Weird thing I do

[MidnightCalm]

this is just something little and not really anything I'm paticularly worried about but I find myself pinching myself really hard and I have to stop, I've even found bruises where I've done it in the past.
I'll feel a bit nauseas (probably from the Stertraline) and then I find myself pinching myself really hard on my legs :/ anybody do anything similar?

I'm also beginning to annoy myself because I find myself randomly counting.
I'll be tidying or something and realise I'm up to like 79 and be like "Why am I counting?"

:S

[paula lynne]

well, pinching yourself will just give you bruises!! x bless you...carry a small object that you can pinch instead? until you can work out why you need to pinch....when you realise you are counting...start to sing instead? the sert is probably knocking you about a bit, try not to catastrophise it xxx:hugs:

[BunnyMazonas]

Hmmm...well, the pinching could be a self-harm reflex; pain produces serotonin and other chemicals in the body that make us feel good, so doing something small likepinching can sometimes be related to that. I've got a history of self harm and although I have stopped cutting etc, I will still sometimes find myself scratching a part of my body or doing something else painful.

The counting thing - I do the exact same thing! I'll discover I've been counting seconds in my head, or counting the number of letters I've written when writing a piece of work, or the number of steps I've taken... I wouldn't worry about it, although I understand how it gets annoying! I find playing music to distract me helps.

[Anxious_gal]

well with the counting thing, when I'm anxious I repeat the alphabet in my head over and over and sometimes I don't realize I'm doing it but i know i do it out of habit when ever i get nervous!

[PanchoGoz]

It could be you are harbouring some painful thoughts...like imagining something so toe curling and wierd (like imagining going to work naked) that you have to just kind of...hurt yourself...
Some people suggest pinching yourself when you think a bad thought but thats not a good idea as it could lead to self harm. Stress ball might do it..?

[lecb]

The counting thing is very true for me! I quite often count how many "wheels" i've done (i'm in a manual wheelchair) - no idea why!

As for the pinching, if you can, (although i know it's not easy) try to find a less harmful alternative. I used to draw saliva into my mouth all the time when i was anxious, but i have found pinging an elastic band around my wrist works.

x