit, group or cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and other more serious methods of psychocorrection may be needed.

Conclusion

Nose picking is a negative asocial process that originates in childhood. The problem can be eliminated in three weeks or several months, depending on the willpower of the person, the intensity of the treatment and the work of the doctor.

How to wean a child to pick his nose? A question that can affect any family. And, if it’s enough to simply explain to one kid that it’s ugly, then with another one you will have to carry out a whole range of activities.

There are only four reasons why children do not pull their fingers out of their noses:

• Psychological problem
• Drying out of the nose
• Foreign object
• Imitation

Each of them has its own solution. But none of them involves violence against the offspring. No need to smear your finger with mustard or pepper, as grandmothers advise. This will only exacerbate the problem. It is necessary to find the root cause, and then everything can be completely solved without children's fear and overwrought nerves of parents.

Psychological problem

The child picks his nose. Watch him. Perhaps he does it unconsciously. For example, when something is passionate or interested.

Solution. Ask your child carefully. It may be that he soothes himself. It happens that the child is afraid of something. Or vice versa, he was very excited about some incident. Draw with him. Just do not ask to draw a solution right away. Ask him to portray his family first, then what he likes. Move on to what you don’t like, then let it be your favorite toy, and only then what the child is afraid of. At the end, be sure to draw something together. For example, a joint walk.

On the basis of images, it is almost always possible to add up a complete picture. And already dance from it. In most cases, the nose-picking aspect goes away on its own.

Drying out of the nose

If your home often turns on the air conditioner or fan, then the baby may simply dry up in the nose. Naturally, the crusts prevent him from breathing normally.

Solution. Take good care of your nose. Teach your child to blow his nose in the morning and evening, and if necessary, during the day. Turn on a humidifier in the room at night. AT winter time put wet towels on the batteries or place containers of water nearby. No dry air - no crusts - no problem.

Foreign object

Did the child suddenly start picking his nose long and hard? Check if an unwanted guest has suddenly settled there. Many children are such experimenters. They like to stuff a coin, a bead, a small toy into their nose.

Solution. Calmly ask the baby, promise not to scold him. Perhaps he is afraid to tell you, for fear of catching up. Further, if you can clearly see the object, try to get it with thin tweezers with round tips. At the end of the procedure, be sure to praise the child for his honesty and for sitting quietly while you "worked as a doctor."

Do not go deep into the nose if there is nothing in sight. Contact your doctor. You are not the first, you are not the last.

In no case do not ask the child to blow his nose! A foreign object can damage the delicate mucosa and start bleeding.

Imitation

How can you wean a child from picking his nose if you yourself spend hours picking there? Start with yourself or others in the household. Children notice a lot when adults think that they are not visible. The kid can imitate any bad habits, but it will be expressed by picking.

Solution. Get rid of your bad habits. Or at least do it when you're alone. Ask the rest of the family to do it.

Do not draw attention to this child. Explaining that it's bad or ugly won't help much. He has already seen what others can do. So it's allowed for him. We'll have to go the other way. Timely hygiene procedures and distraction method.

For example, the offspring climbed into the nose, watching cartoons. Immediately put an album and pencils in his hands - let him draw heroes. Are you reading a book with him, and your finger is poking around? Suggest a constructor, let him build a house for actors. Sitting with you while you cook in the kitchen and picking your nose again? Attach him to homework let it help you. Invent and invent any occupation for the hands of a child. Then he will simply not up to the nose.

