What do you mean by anxiety tics? Anxiety causes many problems in human life and even leads the situations of physical repercussions. If people are stressed or nervous with anxiety, then their bodies become tense and cause muscles to jerk in an uncontrollable way.
It is known as anxiety tics or anxiety twitches. If you want to know about anxiety tics, you should read this article on anxiety tics, types, causes, treatments, etc.
What is anxiety tic
Anxiety tic occurs when people face involuntary tension or twitching in stress or anxiety. It will appear like muscle spasms in the body, around the arms, eyes, legs, throat, neck, etc.
In simple words, anxiety tics are considered separate behavior that causes tics disorders. It happens with people who experience anxiety problems.
Types of tics
There are two different kinds of tics, motor and vocal. Motor tics are the type of tics that occur suddenly, whereas vocal tics are tics that are made by someone. Example of motor tics is shrugging, repeated blinking, making faces, and muscle spasms.
Examples of vocal tics are clicking sounds, clearing throat, and grunting. Moreover, tic is classified into two categories, complex and simple. Both of motor and vocal tics are different.
Simple tics are tics that only last for a single moment and involve some muscles like grunting, spasms, blinking, or grimacing.
On the other hand, complex tics use multiple muscles and have patterns of multiple actions in a row. These tics include hand gestures, jumping, smelling, or touching objects.
Are anxiety tics normal?
The eye twitching continuously, clearing the throat, or picking at the skin are normal responses to stress your body is trying to manage. It is a sign that you are experiencing stress or anxiety.
Such types of twitches are gone after some time, but still, it is suggested to reduce your stress level as much as possible.
Social anxiety tics
Social anxiety is a kind of anxiety disorder that is characterized by discomfort and fear in social situations and leads to avoidance. People with social anxiety experience tics ranging from facial twitches to blinking to coughing.
Keep in your mind that tic related to social anxiety affects self-esteem, so it is suggested to get help from a mental health professional, reduce tic symptoms, and keep your health functioning well.
Medication and therapy are two types of treatment you can adopt to get rid of social anxiety tics and give the best results for your health.
Cause of anxiety tics
Anxiety and stress causes physical tension and develops nervous twitches like picking at skin, clenching the jaw, or biting the nails. Anxiety causes muscle tension because the neurotransmitters are released in response to stress. It causes twitching or abnormal spasms.
There are no specific causes of tics; it occurs due to a disorder such as Tourette's. Lack of sleep, stress, and caffeine helps to increase prosperity to tic, but they are not considered the root cause.
How to get rid of the anxiety tics
Usually, the anxiety tics are gone in some time, but the best way is to find the stressor or manage the anxiety or stress it causes. There are many methods to get relief from stress, but it is suggested to find the source of anxiety.
Once you find the source, you should manage your stress by staying aware of triggers. You can also learn online how to get rid of stress rather than holding it in your body. These practices help you to get rid of anxiety tics.
Outlets that help to manage anxiety are meditation, exercise, journaling, mindfulness, and self-care activities. If the anxiety tics still occur, then you should get help from a mental health professional.
Treatment options for anxiety tics
People who experience anxiety tics learn to live with it because their efforts are reduced day to day. But if it becomes more worsen, then it makes you feel frustrated, embarrassed, helpless, and conscious.
When anxiety tics start to interfere with well-being, then there are many treatment options you can follow. The effective treatments for anxiety tics are
Habit reversal therapy: This therapy involves substituting a deliberate movement that disrupts the nervous cycle for tics.
Exposure with prevention: This approach focuses on getting you used to the anxious feelings that come before the tics without having you follow or participate in them.
Comprehensive behavioral intervention- It arms you with behavioral techniques that teach you to minimize the tics' effects.
Conclusion
There are two kinds of disorders anxiety tics, simple and complex. It first appears in child age or adolescence. Males more experience anxiety tics than females. If you also experience tics, it is suggested first to track the symptoms and then follow the right treatment plan.