I have repititious, annoying habits that are weird and very difficult for me to stop. What do I do?

Question

When I was little (I'm 21 now), I used to have what my grandmother scoldingly referred to has my "habits". They were generally strange physical movements that I would do repetitively both knowingly and unknowingly. My "habits" varied greatly in what exactly they were, but some examples foremost in my mind would be nodding of the head, huffing air (not chemicals, this is a substance abuse I'm talking about :P) until my lungs were completely full, clicking the back of my throat, and so on. Often times these repetitious activities would annoy me, but I found them very difficult to stop. Eventually, a specific habit would cease, but sooner or later a new habit (or an old one) always surfaced in its place.

The thing is that I still have this problem, except that my "habits" are a bit more subtle. Some of the things I currently do are: bending the knuckles of my thumbs, clicking my throat, huffing air, closing my eyes tightly, tapping the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth..

.. digging the nail of my left thumb underneathe my right thumb; and many strange things that are very difficult to explain, but usually involve an extremely subtle movement or breathing motion.

All of these activities are accompanied by a need to "accomplish them thouroughly". Again, this is a feeling that is very difficult for me to articulate. For instance, when I huff air, I almost always feel like I must inhale until my lungs are stretched and until I get a feeling similar to that of yawning. Also, when I tap my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I feel like I have to keep doing it until I do it just perfect, which is pretty much never; I'll just keep doing it until I forcefully stop myself. Often times, I will stop everything I'm doing to accomplish that sense of "completeness", but it never last for long; eventually I'll have to do something like that again.
I haven't told many people about this because no one can relate. :P I'm just concerned because it's getting worse. Thx!

Regarding the possibilty of seizures:

I personally doubt this because everything is voluntary in the sense that if I click, I know that making the decision to do it. However, the problems is that I can't figure out why the crap I'm doing it. I don't want to, but I.. I.. lol I have no idea. :P

Thanks, everyone, for your answers! :)

Answer 1

I'm no expert but it sounds like you have an obsessive compulsive disorder. You need to talk to your Doctor about it or see someone in the Mental Health profession. It obviouslly bothers you or you wouldn't have asked for answers, so do yourself a favor and get it checked out. Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

Have you ever taken any medication for this disorder? I hope you have seen a doctor about this, because this could either be something serious or maybe obsessive compulsive disorder. Were you very anxious or nervous as a child? Some children can develop these so called nervous habits if there has been a lot of abuse either physically or emotional abuse within the home. You didn't mention it in your question, but consider that. It might be a condition called Tourette's Syndrome, in which your body performs what is called "tics". Don't be alarmed just yet though it could be as I stated earlier a condition known as OCD.
Only a doctor could diagnose your condition. If it's OCD there are medications out there that can help you. If it's something more serious such as Tourette's then there are different treatments that can help with that, as well. Tardive dyskinesia in which there are movements like lip smacking, or abnormal movements with the tongue would be another possibility. Please check with your physican and let them check this out. I hope you find out what is causing this and you take care.

Answer 3

You could have some sort of neurological problem. If you have insurance, go see a doctor and tell him about this. I'm surprised you haven't been diagnosed with something before this. Did you not see a doctor on a regular basis as you were growing up? It almost sounds like "obsessive compulsive" disorder, or some sort of seizure activity going on in your brain. Nobody online can diagnose your problem, but a licensed doctor can. And he can probably prescribe you medication to get it under control. There is no need for you to suffer with this for 21 years. I wish I could help you. There are many other people out there who are just like this, you're not alone. Good luck.

Answer 4

I wouldn't say that any of your worries are life threatening... I would say that the right person could be attracted to some of them. In past relationships, girlfriends have had quirks such as the ones you speak of and I thought they were great! They made me smile! If they are bugging you.. see a psychologist. Know that a psychiatrist will try to use drugs to fix your problems, I don't think drugs are what you need. You need to get to the root of your insecurities. Trust me... I am no expert and anything I say should be treated as coming from a complete stranger who may not know anything. What it comes down to is you. If you just can't control them and you can't live with them anymore.. Don't be ashamed to get professional help. It takes a lot of courage and may be the best thing you have ever done for yourself.

Answer 5

Many people have "habits" like that and they are not easy to remove but you can try anyway. I would suggest that you make list of all the habits that you supposedly have and carry the list with you each day wherever you go. And each time you are aware that you are doing the habit, put a mark in the list.

Make sure that as time progresses the number of ticks come down. Punish yourself if you have too many marks on the paper and likewise reward yourself each time you succeed to keep it down.

All the best, I would also suggest that you read AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN by Anthony Robbins.

Answer 6

Sounds like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or an anxiety/nervous related problem....see your GP and they will refer you to a specialist for a correct diagnosis. Basically, if it bothers you/ interferes with your daily life/relationships then you don't have to put up with it. It sounds pretty mild and it probably makes you a pretty interesting and unique person to know. A little eccentricity never hurt anyone. But remember, if it bothers you there's loads of help for you -most commonly a mix of cognitive behavioural therapy (basically means you become aware of your behaviours and make a conscious effort to understand them and then modify them/replace them with better ones) and medication like an anti-depressant or a mood stabiliser to help control that obsessive/anxious feeling.

Have a great day and don't let it worry you.

Answer 7

It is possible that you have a mild form of over compulisive disorder. Ask your doctor for a referral to a mental health specialist. Some people need medication for this but I would guess that yours is mild enough that it can be controlled through therapy alone. There is help available. I wish you the best of luck! You may find this website to be helpful: http://www.ocfoundation.org/

Answer 8

You may have a form of Torett's(?spelling) or these are just ticks. Talk to your doctor about them. There may be medication you can take or other options to control them. I know that I close my eyes and wrinkle my nose as if I smell something bad. I am aware that I'm doing it, but I still have trouble not doing it.
Don't fall for that "natural healing" crap. That just means that you would be using something not scientifically proven and who knows what is in that stuff, oh yeah....."natural" stuff.
Good Luck!

Answer 9

Your rituals are very significent of someone suffering with a classic case of OCD...you HAVE to do them..or you just don't feel right...you need something like Luvox, to help you so go to a doctor to get some help with this problem that is a chemical imbalance that can be helped with meds.

Answer 10

i don't think these are "habits", i just think that these so called habits are merely s consequence of you being stressed out or nervous or anxious about something. You don't need to see a doctor for that, but you should deal with it yourself by learning how to stay calm. If it gets bad, consult a doctor who is specialized in nerves.