11 Uncomfortable Habits People Don’t Understand You Do Because Of Your Anxiety

girl upside down
Tanja Heffner

1. You constantly shake your legs.

You don’t know why you do it, but it makes you think about something else other than your anxiety at the moment. Doing something physical like shaking your legs or cracking your wrists distracts your mind for a second.

2. You constantly forget simple things.

You are called forgetful all the time but it’s not your fault. You find yourself searching for your keys, never remembering where you put them. It’s easy to forget things when you have anxiety because your mind is so rattled and all over the place.

3. You sleep too much.

No you aren’t lazy, you are just exhausted. When you have anxiety, since your brain is constantly being flooded with questions and what ifs and different scenarios, you’re always over sleeping or falling asleep at work because you’re mentally and physically clocked out.

4. You take more than one shower in a day.

You feel the need to rinse off your day and your questions and all of your thoughts. Sometimes you still don’t feel clean or calm after one shower, so you continue to scrub and rinse and lather and repeat. You try so hard to just shed it off of you, but you can’t.

5. You pick at your skin until it bleeds.

It doesn’t matter where it is, you just feel the need to pick at something. Anything to do besides think! Your fingers are so dry and brittle from the constant biting, and your nails are usually so short that the skin underneath them hurt. You pick at your arms and your face until parts of yourself bleed and it provides you with relief for a while.

6. You pace around your room all the time.

You are always pacing quickly wherever you are. Especially when you’re in your apartment or room, you can’t stand still. You try to move nonstop just like your thoughts, but unfortunately no matter how much you pace, the thoughts never go away.

7. You’re illogical.

You can’t be logical with anything because your anxiety goes against everything that’s real. Your anxiety moves your logic completely out the window and it makes bad choices for you even if you don’t necessarily agree with it.

8. You hate driving.

Driving makes your anxiety go off the rails because even though driving should make you feel like you’re in control, it’s the opposite for you. It makes you think of terrible scenarios nonstop and these scenarios repeat over and over again in your brain.

9. You can’t concentrate at work.

It’s incredibly hard for you to concentrate on tasks you have to do and things you need to complete. It’s also hard for you to concentrate on conversations and work meetings because the racing thoughts running through your mind overpower everything else.

10. You despise talking on the phone.

You don’t answer unknown calls and tell everyone to text you instead of call you. You hate the anticipation of talking to someone, and of the possibility of awkward silences and pauses. You’d rather text because it gives you the opportunity to decide what your response will be without any added pressure.

11. You have trouble swallowing food and drinks.

When you have anxiety, sometimes it feels like your throat doesn’t work correctly. It feels like a choking sensation, or like your throat is completely closing and shutting off. When you’re out for dinner or lunch, sometimes it feels like you can’t swallow or even breathe. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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