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Constant twitching or stretching of muscles & joints

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So since I can remember I have had some strange habits.. It started with squinting my eyes... I would scrunch my eyes in a way that would involve my forehead and nose. Now at 25 years old they are throughout my body. Mostly on the right side... I will feel a need that can't be ignored to stretch my neck the the right or the corner of my mouth down.. Or my right hand will stretch at the wrist. I cannot stop doing it. I have seen doctors who have related it to anxiety which is why I am posting in this category.. I'm looking for anyone who can relate to these symptoms and share any relief?! The stretching of the neck will in turn cause terrible headaches and neck pain but I will just find another "habit" to take over until the pain stops. I want to make it clear that when I say "twitch" I don't mean that they just happen, bc I am knowingly doing thse stretches/habits however they are involuntary. There is almost a feeling of pressure inside my body that will be temporarily relieved by performing the stretch/twitch. I have tried some anti anxiety meds but nothing had worked as of yet. Can anyone relate to these symptoms or at least help me describe them better so they someone else may understand what I am going through!?
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replied April 22nd, 2012
I have the same problem. Its almost like i flick my wrist and squint my eyes at the same time. Then i stretch my neck left and right while making this attrocious face and twitching. It feels like pressure is trying to burst out of my body. I know im doing it but i cant stop it. Sometimes i snap my fingers over and over again instead of !**@! my wrist. What the frick is wrong with me?
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replied April 23rd, 2012
I just wrote a reply but I don't see it posted.. Thank you for your reply, makes me feel better I am not alone. Any dr I have seen says it is simply anxiety and just to focus on stopping the habbits. They say that they are a way to deal with stress and get mind off it, however it is not that easy to just stop! When drivin alone I find that they are worse so I try to tap my thumb on the steering wheel which does help! I find that if I keep any part of my body moving then the habbits taper off so maybe u could try tapping you foot? I have had people comment or ask questions and I just try to make a joke... Have you spoken with a dr? Or do you have any tricks that help u? Do u find when driving or thinking to yourself about anything even minorly stressful or upsetting that your habbits get worse?
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replied July 8th, 2012
Anxiety
I have the exact same thing I have this feeling sometimes that I just want to scrunch my forehead together and when I do it feels releaved then comes back, I also have it in neck and wrist and my knuckles, I also suffer from OCD and anxiety quite bad but I'm 18 and healthy I think you are the same as me because when in doing other things like gym or with friends I completly forget about my habits and worrys I'm just about to make a phone call to help me with my OCD and anxiety because I constay worry about getting I'll or dying and I feel low sometimes maybe you Should do the same Smile
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replied July 29th, 2012
I hate this, I have it too. I've had anxiety since I was really little, and started strange habits like frowning repetitively, they went away seemingly on there own at about 11. Now i'm 19 and they're back, but now it's frowning and squinting all the time, for about 3 days now. It's giving me unbearable headaches and I cant make myself stop. Good to know it's something that seems common in anxiety and i'm not alone!
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