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Strange Hand Habit
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Hi there, first of all i'm new to this site and very glad i found it so greetings to all of you!
My whole life, ever since i can remember, i have done a strange thing with my hands where i scratch the palms or interlock the fingers and move them about. I do this when i feel some particular extreme emotions, usually excitement, sometimes anticipation or anxiety. My parents have told me that its a symptom of developmental dyspraxia (which i was diagnosed with by an educational psychologist when i was 7). When i was younger i did many exercises and programs to reduce most of the traits of my dyspraxia and now at age 21 there are only a few that have not improved, the main one being the strange hand habit that I do. No matter how hard i try, i dont seem to be able to stop doing it, i have reached a level where i can resist the urge to do it in public but as soon as i am in private i find myself inadvertently doing it whenever i feel excitement. When i am doing it i feel a really big rush of adrenaline which actually feels really good and it helps me to relieve stress, but the downside of it is it is embarrassing, it caused me much bullying at school when i was younger and it also leaves my hands sore all the time. Do any other people have a similar experience? How have you been able to control it? It is something i would like to deal with if possible. Posted on 05/28/12, 10:18 pm |
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Oh, its probably not important but just in case it matters, i also tend to stop breathing when i am doing it, so i am out of breath afterwards and this makes it more noticeable when i am doing it in public. 
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I don't have any habits that sounds as serious as yours. I have habits due to anxiety, like chewing the inside of my lip (not the most attractive look on someone) or I do have the habit of obsessively rubbing my fingernails with my fingers, but I do it in the car or alone and not in front of others. I sucked my finger until I was 12. My teacher had to get me out of the habit because I was way too old for that.
Can you find another, more socially accepted way to feel the adrenaline rush and the sense of tension relief? If you can't find something else, hell, as long as you don't do it in public, why give it up? Why should you give up what feels good? Just as long as it doesn't interfer with your life. Good luck!
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No its just a thing i've always done. Don't know what causes it but its basically a subconscious reaction now.
Wondering if there is a way of cutting it down via behavioral conditioning or some other way.
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There are definite ways to stop doing it via behavioral conditioning. Seeing a counselor is a good way of doing it, but if you don't have one, try to investigate different to do yourself. (operant conditioning, cognitive therapy) For me, I needed to be aware when I was doing something wrong and then stopped myself. I kept doing that after a while and the habit went away. Of course, it didn't happen overnight, but I could do it eventually.
Good luck!
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Mine was shaking my hands in front of me when excited, might have been my Aspergers unsure. Very embarrassing the other one was putting up my arm as if to ask a question and leaving it there. They both passed in time.
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When I get nervous, I start to wiggle/snap my wrist, resulting in a "popping" sound. Most of the time I don't even notice I do it. And I do it down at my sides so nobody else seems to notice either. It generally only lasts for a few seconds and then I can go back to what I was doing. Sometimes it is only one hand, sometimes it is both. I've tried everything to keep myself from doing it, but no matter what I can't resist. I've even tried shoving my hands in my pockets, but all that does is give me less space for it!
I also have other nervous habits. I bite my nails constantly, and if I don't have enough there to bite, I can't sit still. I'll play with pencils, pens, wiggle my feet, or sit in a chair with my hand dangling to the side and shake my hand/fingers. I can't ever sit still. I am moving almost 24/7, even in my sleep. I have to sleep with my feet hanging off the end of the bed out from under the blankets because I will sit and wiggle my feet until I fall asleep.
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My son wiggles so much I think he has to use the bathroom all the time.--LOL
He had an issue with his pinkies locked in a bent position--we would have to pop them straight and to this day he still keeps his pinky's bent, but they are no longer locked that way.
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