1. Trim your nails. As short as possible. Not to meat, but so that there is no free edge. It seems to be a familiar procedure, but there will be nothing to pick your nose with.
2. Do not scold your baby for this bad habit. And don't let your family do it. The desire to clear the nose is completely natural. A few careless words can frighten a child. He will have complexes, you will have a feeling of guilt.
3. Most parents say that after they scolded their child, it didn’t get better. Nose-picking continued with the same activity, only in secret from them. Often, after such an incorrect educational conversation, the baby became non-contact and irritated.
4. Instead of angry prohibitions, explain to the child that it is necessary to get rid of crusts, only in other ways. And this must be done in the right place, without the presence of strangers. For example, during the morning and evening brushing your teeth.
5. Sometimes, being on the street or at a party, the child is simply forgotten under the impression of new emotions. Try simply reminding him of the handkerchief in his pocket or giving him a wet wipe. Usually this is enough for the baby to remember good manners.
6. Some impressionable children are affected by harmless intimidation. There was a case when one girl's mother in a dream painted her fingertip with a black felt-tip pen. And when she woke up, she was told that it happened from picking her nose. And, if she does not stop, then all hands will turn black. It worked. And the felt-tip pen was washed off over time, which made the girl very happy.
7. Another way to intimidate like this is to show a kid on the street a person with a very big nose. I must say that it will be the same if this disgrace does not stop. Children are very gullible, so it can work.

How to wean a child to pick his nose? With caution, without focusing attention and without scandals. They say that with time this bad habit will pass. Nothing like this. It will remain for life if appropriate measures are not taken in time. Be delicate, because your child is just learning to be correct and cultured.

Imagine a toddler sucking his thumb. Or him, but picking his nose. The picture is pretty funny. And if the habit of picking one's nose is preserved in an adult? This sight is unpleasant.

Video: Is it useful to pick your nose

If you observe yourself, as well as those around you, you will notice that many people bite their nails, scratch their heads or faces, bite their lips, etc. Do not rush to condemn such behavior, because it is not always a sign of improper upbringing. It happens that in this way our body tries to tell us about existing health problems. What does the habit of picking your nose mean?

Physiological need

The nose is an organ that is directly involved in the process of smelling and breathing. Thus, it serves to perform the most important physiological function. Inner part The nasal sinuses are covered with epithelium, on the surface layer of which is mucus. In addition to olfactory receptors, this organ has a large number of variety of sensitive endings.

When a foreign object enters the nose, irritation of the mucous membrane occurs. A person begins to sneeze, which helps him get rid of harmful particles. Thus, if the cause of nose picking is caused by the desire to get rid of a foreign object, then this action can be considered as a normal physiological need.

Video: The habit of PICKING THE NOSE. Proper cleaning of the nose!

Sometimes it happens that the nasal mucosa dries up, small lumps form. They bring discomfort during breathing and irritate a person. To get rid of them, many involuntarily pick out these lumps of mucus or simply scratch their nose.

Psychological problem

The habit of picking one's nose for many has its roots in childhood. Psychologists say that this is how it is easier for kids to know their own body and environment. As a rule, this unaesthetic habit passes with age. Periodic nose-picking in both children and adults is not classified as a mental disorder by experts.

However, this process sometimes becomes permanent. In this case, we can talk about the presence of mental or psychological abnormalities. In medical practice, there is even a special term that describes this process. This is rhinotillexomania.

Why do children pick their noses?

The psychological causes of various compulsions at an early age are as follows:

• pressure and emotional coldness of adults;
• anxiety;
• stress;
• increased excitability and fatigue due to a violation of the daily routine.

The cause of nose picking can also be very serious pathologies. A bad habit, for example, sometimes indicates the formation of Smith-Magenis syndrome.

As for babies under two years old, they pick their nose only because there are holes where a finger is placed, and the bowels of which are full of various surprises. In other words, this process at such an early age is associated either with cognitive activity or with the desire to eliminate discomfort. The baby will not understand that this is ugly and indecent. Pulling and persuading will only cause frightened crying.

Between the ages of three and six, picking one's nose is often one of the varieties of a neurotic reaction.

Since this process always brings a certain sense of relief, the child strives to experience it without fail in order to get rid of anxiety.

