Hey Kate thanks for this. Love the tree analogy for core beliefs and the example of Ann and Ben :) Was curious: when anxious, maybe not socially anxious, but stressed about not being able to remember something or solve a particular problem, could the anxiety regarding this be shown as a nervous 'tick' ie: biting nails or fingers, or hair twirling/braiding/play, or tapping fingers on table? These would be external manifestations of the anxiety or the stress associated with the anxiety, correct? For example if Ann, who thinks she is unlikable butchers her interaction with Ben, and then replays it in her head while biting her nails, or strumming the table, or looking for split ends in her hair. These habits would external displays Ann uses to acknowledge the anxiety and try to solve the anxiety, and manage the stress of trying to do so. Are they then habit forms of the stress? Extensions of trying to alter the core belief? Thank you so much.
Hi! Great question! The short answer is roughly yes-- these types of behaviors can definitely be shown to highlight anxiety. For the long answer-- there are a few ways to think about behaviors like this. People often develop unconscious ways of trying to soothe their anxiety, almost like an outlet for the anxious energy, and they do become habits. Nail biting, snacking, shopping, rocking, hair twirling, tapping fingers, and cracking knuckles are just a few of the many possible ones (hair pulling is another)-- there are many different forms this can take, but typically there will be only one or two (kind of like a "tell"). They can come in a behavioral form (like snacking/shopping), or in a more physiological form (like cracking knuckles). Oftentimes there's some sort of connection to something meaningful that was soothing in the past (or a soothing figure), and it can be helpful to think about this to define character even more. For example, in my WIP, my character has long hair that she keeps braided. When she's growing up, a paternal figure will sometimes tug affectionately on her braid. When he disappears, she takes that on as an anxious habit-- not that she knows she's doing so, she's just reflexively looking for the soothing that he previously gave. While not all examples of this are so clear cut, it can still be an interesting exercise to think about when you're getting to know your characters :)
Hey Kate thanks for this. Love the tree analogy for core beliefs and the example of Ann and Ben :) Was curious: when anxious, maybe not socially anxious, but stressed about not being able to remember something or solve a particular problem, could the anxiety regarding this be shown as a nervous 'tick' ie: biting nails or fingers, or hair twirling/braiding/play, or tapping fingers on table? These would be external manifestations of the anxiety or the stress associated with the anxiety, correct? For example if Ann, who thinks she is unlikable butchers her interaction with Ben, and then replays it in her head while biting her nails, or strumming the table, or looking for split ends in her hair. These habits would external displays Ann uses to acknowledge the anxiety and try to solve the anxiety, and manage the stress of trying to do so. Are they then habit forms of the stress? Extensions of trying to alter the core belief? Thank you so much.
Hi! Great question! The short answer is roughly yes-- these types of behaviors can definitely be shown to highlight anxiety. For the long answer-- there are a few ways to think about behaviors like this. People often develop unconscious ways of trying to soothe their anxiety, almost like an outlet for the anxious energy, and they do become habits. Nail biting, snacking, shopping, rocking, hair twirling, tapping fingers, and cracking knuckles are just a few of the many possible ones (hair pulling is another)-- there are many different forms this can take, but typically there will be only one or two (kind of like a "tell"). They can come in a behavioral form (like snacking/shopping), or in a more physiological form (like cracking knuckles). Oftentimes there's some sort of connection to something meaningful that was soothing in the past (or a soothing figure), and it can be helpful to think about this to define character even more. For example, in my WIP, my character has long hair that she keeps braided. When she's growing up, a paternal figure will sometimes tug affectionately on her braid. When he disappears, she takes that on as an anxious habit-- not that she knows she's doing so, she's just reflexively looking for the soothing that he previously gave. While not all examples of this are so clear cut, it can still be an interesting exercise to think about when you're getting to know your characters :)
Thanks so much. Appreciate the level of detail in your response. And I can see how it can enhance a character’s angst or illuminate it. 😊