Tics anyone?

[DustingMyselfOff]

I remember having tics / OCD as early as six years old. They come and go and sometimes it's so bad that I pull muscles and hurt myself but still can't stop. Other times it's moderate - I can force myself to stop in public but still tic in private, and other times I don't have any problem with them.

Right now I am feeling much calmer and not panic-attacking, but I am tic'ing like crazy! I'm trying to figure out if there is some correlation or science to this. It almost feels like since I have my anxiety under control today, this excess "something" has to come out of me in another way. And on days when I'm a basket-case with anxiety, I'm not tic'ing.

Anyone else deal with tics and twitches?
Sue

[Judie]

Hahaha DustingMyselfOff, you are stealing my theory. No I don't have Tics but I believe that when people quiet heir anxiety, other bodily symptoms pop up. Anxiety if addressed and challenged will back down. If you don't react to Panic, it goes away ( a tired and true method of treatment) Most definitely works, no question ask PanicCured. BUT if you don't figure out and deal with what caused the problem to begin with other forms of Psychosomatic Illness ( Illness originating in the mind not be body ) will roar like a lion. I try to address stress/ depression, anything that is troubling me given that when I have put my anxiety to rest I have had horrific migraines and this winter Peptic/ Duodenal Ulcers. What's a reason to do ? Recognize what is behind your Panic is also what is behind your Tics. Panic Attacks are a mask , people focus on the mask, not the face behind it. Figure it out and let it go .

[MrsJ88]

Hahaha DustingMyselfOff, you are stealing my theory. No I don't have Tics but I believe that when people quiet heir anxiety, other bodily symptoms pop up. Anxiety if addressed and challenged will back down. If you don't react to Panic, it goes away ( a tired and true method of treatment) Most definitely works, no question ask PanicCured. BUT if you don't figure out and deal with what caused the problem to begin with other forms of Psychosomatic Illness ( Illness originating in the mind not be body ) will roar like a lion. I try to address stress/ depression, anything that is troubling me given that when I have put my anxiety to rest I have had horrific migraines and this winter Peptic/ Duodenal Ulcers. What's a reason to do ? Recognize what is behind your Panic is also what is behind your Tics. Panic Attacks are a mask , people focus on the mask, not the face behind it. Figure it out and let it go .

What is PanicCured?

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hahaha DustingMyselfOff, you are stealing my theory. No I don't have Tics but I believe that when people quiet heir anxiety, other bodily symptoms pop up. Anxiety if addressed and challenged will back down. If you don't react to Panic, it goes away ( a tired and true method of treatment) Most definitely works, no question ask PanicCured. BUT if you don't figure out and deal with what caused the problem to begin with other forms of Psychosomatic Illness ( Illness originating in the mind not be body ) will roar like a lion. I try to address stress/ depression, anything that is troubling me given that when I have put my anxiety to rest I have had horrific migraines and this winter Peptic/ Duodenal Ulcers. What's a reason to do ? Recognize what is behind your Panic is also what is behind your Tics. Panic Attacks are a mask , people focus on the mask, not the face behind it. Figure it out and let it go .

Yup, that all makes sense. Throughout the years I've had so many physical ailments and illnesses, 95% of which are probably caused by stress. Every time I get one under control, another one pops up. So I guess the answer is find out what the hell is bugging me (and has been for 50 years) and once that's resolved, the health issues and anxiety might very well improve.

I really, really don't know how to handle stress, depression, fear, etc. any differently than I do. I'm not a screamer or a cryer..... I am GREAT in a crisis and am the one to take charge and get things done. I think the emotions that would or should be there get lost in my action and then they never get dealt with. So how do you deal with them? They just come out in symptoms and panic attacks.

Anyway, I have an appointment with a shrink on Friday... .maybe he can help me figure out what's been eating away at me for all these decades.
Sue

[Roxie271983]

PanicCured is or was a member of the forum

[jessed03]

Legend has it, that PanicCured was 12feet tall, and if you layed eyes upon him, your anxiety was instantly in remission. We have often debated who the identity of PanicCured really was, but he has remained an enigma for years.

He also has stickies at the top of the page that are good to read.

[Walking Circles]

Stress can cause your body to do all kinds of weird and unplesant things. I used to have a terrible tic when I was, oh... maybe 11-13? I would constantly blink, and blink hard. To the point that my eyes would hurt and the muscles in the area would burn, I could sometimes control it in public but often not. It lead to a great deal of embarresement, so I understand where you are coming from on this issue. I think that this kind of thing as well as other physical symptoms of anxiety are maifestations of an emotion that we have a hard time dealing with.

This helped me with my eye tic, try at first not stopping yourself but just recognizing that you are doing it and then try to asses how you have felt as a whole that day and what is on your mind. I have had a some sucess not in forcing these feelings to go away, but in recognizing them and accepting them. If you can accept your anxiety without "fighting it" you may be able to start to live "past" it, for me when I can do that I find it tends to fade.

