Scratching for Anxiety: its effects, causes and possible solutions

2A popular proverb nowadays says: "the body is wise". As you already know, we usually use this phrase to refer to the importance of attending to the needs of the body, because if we don't, it is capable of forcing us to stop. If we could clarify this saying a little more, it would emphasize the idea that the body is expressive. As much as we don't realize it in the daily maelstrom, it is through it that we channel our most intense emotional states.

In a daily life sealed by speed, productivity and by having collapsed schedules, we often tend to overlook the emotions that interfere in this path. However, as long as it is expressive, the body teaches us the consequences of how we relate to our actions. own emotions: clenched jaw and gnashing teeth, clenched fists, tense neck, fingernails bites Scratching is a non-verbal behavior that we could carry out if we avoid being in contact with our anxiety, and that could even go unnoticed due to more physical damage that can trigger. Next, we will see what are the reasons why we scratch when we feel anxious and what we can do about it.

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

Anxiety: what it is and how it manifests itself

Fortunately, there is more and more talk about anxiety. However, due to the abundance of information that exists about anxiety, it is likely that we are not clear about what to understand by it. And it is that, likewise, there are multiple conceptualizations of the term. Of course, we could state that there is a certain consensus that anxiety is an emotional state experienced with displeasure by an individual, and arises when the individual perceives a threatening situation, either Real or not.

Anxiety, by itself, is adaptive.. This means that, at an evolutionary level, it has allowed our ancestors to effectively face dangerous situations that put their survival at stake. But it is also said that it is adaptive since we need this alert system to face the challenges of today. Feeling anxious allows us to act in the face of threats, such as taking a difficult exam or going to an important social event for us; It allows us to use avoidance or confrontation behaviors according to what we consider appropriate. Thus, the fact that we can feel anxiety is a great virtue, but it can become pathological when the person suffering from it is unable to recognize its presence or, if able to do so, it could be incapacitating you to act and solve the problem in question.

In addition, anxiety has a high degree of physiological arousal. This usually manifests itself from physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating or hyperventilation. It can also be expressed through cognitive symptoms such as feeling dizzy, confused, irritable; have difficulty concentrating or reasoning. Often, these symptoms can be noticed and stated by the person, but they can also manifest silently through non-verbal behaviors such as nail biting or intense scratching.

• You may be interested in: "Generalized Anxiety Disorder: symptoms, causes and treatment"

Why do we scratch out of anxiety?

Now we know that scratching can be a behavior that we carry out in the face of anxiety. It is important to highlight that in view of, since anxiety, by itself, does not usually cause itching; but it is something that people can deal with it. And because? Well, let's just think about it: the behavior of scratching can provide momentary relief from the unpleasant experience of feeling anxiety.

Scratching is a strategy we use to avoid feeling the uncomfortable physical sensations that anxiety brings (those we mentioned before). Because we don't want to experience them, we do something else to deviate from "being there," along with the anxiety. Although it may not seem like it, it is something relatively common (in fact, people are not the only ones who do it). we do: scratching has even been found to be a behavioral indicator of anxiety in chimpanzees).

There would be nothing wrong with this strategy by itself if it weren't for the fact that scratching causes us harm. Excessive scratching can lead to wounds or skin infections. Another problem with using this strategy is that it can become a dysfunctional way of dealing with real situations. In other words, if every time we feel anxiety we scratch frantically, we may be taking an inefficient path to resolve situations that we consider important. And, as if that were not enough, even if we obtain some short-term pleasure after scratching... we will not be able to completely eliminate anxiety, but very likely later a new situation will appear that makes us feel anxious again (restarting scratch-pleasure-anxiety loop). In this way, we can see how ineffective this behavior can be, with the only end result of the cycle being damage to our skin.

• Related article: "Somatoform Disorders: Types, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment"

What to do about scratching due to anxiety

Knowing that the problem with scratching ourselves is that it is not a useful resource to act when we feel anxiety, what we can do is try implement more functional strategies accordingly.

Instead of trying to ward off anxiety, it's often a better idea to learn to be with her, allowing us to feel in our body the sensations that this emotional state entails. Anxiety has a beginning, a climax, and an end. So, warning of these elements is the first step to stop anxiety scratching. In this sense, let's look at some tips to combat the tendency to scratch due to anxiety:

• Always keep your nails very short.
• Get enough sleep to reduce the level of anxiety.
• Manage time to keep attention always focused on a short-term goal.
• Practice relaxation techniques.

However, approaching the unpleasant sensations of anxiety can be an overwhelming task when we are not used to it.

It is for such a reason that start a psychotherapy process, if you're not already doing it, is the best way to start learning new ways to engage with anxiety and other uncomfortable internal experiences.