- 22 JAN 17
- Vasilyeva Olga
- Articles
Author: Vasilyeva O.B.
In this article, you will learn about the psychological mechanisms behind trembling and how to cope with it.
Tremor that occurs with excitement is a normal physiological reaction of the body to stress. Almost every person has at least once felt trembling in stressful situations: during exams, in driving school or during public speaking.
But some people experience tremors more often and more severely than others. When trembling in the hands becomes noticeable, it begins to cause inconvenience: it is impossible to calmly eat soup, it is difficult to write legibly, and change at the cash register tends to fall on the floor. Tremor becomes a disaster for those whose work involves small precise movements: for shooting athletes, surgeons and dentists. Some public figures, teachers and actors struggle with trembling in front of an audience.
It happens that shaking in the hands is accompanied by a shaking neck and head. Shaky legs bother many novice drivers, and a shaky voice bothers lecturers.
In my first year at the institute, I met Veronica. She was a slender, pretty, slightly shy girl. Every time she answered at the board, her hands were noticeably trembling with excitement. And during the exams, the trembling intensified and covered the whole body.
During one of the subjects, we were given the task of approaching a stranger on the street and asking him the question “How to get to the Kremlin?” It so happened that we went to complete the task together with Veronica. Already going outside, Veronica began to shake. And when we chose the “candidate” to whom we would ask our question, my head began to visibly shake. Despite this, Veronica completed the task.
On our way back, Veronica and I started talking. She told me about herself.
“I started getting tremors in my hands when I was nervous at the end of school. At first the hand trembling was almost unnoticeable. But one day a “kind” classmate laughed at his shaking hands. From then on, I tried to control my trembling. And the more I tried to control my body, the stronger the tremor became. Now, when I get nervous, my hands shake.”
We became friends with Veronica. When she went to psychotherapy, she shared her discoveries with me. What I learned from Veronica about tremor later helped many of my clients.
Main causes of tremor
If a noticeable tremor is directly related to stress , this indicates its purely psychological nature. This means there are two ways to deal with tremors. One of them gives a temporary effect - this is taking psychotropic drugs, the second gives a lasting effect - this is working with a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Very often, trembling during excitement is associated with social anxiety (social phobia).
Sometimes tremors are caused by several reasons , for example, both your genetics and a psychological reaction to stress.
another reason along with the psychological cause , then you should go to a neurologist.
The doctor will rule out a number of diseases and reactions that cause tremors. Here are some of them:
- Response to physical activity;
- Consequences of taking alcohol and drugs;
- Reaction to drugs;
- Genetic predisposition;
- Parkinson's disease;
- Consequences of traumatic brain injury, stroke or brain tumor;
- Hyperthyroidism;
- Liver or kidney failure;
- Dystonia;
- Polyneuropathy.
However, if tremor manifests itself specifically during communication, then you should consult a psychologist, even if you have determined that the cause of the tremor is a disease, a reaction to stress, or psychoactive substances.
"Atarax": instructions for use
You may be interested in: Calcium gluconate and alcohol: compatibility, possible consequences, reviews
"Atarax" is a tranquilizer, quite often used as tablets for hand tremors. The main active ingredient is hydroxyzine hydrochloride. Doctors prescribe Atarax as a sedative for children aged three years and older. Atarax can also be used as part of a complex treatment for hand tremors in older people. You can purchase the drug at any pharmacy if you have a prescription from a doctor.
Reviews from patients report that sleep improves while taking it. Anxiety and suspiciousness become less or disappear completely. As a rule, Atarax is rarely prescribed as an independent remedy; it is usually used as part of a complex treatment of psychosomatic disorders or neurological diseases.
What to do if your hands shake when excited?
- Contact a psychologist or psychotherapist
Psychotherapy is the most reliable way to cope with tremors caused by anxiety. Psychotherapy may require a certain investment of time and money, but the results are stable.
- See a psychiatrist
Psychotherapy does not give immediate results. Therefore, if you need to quickly cope with tremor, you should consult a psychiatrist for medications. When taking medications, hand tremors during anxiety decrease or disappear, but only while taking the medications.
- Contact a neurologist
If you are not sure about the purely psychological nature of tremors, then you should make an appointment with a neurologist to rule out other causes of hand tremors during excitement.
- Find appropriate self-help methods
You can read about self-help methods at the end of the article.
