Have you glanced some of your baby pictures recently? Then perhaps you’ve seen yourself sucking your thumb. When you’re barely a year old, most definitely you looked cute with such gesture. However, you’re actually expected to get over it as you grow old. If you aren’t able to kick the habit, then perhaps it may be a telltale sign of something.

Why You Suck Your Thumb

It’s a common question: why do you do it in the first place? Unknown to many, it actually has something to do with your psychology. When you thumb suck, you will more comfortable. You derive pleasure in what you’re doing. Moreover, if you’re going to pay attention to babies, you will notice that they suck their thumbs if they are hungry, afraid, tired, or sleepy.

Thumb suckers, however, can get past their habits as early as 6 months old. Some may suck their thumbs or pacifiers until they are 3 to 4 years old. You should begin to worry if they continue to do so and perhaps at a much greater intensity after these ages.

There are three main issues associated with thumb sucking. First it has something to do with your physiology. The more you thumb suck, the more you cause your teeth to become misaligned. A lot of your teeth may start to come forward (yes, think of Bugs Bunny). Orthodontic treatments such as braces don’t really come cheap these days, yet you cannot avoid them. Otherwise, you can become a target for jokes. It’s also possible to suffer from lisps or other kinds of speech problems.

Psychologically people who thumb suck are often considered to be emotionally insecure. They cannot find gratification or security on other things, so they do what they have done while they were still babies.

Lastly, your hands are unhygienic. Thousands of bacteria can thrive in your hands. When you continuously touch your mouth with them, you are also bringing in microorganisms inside your body.

How to Stop Them

The treatments should be performed as early as possible. However, if you’re not trained to stop doing it, then you have to find ways to do it on your own.

The first step is to recognize the reason for thumb sucking. Besides being a habit, it may have something to do with your emotions. Perhaps you’re anxious over something, or you tend to thumb suck on particular scenarios only. You can either deal with the reason of your emotions, or you can look for distractions so your attention is veered away from the triggers.

You can also make use of subliminal messages or a series of affirmations. You can recite them or listen to the statements as often as you can, until they are completely absorbed by your subconscious. You can try waking up in the morning, looking your face at the mirror, and saying the following lines:

I am not going to thumb suck today.
I am a very confident person.
I believe I am a full-grown individual.

Author Bio: Nelson Berry is The Pioneer of Subliminal Messages Online. Click Here Now for 4 Free Subliminal Messages Video Downloads (valued at $160)!

Category: Self Help
Keywords: Subliminal Messages, Free Subliminal Messages videos