 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel. Before we begin, we would like to let you know that your ongoing support has helped us make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. And that's amazing, so thank you. Now let's dive in. Anxiety is a debilitating mental illness, and it can have far-reaching effects on your day-to-day life. Symptoms of anxiety can be both serious and more subtle. Since anxiety kicks up so much worry and fear, you may have started to adopt new behavioral patterns to try and lower your feelings of anxiety. You might also be holding onto these created habits even though your anxiety has passed, for example. You may always automatically check where the exits are in a room whenever you enter. You always had to know where the nearest exit was in case you needed to escape during a panic attack. Anxiety can leave a lasting impression on your everyday habits because it affects your life so heavily. So, let's talk about 5 habits you may develop because of anxiety. 1. Avoiding eye contact. Do you often avoid looking at someone in the eye because of your anxiety? Do you have a habit of staring at the person's forehead while conversing with them to avoid eye contact? It can be very difficult for you to look in the other's eyes while you speak, especially when you're feeling stressed or in a situation that brings out your anxiety. Looking someone straight in the eye can be very daunting as there's no place to hide, and it can be a big trigger. 2. Grinding your teeth. Do you have a habit of grinding your teeth at night? When you sleep, your muscles should relax and your body will lose tension. But when you're anxious, your body retains that tension. Grinding your teeth is a byproduct of anxiety or stress and can quickly turn habitual. Teeth grinding can also cause some serious damage to your teeth and jaw and cause tension-type headaches and severe facial or jaw pain. 3. Waking up at intervals throughout the night. Do you have a lot on your mind? Is it difficult for you to sleep through the night? When you're going through a rough patch of anxiety, you might even wake up every couple of hours throughout the night. Your brain just won't turn off long enough to fully go to sleep. And because this became a repeated pattern, it's a difficult habit to break. Insomnia can be managed with the right strategies in place. If you reduce your anxiety and stress during the day, maybe through mindful meditation or yoga, that betters your chances of getting some relief at night. 5. Chewing your lip. Do you find yourself pulling its skin on your lips or chewing on your bottom lip or sometimes making the inside of your cheek bleed? You might be doing this when you're experiencing intense anxiety and have too much nervous energy with no outlet for it. Lighting your lip is extremely common with anxiety, but it can become excessive and have harmful effects when it causes dry, chapped and bleeding lips. Chewing on your lips is a coping strategy for your nervousness, similar to when you bounce your leg or bite your nails. Have you developed any of these habits due to anxiety? How did they impact you? What other habits did you develop because of your anxiety? Let us know your experiences in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you. Please like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button and notification bell icon for more Psych2Go videos. Thank you for watching and we'll see you next time.