 Hey, Psych2Goers. When you hear the word anxiety, what do you think of? Panic attacks? Hyperventilation? Well, that's some of it. Some of the time. What if I told you that there are habits, and I mean habits, not occasional one-off actions, that seem normie and common, but can actually be signs of anxiety? Certainly, anxiety isn't the same for everyone, but some symptoms and habits are still always present one way or another. Let's take a look. Number one. Can't sleep. My brain won't shut up. Remember that one time when the waiter said, enjoy your meal, and you said, thanks, you too. And then you think to yourself, what if you think I'm dumb? It's already been a year since this happened, but it still keeps you up at night. Alright, breathe. You got this. Do you struggle with falling asleep and staying that way? It feels like your mind is running endlessly regardless of how quiet things have been. This could be a sign of anxiety, especially if it's been consistent. Seeing as the pros recommend a solid seven to nine hours of good sleep per night, this might be an issue. Number two. Fighting your nails, fidgeting. Or chewing the ends of your hair, or constantly picking at any piece of paper you can get your hands on. These all may seem innocuous, but these are all repetitive, self-stimulating actions done unconsciously for stress relief. Any of us can do something like this during particularly stressful moments, but it can be a budding sign of anxiety if you find it happening pretty much all the time. Are those nail beds almost gone, or are your fingertips sore from frequent nippling? Maybe take some moments of self-awareness to see if you catch yourself biting your nails in a not-a-big-deal situation. You might have a habit, and it might be caused by anxiety. Number three. Creating too many to-do lists. Too much of anything is a bad thing. Sure, being organized is great. Lists can help you focus and get all the things done, but you knew this was coming. When your whole life is nothing but lists and lists of lists, or you feel restless, uneasy, and grouchy, if you can't make a list for everything, this is when the too much probably has stepped in. The habit has gone from a good thing to a thing that stops you from living, and that is something anxiety does too. Number four. Did you lock the door? Better check for the 20th time. Similar to the previously mentioned list, making the double triple quadruple checking and structured day can be a sign of anxiety. It's a way for those with anxiety to feel more in control. Just like before though, too much of a thing. Thorough check and a once-over, great. Obsessive checking that interrupts your whole day, and you can't live life, very not great. Not great at all. Even worse, no matter how careful a person is, no one is 100% all the time. So when something slips through, despite all the checking, the impact can be more devastating than it should be, since the anxious person is gripping onto their thoroughness as their means of control over their lives. Number five. Avoiding eye contact. The eyes are the windows to the soul, they say. But what if you feel like your soul hasn't been tidied up in a while and it's kind of an embarrassing mess? Wait, no, maybe you were thinking of our homes. Well, same thing really, isn't it? An anxious person feels somewhat exposed all the time, just being outside, period. Letting someone look in with eye contact just amps that feeling of being judged, weighed, and measured. So where do the eyes look? They're looking for an escape. If you find yourself planning an exit strategy fairly constantly and there's not really a solid tangible reason for it, it could be a sign of anxiety. Number six. You apologize as a reflex. Sorry to say. A true apology can take different forms and saying sorry isn't always an apology in the truest sense. In some cultures, a quick sorry sorry isn't so much taking fault in showing remorse. It's more a social courtesy and manners. In this point, we mean that you're actually apologizing, the full meal deal of taking blame feeling remorse and vowing to do better. Now, accountability is a good mature thing and is a positive trait. Apologies in this vein also involve humility and quite the emotional toll. So they don't happen often and they're meaningful. People with anxiety already have a baseline of feeling guilty about things they can't control. So apologizing only layers on even more guilt and exasperates how personally they take things. They may feel inadequate about themselves. So they apologize to others for being that way, which in turn layers on more guilt. It's like an endless cycle. The number seven. Relying on inanimate objects as safety blankets. Do you have a Linus blankie? Remember the comic strip cartoon Charlie Brown and his buddy Linus? Linus's blue blankie? Yeah, Linus probably had a bit of anxiety going on. No blankie? All right. Any other inanimate, non-essential objects you must have with you when you leave your home lest you feel uneasy without it? That's your blankie. It could even be some chewing gum or earphones. If you get an impending sense that it's an omen of failure for the day without this item, this could be anxiety whispering those worries to you. Hey, you made it through the whole video. Go you. We reiterate that each of these points is talking about a habit, not that one time one. And even so, just like the disclaimer said, don't take our word for it alone. If you're concerned, reach out to a professional or someone who can guide you to one. We hope that some of these info bites helped you understand yourself or others better. Do you recognize any of them? Feel free to like, share, or comment if the information helps you chill. Stick around for another video. Thanks for watching.