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Hey, Psych2Goers.
Welcome back to another video.
Are you fidgety
or maybe you twirl your hair,
or pick at your skin?
Did you know these habits
could be due to anxiety?
How anxiety is manifested
can be expressed in many ways,
even ways we may not necessarily
associate with anxiety,
which may make it hard to identify at first.
It may express itself as a habit
you've had since you were a child,
so you dismiss it as just something that you do.
Or it could be something
you picked up along the way
that you've come to accept as normal.
Here are eight habits you may not know
could be caused by anxiety.
Number one, hair twirling.
Do you twirl your hair?
To most, hair twirling
is seen as an innocent act
that some people do absentmindedly
and it can even seem cute.
But in some instances,
hair twirling can be a sign of anxiety.
According to Healthline,
hair twirling can be caused by anxiety
and maybe an anxiety disorder symptom.
In an interview with Psych2Go,
Dr. Mary Ann Terminello,
a clinical psychologist,
said that hair twirling
can be a way of channeling excess energy
into an activity
that doesn't look like
an anxiety response to outsiders.
This in turn helps the person
reduce their anxiety
because they feel their anxiety is masked.
And so, aren't as self-conscious.
Number two, picking at your skin.
Another unconscious habit
that most might not think much of
is picking at your skin.
In some cases, though,
it can be a habit caused by anxiety.
According to WebMD,
finding that you can relieve stress and anxiety
by repetitively picking at your skin
can create a habit of it.
This skin picking can then become
a disorder called excoriation,
if done excessively.
according to Dr. Terminello,
some skin picking
like peeling of the skin on a finger
can be a clear sign of anxiety.
But others like picking around the nail beds,
which are more subtle,
can be overlooked.
Number three, daydreaming or checking out mentally.
Have you ever decided
to take a daydreaming break
only to find out
that you had spent hours
looking out the window?
While daydreaming isn't inherently bad,
it can become troublesome when it's over done
and doesn't let you return to reality,
or gets in the way
of you completing everyday tasks.
If this happens,
it might be a sign of maladaptive daydreaming
that may be caused by anxiety.
In a 2020 study from Cureus
about maladaptive daydreaming,
it was found that there is a connection
between maladaptive daydreaming
and generalized anxiety disorder.
The study said maladaptive daydreaming
can occur as a way to escape reality and anxiety,
and feel safer in imaginary place.
And that general anxiety disorder
can develop from not being able
to manage these daydreams and their studies.
It concluded that GAD
was comorbid to maladaptive daydreaming.
Number four, fidgeting or playing with something.
Do you often find yourself
playing with the first thing
that you have in your hand
during a stressful moment?
When we see other people
playing with something in their hands,
for example, tapping a pencil in class,
we think they're being disrespectful.
But for some people,
it's a way to channel
the excess energy and restlessness
that they're feeling.
Smoking sometimes falls
into that category of fidgeting.
It allows people to take deep breaths,
which can calm anxiety
and is similar to how diaphragmatic breathing
can help with relaxation.
Dr. Deborah R. Glasofer,
a professor of clinical medical psychology,
defines this fidgeting as edginess
that can also manifest
as irritability, shaking or trembling,
which can be more visible to outsiders
than the anxious person themselves.
Number five, sleeping too much or too little.
Sometimes sleeping too little or too much
can be a sign of anxiety,
as people can use sleeping
as a way to avoid anxiety.
While sleeping is a way
to take a pause or rest from anxiety,
not getting enough sleep at night
due to anxiety can mean
that the anxiety is too overwhelming
to let you rest.
According to the Sleep Foundation,
an online source for sleep information,
there is a connection
between sleep cycle and anxiety.
Research has shown that anxiety
can affect rapid eye movement sleep,
provoking disturbing dreams
and creating sleep disruption.
The nightmares caused by anxiety
can reinforce negative associations
and fear about going to sleep.
There can be a vicious cycle
between anxiety and sleep deprivation
as worrying can cause disrupted sleep,
which then causes more anxiety.
Number six, being on social media too much.
Being on social media for hours
or days on end
can be a sign of anxiety as well.
Like some of the other habits listed,
social media gives us a way
to escape from our stressors
and anxiety triggers
by engaging our minds in something else.
For example, looking at pictures of cats
on social media can distract you
from your anxiety
and it can be a coping mechanism
to deal with overwhelming anxiety.
Number seven, talking too much
or too little, or arguing.
The truth is that some people
that may talk a lot
are overwhelmed within a social situation
or they can't tolerate the silence,
so they start talking
in order to relieve that anxiety.
Being quiet can indicate anxiety
because they don't know what to say.
Starting arguments can also
be a sign of anxiety
because they can blame ending the conversation
on that other person
and be able to escape it.
In reality, the person is very anxious and overwhelmed.
But instead of letting people know that,
the argument instigator would rather
people believe they're jerks.
And number eight, forgetfulness
and lack of concentration.
Memory and concentration
are impacted by high levels of anxiety.
If somebody keeps forgetting
or keeps asking for things
to be repeated
because they're not concentrating
or missing details of what you said,
and your thinking to yourself
that they don't care about what you say
or that they're not listening
to what you're saying,
this could be anxiety.
It could be that this person
is so in their head about
what's bothering them,
that they're not present.
And so, they seem inattentive.
Like they don't care about the people
who are talking to them.
Do you recognize any of these habits?
Do you recognize these habits in anyone you know?
Let us know in the comments below.
Remember to share this article
with those who might benefit from it.
As always, the references and studies
used in this video
are listed in the description below.
Stay tuned for part two of this video.
And until next time, take care.