“You’ll never know what you can do until you stop being nervous and allow yourself to try”.
Do you bite your nails, blink rapidly, stammer or chew your tongue while you are sitting or talking to someone? If so, it means you feel diffident. You have to learn about stress management to cope with these habits.
Here are some common edgy habits in social settings and some tips to control them.
1. Biting your Fingernails
One of the irritating habits is biting fingernails inadvertently while you are completely indulged in some task like studying or thinking on a decisive point. People can be revolted by your nail biting habit. Studies revealed that it can be the extension of thumb sucking in some cases.You can control this habit by:
- Keep your hands covered with gloves when feasible.
- Coat the nails with some bitter stuff in order to put you off from biting them. There are many products available in the market.
- Reward yourself when you don’t bite your nails for a certain period of time.
2. Gnawing on the inside of your Cheek
Like biting your nails, cheek chewing is also a nervous habit. It often gets swollen inside the cheek and can cause bleeding and scarring of the area.To help gnawing inside the cheeks:
- Take deep breaths to relax yourself.
- Be attentive to your facial movements.
- Keep your attention on listening others.
3. Avoiding Eye Contact
Avoiding eye contact and staring down is very common in some people and is considered as disrespect.You should:
- Look at the nose or cheekbone of the person you are talking to. It may seem as you are having eye contact with him.
- Force yourself to look into the eyes of people at least for a few seconds. You will not lose anything.
- Refrain from the things that keep you occupied when talking with people, like your cell phone.
- Try to stay involved in conversation.
4. Gnashing your Teeth
Some people grind and clench their teeth when they feel nervousness. Sometimes it may cause jaw disorder, damaged teeth, damaged filling or even headache. Gnashing may cause disturbance for others too.When you notice grinding your teeth:
- Take deep breaths.
- Be attentive to your facial muscles and movements.
- Visit a dentist who may recommend you some appliance to wear.
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol and chewing gums.
5. Cracking your Neck
Some people twist their head to one side oftently which may feel relaxing but can cause injury when repeatedly crackled. This habit may irritate others.If you experience cracking your neck:
- Try to keep your head straight and move your neck by looking away after some time.
- Exercise and massage your neck before going to bed. It will also help you in relaxing and reliving the pain.
6. Sucking on Candies or Chewing Gum
Sucking candies or always chewing gums is one of the bad habits in social settings. This may leave a mocking impression on others.To control this habit:
- Completely engage yourself in conversation.
- Eat enough food so that you are not attracted to candies.
- Read and remember the literature which is about the tooth decay caused by the sweet candies.
7. Hiding Hands under the Sleeves
It is seen sometimes that confused people hide their hands under the sleeves of the shirt. Thus habit may be self-soothing but it clearly shows you anxiety.You ought to:
- Keep your hands busy.
- Wear gloves if you feel cold.
- While doing nothing, wrap the hands to remind yourself not to cover them under the sleeves.
- Hold a pen or pencil during stressful situations.
8. Blinking Eyes Rapidly
Blinking your eyes rapidly when focusing or listening is noticed in many people. It is known as one of the nervous habits and leaves a nervous impression on others.To help this habit:
- Look at some alluring place while talking.
- Remember that others make eye contact while you are talking to them and they can easily notice your nervousness within seconds.
- Females can put on some makeup on eyes so that the eyes look better. This will make them confident and will refrain from blinking eyes briskly.
9. Stammering and Breathing Briskly
Stammering is the most observed habit caused by the anxiety. It is seen that some people talk fluently with their friends but stammer or breathe swiftly while talking to others.To control this habit you should:
- Try to be social.
- Don’t miss informal sittings with the people. It will surely boost your confidence.
- Breathe deeply before you start talking.
- Take part in the discussions in which you are most interested.
10. Twisting and chewing the Tongue
This is a very common nervous habit used to relieve stress but it can harm the tongue resulting in sever irritation while eating something.To control this habit:
- Keep your tongue on a single position while you are listening.
- Notice your facial movements.
- Reward yourself when you don’t twist or chew your tongue.