Junior schoolchildren from seven to twelve years old feel independent and adults. However, often the desires of many children diverge from their capabilities. So, trying to get rid of the feeling of discomfort and not having a handkerchief in their pocket, they begin to pick their noses, believing that no one is paying attention to them. In older students, nose-picking may be an expression of the nihilism of adolescence.

How to wean children from bad habits?

First of all, you should get rid of lumps of mucus in the sinuses. The reason for their formation may be a prolonged runny nose, which requires treatment (washing and application of drops). The mucous membrane dries up even if the apartment is very hot and the humidity is low. In order to eliminate this cause, you need to ventilate the room more often, turn on humidifiers and keep the air temperature at 18-22 degrees.

Just in case, you should check if something much more serious than snot (a small toy or a button) has "settled" in the nose. In this case, you need to urgently consult a doctor.
Scolding a child for unwanted behavior is not worth it. It is best not to draw close attention to this process.

Trim your child's nails. If they are short-haired, then picking their nose is inconvenient. In addition, the child's hands should be occupied with something interesting (handicrafts, needlework, etc.). Then the nose will be left alone. Often hands reach out to him simply out of boredom.

If all the measures described above do not help, then the child will need to explain that picking his nose is unpleasant for those around him.

How to force yourself to give up a bad habit?

Video: How to get rid of bad habits? 3 easy steps

If an adult regularly picks his nose, he should accept the fact that he has a problem. To get rid of this unaesthetic habit, it is important to determine the source that provokes it:

1. Maybe it's a way to occupy the hands or a specific sedative?
2. Perhaps this was facilitated by a disease that caused irritation in the nasal cavity?

Flush your sinuses every morning to rid them of dried mucus. If the problem still persists, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will find out what disease provokes rhinotillexomania, and will give the necessary recommendations.

Attention, only TODAY!

Nose picking, or as it is commonly called in medical circles rhinotillexomania, represents the habit of a person to get mucous contents from the nasal sinus. It should be noted that nose picking from time to time psychologists do not consider it to be some kind of anomaly, this is a completely normal action. However, too intense picking can indicate a mental disorder. Moreover, an excessively long passion for such an activity can provoke nosebleeds, as well as cause serious injuries.

The nose, as a human organ, performs an important physiological function: it takes part in breathing and smelling. His sinuses are covered from the inside with epithelium, on the surface of which mucus is located. In addition to olfactory receptors, the nose contains a large number of different sensory endings. If suddenly any foreign objects appear in the nose, then this causes irritation of the mucous membrane, and the person begins to sneeze, thus getting rid of harmful particles. It is in this context nose picking can be seen as a physiological need.

A large number of medical sources are considered nose picking as one of the signs of deviation from natural behavior in children. In particular, this activity is considered a symptom of impaired attention and the development of excessive activity. Nose picking it is also noted due to more serious pathologies, for example, in the formation of the Smith-Magenis syndrome.

Physicians usually differentiate between the habit of picking one's nose and the process of picking one's nose, which is associated purely with a psychiatric or psychological disorder. To denote a painful addiction to picking in common cases, the special term rhinotille is used. ximania.

According to surveys, scientists from America analyzed the magnitude of the habit of picking one's nose among the population of some states and found that at least 89% of respondents are fond of this activity. A few of that percentage spent at least 2 hours a day picking, ending up in the hospital with damaged sinuses.

Individuals were addicted to other bad habits: nail biting (18%), skin pinching (20%) and hair pulling (6%). Scientists from this concluded that in the vast majority of cases the process nose picking is only a habit, but in certain situations it turns into a pathology.

Interestingly, in most cases nose picking accompanied by nail biting. Nose picking ended with bleeding in 26% of the students asked. The researchers concluded that epidemiologists and nasal pathologists should pay serious attention to this rather common problem. Currently, scientists are trying to develop a method of treatment that would be effective way in the fight against such a bad habit.

