Scratching Due To Anxiety: Its Effects, Causes And Possible Solutions
2A common saying today 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. Even though we may not realize it in the daily whirlwind, it is through it that we channel our most intense emotional states.
In a daily life sealed by speed, productivity and keeping busy agendas, it is common that we tend to overlook the emotions that interfere with that path. However, insofar as it is expressive, the body teaches us the consequences of how we relate to our own emotions: the clenched jaw and grinding teeth, the clenched fists, the tense neck, the bitten nails. 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 no matter how much physical damage it may cause us. Next, We will see what are the reasons why we scratch when we feel anxious and what we can do about it.
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, 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, whether real or not.
Anxiety, by itself, is adaptive. This means that, at an evolutionary level, it has allowed our ancestors to effectively confront dangerous situations that put their survival at stake. But it is also said to be adaptive since we need that alert system to face today’s challenges. Feeling anxious allows us to act in the face of threats, such as taking a difficult exam or attending a social event that is important to us; It allows us to use avoidant or coping behaviors according to what we consider appropriate. In this way, the fact that we can feel anxiety is a great virtue, but it can become pathological when the sufferer is unable to recognize its presence or, if they were able to do so, it could be incapacitating them to act and solve the problem. in question.
In addition, anxiety has a high degree of physiological activation. This usually manifests itself through physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating or hyperventilation. It can also be expressed through cognitive symptoms such as feeling dizzy, confused, irritable; having 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.
Why do we scratch due to anxiety?
Now we know that scratching can be a behavior we carry out when faced with 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 do against it. And because? Well, let’s just think about it: the behavior of scratching can provide a momentary relief from the unpleasant experience of feeling anxious.
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 divert ourselves from “being there,” along with the anxiety. Although it may not seem like it, it is relatively common (in fact, people are not the only ones who do it: it has even been found that scratching is a behavioral indicator of anxiety in chimpanzees).
This strategy in itself wouldn’t have anything wrong 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 facing reality situations. That is, if every time we feel anxiety we scratch frantically, we may be taking an inefficient path to resolve the situations that we consider important. And, as if that were not enough, even if we obtain some short-term pleasure from scratching… we will not be able to completely eliminate the anxiety, but very likely later. A new situation will appear that makes us feel anxious again (restarting scratching-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.
What to do when scratching due to anxiety
Knowing that the problem with scratching lies in the fact that it is an unhelpful resource for acting when we feel anxiety, what we can do is try implement more functional strategies accordingly.
Instead of trying to fend off anxiety, it is often a better idea to learn to be next to 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 about these elements is the first step to stop scratching due to anxiety. In this sense, let’s look at some tips to combat the tendency to scratch due to anxiety:
However, approaching the unpleasant sensations of anxiety can be an overwhelming task when we are not used to it.
It is for this reason that start a psychotherapy process if you aren’t already doing so, is the best way to start learning new ways to engage with anxiety and other uncomfortable internal experiences.
