Stop Cracking Your Knuckles

the image is referenced from static.howstuffworks.com

Bad Habits

I am the prince of bad habits; cracking knuckles, biting nails, picking at head wounds etc. While cracking knuckles is one that has been proven to have little to no physical effects on the fingers, as reported by Penn State researchers, it is an annoyance and a habit I want to be in control of. Even though cracking knuckles does not breed arthritis or permanent damage, it is still a stress on the joints that probably in a really long run will cause problems. I find social situations where I want to crack my knuckles at innapropriate times, during dinners, movies, and conversations.

The Habit Grows

During high stress my bad habits always grow. Cracking knuckles specifically happen more often for me when the weather changes, in cold weather especially, right after intense physical activity like basketball, or using my hands in a high concentration situation such as drawing or airbrushing.

Quitting

My goal is to quit completely. I once recently decided I would only crack my knuckles in the bathroom privately. This obsession simply fed me urge to crack more often and led me to want to crack as much as possible during each bathroom break. I quickly realized it was a bad move. Now I want to quit cold turkey. I did managed to quit drinking coca cola eight months ago, another bad habit. Here are my strategies:

1. Excersize and stretch my fingers- it is proven that delicately moving the stiff joints can release the tension without cracking the joint. It is not as satisfying but is a better solution to the stiffness.

2. Family & Friends- Often times I crack out of habit, and dont even realize that I do it. I will remind my friends of family of my intentions and encourage them to tell me when I crack.

3. Find a new habit for the hands- Flipping a coin, spinning a pen, massaging my hands, tapping my fingers, drawing if applicable are all options for me to use to preoccupy my hands instead of cracking.

4. Gloves- A physical reminder like gloves on my hands will help me stop cracking out of sheer habit. It will also help keep my hands warm in the cold Minnesota weather, which should help curb my need to crack in the cold.

5. Will Power- This will be a big test of will power. I will tell myself I do not want to crack my knuckles and that my other options are much more pleasing. Hopefully resulting in a crack free future.

also see my popular blog about how to quit drinking soda


the image is referenced from www.rps.edu