Common Anxious Habits and How to Address them Naturally

Every person experiences anxiety from time to time, but it’s how we deal with that anxiety and our ability to move past it that really matters. Anxiety is a mental health condition that is primarily felt on the inside, but it can result in outward physical symptoms and tendencies that are noticeable to others around us too.

Here are the most common anxious habits that people have and natural solutions to ease both the mind and body.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding the teeth is known as bruxism and typically happens at night when you can’t fully relax to fall sleep. This teeth grinding interrupts sleep and can cause serious tooth damage, including hyper-sensitivity and permanent jaw pain.

Cracking Knuckles

Although occasional cracking of the knuckles isn’t likely to harm your joints, this nervous habit can be very annoying to the people around you. If you start to feel pain in your hands when you crack your knuckles, it could be a sign of an injured ligament or loose cartilage.

Pulling Hair and Picking Skin

Many people fidget with their hair and skin when they are nervous and don’t even realize they’re doing it. Pulling strands of hair out can stunt the growth of hair and cause hair loss in certain areas. Picking skin and scabs inhibits the normal healing of wounds and can make the body more susceptible to infection.

Nail Biting

One common anxious habit is biting the nails, which is problematic beyond just making your fingers unattractive. Putting your hands in your mouth is a proven way to get sick from all the bacteria and viruses that your hands come in contact with and that remain under the fingernails. Nail biting can also damage your teeth and healthy nail growth over time.

Unhealthy Eating

But it’s not just nervous twitches and movements that are outward signs of anxiety. People tend to neglect healthy eating habits when they are overwhelmed by anxiety and either overeat or undereat during the day. Constantly snacking, not practicing portion control, and developing an eating disorder are all common among highly anxious people.

Poor Sleeping

If you can’t relax during the day, chances are that your nights will be sleepless and stressful as well. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. When you miss out on sleep due to anxiety, you start the next day even less able to cope with life’s stresses and overcome unhealthy habits.

Natural Anxiety Remedies

Nervous tics are coping mechanisms that help people with anxiety feel like they have control over something, no matter how small, and to get out their nervous energy in some way. But while these habits seem insignificant at first, they can cause serious health issues over time and be a distraction for addressing the true causes of the anxiety.

Fortunately, there are lots of natural solutions for easing anxiety to help you deal with daily stresses and uncertain situations. Diet contributes greatly to a person’s anxiety levels, so focus on eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and drinking tea. You may benefit from spending more time outdoors, trying deep breathing exercises, surrounding yourself with aromatherapy scents, or talking to someone you trust about anxiety triggers. Professional help is available for uncontrolled anxiety, and many of the people that you know personally can probably relate to anxiety issues than you might ever expect.