Where do nervous habits come from and how to get rid of them

How nervous habits appear and what they are

Research into these behaviors tends to focus only on the severe stages of these habits. They are signs of neurobehavioral disorders such as autism and Tourette's syndrome.

Every person has at least one obsessive habit. Some do not even know about its existence.

Scientists classify nervous habits into three groups:

Standard repetitive actions, which include quick movements of various parts of the body, coughing, sniffing. In this case, the person feels a real need to perform the action.
Stereotyping is the unconscious repetition of any movements, for example, rocking the body from side to side, tapping fingers or twitching legs.
Obsessive actions leading to self-harm. This group includes the habit of biting nails, ripping off skin, pulling out hair.

"All compulsive actions originate in the basal nuclei, the area of the brain that controls human motor functions," says Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center who specializes in compulsive behaviors that lead to self-harm.

In a stressful or unfamiliar situation, the basal nuclei select basic movements, memorize them and form a habit.

Because of this, we can react in the same way to similar situations and perform certain actions automatically.

Most nervous habits are formed during childhood. With the exception of children with autism, many outgrow habits such as grimacing or head-shaking. This happens due to the fact that with age we begin to be aware of our behavior, emotions and feelings.

However, a person can simply adapt his habit to the adult world and learn to hide it. For example, the need to open your mouth wide or bite your lips can lead to an addiction to chewing gum.

How to deal with nervous habits

Most do not try to get rid of nervous habits and do not see anything wrong with them. Help is required when behavior interferes with normal living and communication with other people. Neck wobbling can lead to spinal problems, skin peeling can lead to scars, and the nervous clicking of a pen can lead to the loss of your dream job at the interview stage.

Doug Woods, professor of psychology at Marquette University, studies obsessional behaviors and helps fight them. He argues that many patients perceive nervous habits as a reward, temporary distraction, or relief. In other words, they find satisfaction in the fact that they can afford to click their teeth or joints.

A person can stop performing this or that action if asked to do so or indicate negative consequences. You can get rid of some nervous habits on your own.

Severe cases require medical attention. If the compulsive habits are not a side effect of drugs or drugs, the doctor first of all helps the patient to admit that he has a health problem. He asks the patient to describe the habit in great detail, including emotions and thoughts.

In the fight against a nervous habit, it is important to understand in what cases they appear. You need to find out why she makes a person nervous, and try to correct the attitude towards such situations.

In addition, doctors often practice opposite habits. Together with the patient, they select a more acceptable action that suppresses the nervous habit. For example, squeezing the ball instead of snapping the joints.

Scientists agree that any obsessive habit signals such human emotions as fear, irritation, boredom, sadness, excitement, tension. It is the recognition of this signal that will help to cope with the problem.