What habit can be called bad? If you approach the answer broadly, then these are the actions that damage not only health, but also the image. From this point of view, the habit of picking your nose is really harmful: not only does it increase the risk of introducing an infection into the body, but others will have a completely unflattering opinion about a lover of publicly examining their nose. What causes an adult to pick his nose and how to overcome this tendency?

Why do people pick their nose

The habit of picking one's nose originates in childhood, when at about two years old the child begins to enthusiastically explore his "bowels". For a baby, this is one of the forms of knowing one's own body, which gradually fades away as they grow older.

In older children, nose picking can often be a sign of increased anxiety, stress, and emotional tension. In such cases, it is necessary to visit a child psychologist or neurologist, because. ordinary jerks and remarks will not help rid the child of this habit. In rare cases, nose picking is a symptom that can indicate the presence of serious neurological or psychological complications, as well as some genetic diseases.

Thus, nose picking can be:

1. physiological need. This is a desire to get rid of the discomfort caused by the presence of foreign particles in the nasal cavity: lumps of mucus, small debris and dust that have settled on the nasal mucosa during breathing (the so-called boogers). Usually such “picking” is not intrusive, and as soon as the nasal cavity is cleared, the person no longer feels the desire to climb back in with his fingers;
2. Psychological addiction. Here everything is more complicated than in the first case: a person picks his nose not because of the desire to clear it, but because of an irresistible desire. In the most severe cases, psychologists talk about rhinotillexomania. This is the name of painful aggressive picking in the nose up to bleeding or other damage to the cavity. However, very few people who like to pick their nose cross this line: most often this process remains nothing more than an unaesthetic habit;
3. A symptom of a genetic disease or psychiatric disorder. In such cases, a treatment tailored specifically to the individual patient is needed. To be fair, nose-picking in such patients is usually the least of the problems.

In cases where nose picking is an annoying habit that is not associated with genetic or psychiatric disorders, it is quite possible to cope with it on your own.

Wanting to part with a bad habit, first of all, you need to admit to yourself that you have it, and you want to get rid of it. Then analyze what makes you constantly pick your nose. Perhaps you simply have nothing to do with your hands, or this process calms you down. Or maybe you recently had a disease that provoked itching and irritation of the nasal mucosa or increased mucus production? If the latter assumption turns out to be correct, you first need to visit a specialist who will help you choose the appropriate medications and give recommendations, otherwise it will be very difficult to get rid of cravings to pick your nose.

What else should you pay attention to?

1. The place where you live and work. Dry air, especially during the heating season, dries out the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity. As a result, a person experiences itching and irritation, which, as a result, causes a desire to pick one's nose. Therefore, try to ventilate the room more often and humidify the air in it, which can be done both with the help of, and simply by placing water containers. It does not have to be bulky basins or unaesthetic jars: water can be poured into original vases or decorative aquariums.
2. In the case when ventilation and humidification of the air do not help to avoid dryness in the nose, you can irrigate nasal cavity special moisturizing sprays based on sea water.
3. Properly clean your nasal cavities. This should be done in the mornings and evenings, washing them with warm water. For a greater effect, you can add a little salt to the water: this will not only clean your nose more thoroughly, but also relieve swelling, strengthen capillaries, and improve blood circulation.
4. Control yourself. Whenever you realize that your finger is in your nose, immediately remove it from there. Don't let the habit turn into a reflex, or you'll soon start picking your nose in public.
5. Keep your nails short. This will significantly complicate the process of extracting mucus and other formations from the nose.
6. Keep your fingers busy with something that will both calm your nerves and distract you from a bad habit. Such activities as needlework (sewing, knitting, embroidery), music, carving, etc. will perfectly cope with this.

Nose picking is strongly associated primarily with children. However, there are a lot of adults who are subject to this habit, alas. It is possible to unlearn this activity, but it will require a certain amount of self-control and effort, as well as getting rid of any other addiction.

Video: Awkward moment with a finger in the nose in front of 30,000 spectators