Habits Associated With Anxiety

Do you have habits you’ve carried since childhood - things you’ve always done without really knowing why? Or perhaps you’ve noticed little quirks in your child that seem harmless or even cute, but something in you wonders if there’s more to it.

Anxiety doesn’t always show up as panic, worry, or fear. Often, it hides in the everyday behaviours we overlook. In my online therapy work with adults and young people, I see these subtle signs all the time - habits that began as coping mechanisms and quietly became part of someone’s identity.

Here are some of the lesser‑known habits that may be linked to anxiety.

1. Daydreaming

This one is incredibly common. Many adults tell me they spent most of their school years staring out of windows, drifting into their own world. I can relate.

Daydreaming can be:

• a soothing escape

• a way to avoid overwhelming feelings

• a protective space when reality feels too much

While harmless at times, chronic daydreaming can interfere with learning, focus, and daily functioning - especially when it becomes a way to disconnect from anxiety.

2. Excessive Social Media Use

Scrolling can feel like a break from stress, but it often becomes a form of emotional avoidance.

For adults and young people, social media can:

• distract from anxiety triggers

• numb uncomfortable feelings

• provide temporary relief

But it can also worsen anxiety - especially when comparison, perfectionism, or low self‑esteem are already present.

3. Forgetfulness

Anxiety affects concentration and memory. When the mind is full of worries, it’s harder to stay present.

Forgetfulness may look like:

• not listening

• zoning out

• appearing uninterested

• missing instructions

• losing track of conversations

In children, this is often misinterpreted as “not caring” or “being difficult,” when in reality their mind is overwhelmed.

4. Hair Twirling

Hair twirling is often seen in children and adults alike. It may look cute or harmless, but it can be a self‑soothing behaviour.

It helps:

• release excess energy

• calm the nervous system

• mask anxiety in a subtle way

Because it’s quiet and socially acceptable, it often goes unnoticed.

5. Skin Picking

Skin picking can begin as a small, unconscious habit - a way to relieve tension or soothe discomfort. Over time, it can develop into excoriation disorder, especially when linked to long‑term anxiety.

People may pick at:

• nails

• cuticles

• fingers

• arms or face

It’s rarely about appearance — it’s about regulating internal discomfort.

6. Fidgeting or Playing With Objects

Fidgeting is one of the most common anxiety habits.

Examples include:

• tapping

• fiddling with clothing

• playing with objects

• smoking (as a form of fidgeting)

• rubbing fabric or textures

Because anxiety can show up as irritability, trembling, or restlessness, fidgeting becomes a way to channel excess energy.

7. Talking Too Much, Too Little, or Arguing

Anxiety affects communication in different ways.

Talking too much

Some people talk excessively when anxious because silence feels uncomfortable or overwhelming.

Talking too little

Others shut down completely. As a child, I rarely spoke outside my safe circle — a form of selective mutism, rooted in social anxiety.

Arguing

Some people start arguments when overwhelmed because they don’t know how to express discomfort or ask for space. Arguments become an escape route.

8. Sleeping Too Much or Too Little

Sleep and anxiety are deeply connected.

Too little sleep

Worry disrupts sleep, and poor sleep increases anxiety — creating a vicious cycle.

Too much sleep

For some, sleep becomes an escape from anxiety. But oversleeping can worsen emotional dysregulation and low mood.

Recognising These Habits Is the First Step

If you recognise these habits in yourself or your child, they may be signs of underlying anxiety. The earlier we address them, the easier they are to shift — especially in children, where anxiety often begins quietly and goes unnoticed.

A Gentle Invitation to Support

Anxiety doesn’t have to shape your life or your child’s future. Through Mind Body Mastery - blending trauma‑informed counselling, creative therapy, and The MAP Method™ - I help adults and young people understand their habits, regulate their nervous system, and gently rewire old emotional patterns.

If you’d like support, you’re welcome to explore my website or book a friendly, no‑pressure discovery call to see how I can help.

You don’t have to navigate anxiety alone. There is a way through - and it begins with understanding.

Book a Call

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In this article, I am going to highlight a few of the habits that may be related to anxiety. Anxiety can be expressed in many ways which can make anxiety tricky to identify. You may have had habits since childhood and it seems something you just do and is accepted as normal. You may notice little things your child regularly does, it may even seem cute but it could be a sign of anxiety.

1. Daydreaming This is one I can relate to, I think I spent half my school years daydreaming in class, it's a wonder I even learned anything. It is so easy to drift off and spend hours looking out the window which may be relaxing at times but it can really get in the way of everyday tasks and learning. Daydreaming can be a way of escaping reality and anxiety, like being in a safe space for a while.

2. Excessive Social Media. This one is very common and easily done, spending hours on social media, like daydreaming is an escape mechanism, and engaging our minds in something else can be a welcome distraction from anxiety triggers and stress. However, it can often have the opposite effect especially if we have low self-esteem and compare ourselves to others due to being exposed to so many shiny objects and seemingly perfect people.

3. Forgetfulness. Concentration and memory are impacted by anxiety, you may get irritated by people who appear like they are not listening or interested but this could be a sign of anxiety. Perhaps it is you that is always in your head that you are not always present. Maybe it is your child who seems to not care what you say to them or to be thinking only of themselves. Having constant worries can take over and makes it difficult to focus and remember.

4. Hair Twirling. This may seem cute or innocent, we often see children or babies doing it, it may be something you do without noticing but it can be a sign of anxiety. Hair twirling may be a way of channeling excess energy, it may help soothe anxiety and mask it at the same time as it often goes unnoticed by others and can be done anywhere.

5. Skin Picking. This can be another unconscious habit that is created to relieve anxiety. Skin picking can turn into a disorder called 'excoriation'. Some people pick the skin around their nails, and some may pick at their fingers; in severe cases where it is a long-term habit, the skin becomes sore and is more noticeable.

6. Fidgeting or Playing With Something. In moments of stress do you often find yourself playing with whatever is to hand? For me it used to be the edge of my collar, or the corner of fabric. Some people tap or fiddle - smoking can be considered fidgeting too, its all about channeling excess energy or soothing anxiety. Because anxiety can show as irritibility, trembling or shaking figdgeting or playing is less obvious and a good distraction.

7. Talking Too Much, Too Little or Arguing. Perhaps you or someone you know talks a lot, this can be a sign of anxiety as they get overwhelmed in situations or silence makes them uncomfortable so they talk. When I was young I rarely spoke outside my loved ones, I just didnt know what to say or the words wouldn't come out, this is anxiety - in my case Selective Mutism which is social anxiety. Other people that get anxious and overwhelmed may start an argument, this is because they want the conversation to end but can't say that so they cause it to end by arguing to escape it rather than say how they feel.

8. Sleeping Too Much or Too Little. It has been shown that there is a connection between sleep cycles and anxiety. Not getting enough restful sleep creates anxiety and worrying causes disrupted sleep. Anxiety may cause disrupted sleep and nightmares which then causes worry about going to sleep; this creates a vicious cycle of sleep deprivationa and anxiety. On the flip side some people find sleeping can be a way of escaping anxiety so they sleep as much as they can, sometimes too much which is not good either.

If you recognise these habit in yourself or someone you know, it may be an indication of anxiety.

The sooner support is put in place the easier it is to deal with especially with children as often adult anxiety began way back in childhood but went unnoticed or unattended to.

For support take a look at my website

Or why not book a friendly, no pressure discovery call to see how I can help