Oh, and just because you are having a good day doesn't mean the anxiety is not still there, it is just resting. But you can use those good days as a springboard to begin adressing the problem.

[alankay]

He was actually...15 feet tall. He's sooo right, he scares anxiety to death. Right now there is a message board/forum for failed afflictions that anxiety posts at about Paniccured. No one answers his posts out of...... fear. :) Damn fine looking too. :) :) Alankay

[Judie]

MrsJ88, PanicCured is a username of someone who posts or used to post on the Forum. Look back on some of his posts they are quite informative on how to stop Panic Attacks, I too use the same techniques. Basically tells you to dismiss the anxiety attacks as nothing which they are. Check it out.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Stress can cause your body to do all kinds of weird and unplesant things. I used to have a terrible tic when I was, oh... maybe 11-13? I would constantly blink, and blink hard. To the point that my eyes would hurt and the muscles in the area would burn, I could sometimes control it in public but often not. It lead to a great deal of embarresement, so I understand where you are coming from on this issue. I think that this kind of thing as well as other physical symptoms of anxiety are maifestations of an emotion that we have a hard time dealing with.

This helped me with my eye tic, try at first not stopping yourself but just recognizing that you are doing it and then try to asses how you have felt as a whole that day and what is on your mind. I have had a some sucess not in forcing these feelings to go away, but in recognizing them and accepting them. If you can accept your anxiety without "fighting it" you may be able to start to live "past" it, for me when I can do that I find it tends to fade.

Oh, and just because you are having a good day doesn't mean the anxiety is not still there, it is just resting. But you can use those good days as a springboard to begin adressing the problem.

Thanks for sharing - it helped a lot. I actually did try what you said today.... I remembered that the more I try to stop them, the more attention and focus I'm giving them and the more they happen. So I was trying to use a "who cares - go ahead and tic" and it does make it better. But when you've been doing it severely for about a week, it's a hard habit to break so it's going to take some time to let up. I have a shrink appointment Friday and can't wait to start digging into when and where and why this all started. I'm very eager to get to the "why" in addition to dealing with the panic attacks and tics when they happen. They may never be totally gone but they will NEVER rob me of my life again.
Sue

[Judie]

[QUOTE=DustingMyselfOff;93809]Yup, that all makes sense. Throughout the years I've had so many physical ailments and illnesses, 95% of which are probably caused by stress. Every time I get one under control, another one pops up. So I guess the answer is find out what the hell is bugging me (and has been for 50 years) and once that's resolved, the health issues and anxiety might very well improve.

I really, really don't know how to handle stress, depression, fear, etc. any differently than I do. I'm not a screamer or a cryer..... I am GREAT in a crisis and am the one to take charge and get things done. I think the emotions that would or should be there get lost in my action and then they never get dealt with. So how do you deal with them? They just come out in symptoms and panic attacks.

Anyway, I have an appointment with a shrink on Friday... .maybe he can help me figure out what's been eating away at me for all these decades. Sounds good DustingMyselfOff,

I just had this conversation with a friend of mine today as both of us have been affected by verbally abusive alcoholics and alcoholics in our youth. I said do you. Ever just get angry thinking about the past ? Of course you do, even if it's the very distant past. Repressed anger causes anxiety, so do does repressed grief. Bottom line you have to feel what is in your life. Yes you would be the one in a crisis, so would I, in fact most on this forum would be crisis people. The problem is crisis people don't allow themselves to feel, they just act. They are the strong ones, the ones that never shed a tear, they love ( without knowing ) repression. Repressing anything love, hate, anger,stress will and does backfire. You can figure out what's wrong. Just think what triggers anger. In you, perhaps when someone is condescending, that's a real trigger for me. Also personally my mom was diagnosed with Liver Cancer on April 30th and died in my arms on May 21st. I actually told her to go and that we all loved her, God loved her. She was my best friend, it was one of the hardest things I have never done in my life. It was a lot for a twenty something kid. I cried that night and never shed a tear again. I repressed that grief and stepped into her shoes and damn near died a year later when my brother got in a fight and was stabbed a year later.Panic Attacks took me down, I weighed 95 ibs, I was broken with a full blown death anxiety. I fought hard and was told by a therapist " that everyone has and needs a support system and you don't have one. It was a battle and I can bring tears to my eyes thinking about it but note what I am saying "I bring tears to my eyes" I no longer repress. This happened a long time ago. I know that my mom's death at a fairly young age made me realize life is fragile , here today, gone tomorrow. Many times people with anxiety disorders fear death. This is possibly where spirituality is a wonderful adjunct to treatment. Oh and I don't like the WOE IS ME routine but sometimes it is good to give yourself a hug. Yes, I now have a support system and a wonderful life. Hang in there. Great idea about the Psychiatrist, you'll both figure it ou

[Lin]

When I have depression my "OCD" tendencies become more prominent. I have always been someone that has to touch something so many times, or not touch something, or whatever so that it brings good luck. And unfortunately have passed this on to my son.

When I am depressed and anxious I find that these tendencies get even worse so that things have to be in a certain place and in a certain way, and no-one must touch them. I have to have the same number of pens on my desk in the right place etc etc.

My son has got worse with these tendencies when he has been under pressure of exams and it is a very hard thing to break.

The only way to break it is learn to relax, which I have been doing with meditation, but it is not easy to lose "OCD" tendencies.

[DustingMyselfOff]

[QUOTE=DustingMyselfOff;93809]Yup, that all makes sense. Throughout the years I've had so many physical ailments and illnesses, 95% of which are probably caused by stress. Every time I get one under control, another one pops up. So I guess the answer is find out what the hell is bugging me (and has been for 50 years) and once that's resolved, the health issues and anxiety might very well improve.

I really, really don't know how to handle stress, depression, fear, etc. any differently than I do. I'm not a screamer or a cryer..... I am GREAT in a crisis and am the one to take charge and get things done. I think the emotions that would or should be there get lost in my action and then they never get dealt with. So how do you deal with them? They just come out in symptoms and panic attacks.

Anyway, I have an appointment with a shrink on Friday... .maybe he can help me figure out what's been eating away at me for all these decades. Sounds good DustingMyselfOff,

I just had this conversation with a friend of mine today as both of us have been affected by verbally abusive alcoholics and alcoholics in our youth. I said do you. Ever just get angry thinking about the past ? Of course you do, even if it's the very distant past. Repressed anger causes anxiety, so do does repressed grief. Bottom line you have to feel what is in your life. Yes you would be the one in a crisis, so would I, in fact most on this forum would be crisis people. The problem is crisis people don't allow themselves to feel, they just act. They are the strong ones, the ones that never shed a tear, they love ( without knowing ) repression. Repressing anything love, hate, anger,stress will and does backfire. You can figure out what's wrong. Just think what triggers anger. In you, perhaps when someone is condescending, that's a real trigger for me. Also personally my mom was diagnosed with Liver Cancer on April 30th and died in my arms on May 21st. I actually told her to go and that we all loved her, God loved her. She was my best friend, it was one of the hardest things I have never done in my life. It was a lot for a twenty something kid. I cried that night and never shed a tear again. I repressed that grief and stepped into her shoes and damn near died a year later when my brother got in a fight and was stabbed a year later.Panic Attacks took me down, I weighed 95 ibs, I was broken with a full blown death anxiety. I fought hard and was told by a therapist " that everyone has and needs a support system and you don't have one. It was a battle and I can bring tears to my eyes thinking about it but note what I am saying "I bring tears to my eyes" I no longer repress. This happened a long time ago. I know that my mom's death at a fairly young age made me realize life is fragile , here today, gone tomorrow. Many times people with anxiety disorders fear death. This is possibly where spirituality is a wonderful adjunct to treatment. Oh and I don't like the WOE IS ME routine but sometimes it is good to give yourself a hug. Yes, I now have a support system and a wonderful life. Hang in there. Great idea about the Psychiatrist, you'll both figure it ou

Thanks, Judie... that was very helpful. I remember several years ago when my tics were very bad (for what seemed to me like no particular reason) I read a book and it suggested I meditate, take myself back to my childhood to a place where I was sad or scared, and I found I was crying like a baby in no time. It then suggested that you go back to that place (in your mind) again and this time "change" the ending to a more happy one. I did feel much lighter and less burdened for a while after that.... perhaps I should try that again, or maybe I'll just wait and see what my Friday appointment brings.

Yes, I repress. The strong one. And then I crumble, but I don't let anyone see. Sound familiar?
Sue

[Walking Circles]

I would really recomend meditation, I have not personally tried the method you have mentioned but if it works for you the I would say go with it. I have started trying to meditate for about 15 minutes a day and I feel that afterwards I really feel content. I realized when I started meditating that I have never truly let my mind rest, even when I am engaged in one of my hobbies there are still things in the back of my mind, the mental rest I get from meditation is really refreshing. I am glad my advice yesterday was helpfull to you, and I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that in trying to "force" yourself to stop you are feeding the beast so to speak. Of course it can take a while to deprogram a long standing habit like tics and what not, I know it does for me, but I have learned that I can sort of chain the good days together and achieve longer stretches of them. Bad days happen, we just have to be careful not to let a single bad day start a spiral of them.

Back to the meditation thing, when I practice I use this method, I sit or lie with eyes open or closed and simply focus my attention on my breathing and I count. Inhaling I count one, then exhaling I count one, and on the next breath I count two and so on going to ten and then starting again. If something pops into your head don't fight it just acknowledge it, let it pass on its own and then begin your count again from one. This method may not work for you but I have found that it gives me some much needed mental down time. Oh as a side not you don't have to exagerate your breaths, I just breath normally drawing in from the abdomen and exhaling through the nose.

Anyway, I hope that you find much success in dealing with your tics and the anxiety that causes them and that they themselves cause. I too have been visting with a psychologist these past few weeks and have begun to realize that a lot of my anxiety issues are manifestations of much older issues than I thought, just that revelation alone has helped in finding some relief.