"Grandaxin": instructions and patient reviews
The main active ingredient is tofisopam. The drug belongs to the class of anxiolytic drugs, i.e., it has a pronounced anti-anxiety and sedative effect, and its use has a beneficial effect on sleep. Neurologists often prescribe this drug for hand tremors at a young age, but many older people have also benefited from this medicine.
Indications for use:
- anxiety disorders;
- insomnia;
- abstinence period in chemically dependent people;
- depressive disorders.
"Grandaxin" for tremor helps if the condition is provoked by the conditions mentioned above. During treatment, patients improve their sleep and psycho-emotional state. Nervous tics and tremors disappear. Reviews from patients also report that it improves performance, gives them energy for hobbies and sports.
Trembling is an ancient means of communication
There is an opinion among psychologists that trembling is an ancient adaptive mechanism.
Imagine a clan of ancient people. To survive in harsh conditions, they need to stick together. After all, alone there is little chance of building a reliable shelter, getting food for yourself and driving away large predators. In order for a group of people to stick together, excitement and aggression must be controlled. We need clear signals that will make it clear what is happening to a member of the community.
For example, two men stand opposite each other, and each wants to become a leader. The fact that their hands are shaking with excitement informs everyone around them that men are extremely excited, they can barely contain themselves and their energy is about to splash out. This is a signal to others to “Move away!”
Each man mentally evaluates his strength and the strength of his opponent. One of them feels that he is stronger. Because of this, he perceives his trembling as aggression ready to manifest itself, he scares the opponent with his roar, he is preparing to fight. The other man is not sure of victory, so he perceives his trembling as a manifestation of fear, he will prefer not to get involved in a fight and will move away. Thanks to trembling, it was possible to avoid direct clashes and bloodshed.
Animals also have similar bodily signals; for example, cats’ tails twitch in stressful situations.
Why do my hands shake when excited?
Towards graduation, Veronica went to psychotherapy. And she told me about her discoveries about the causes of trembling.
Containment
In working with a psychologist, Veronica discovered that trembling was directly related to her restraint. It turned out that without realizing it, she was holding back her indignation, manifestations of fear, her anger and rage, her delight and excitement. The only hint of suppressed emotions was trembling. Over time, Veronica realized that there was no great need to keep all her reactions to herself. Psychotherapy taught her to be more spontaneous and open. This reduced Veronica's general anxiety, reduced bodily tension and freed up a huge amount of energy in Veronica, which had previously been spent on suppressing natural reactions. Veronica began to look more relaxed and calm.
The human body reacts in certain ways to stressful events. First, the brain and adrenal glands produce stress hormones. Hormones prepare a person for active physical action, and for this purpose the pulse quickens, the muscles become toned, the pressure rises, and the breathing rate increases. This is the so-called “fight or flight” reaction, which previously helped ancient man to be stronger, faster and more agile, and therefore helped him to survive.
If a person is forced to remain motionless during the release of hormones, tension grows inside him. It is this internal tension that manifests itself in the form of trembling. Suppression takes a colossal amount of energy. Holding back the trembling leads to increased tension, which means an increase in tremors.
Trembling is more pronounced in those people whose bodies react more strongly to stress. And also for those who are not used to being emotional, but strive to be restrained and rational.
Focusing
Veronica also said that if she pays attention to her hands, she asks herself the question “Are my hands shaking?” - this leads to trembling.
It turns out that there is such a rule: if you focus your attention on any part of the body, this leads to changes in how it works. You can conduct this experiment yourself.
Go to a quiet, peaceful place. Sit comfortably. Direct your inner gaze to the big toe of your left foot. Feel how your thumb touches your index finger as it touches the floor. If you are wearing shoes, feel them with your finger. Listen to the sensations in your finger - whether it is warm or cold, whether it is relaxed or tense, whether it is comfortable in the shoe. Focus your attention on the big toe of your left foot for 3 minutes, try to keep your attention on the sensations in it. After 3 minutes, describe how your finger sensation has changed since the beginning of the experiment. Most people feel the difference.
Focusing on the sensations in the hands and thoughts about trembling leads to increased tremors. Therefore, in stressful situations, transfer your attention to other things.
Fear of making a bad impression
Veronica told me that during therapy she realized how much she wanted other people to like her. She had an image of what an ideal girl should be. Deep down, she knew that she did not fit this image. She felt that if she relaxed, everyone would laugh at her, judge her, or reject her. In the process of working with a psychologist, Veronica decided that she was not $100 to please everyone. Now she is not afraid of ridicule from strangers. And as her fear diminished, so did her tremors.
With the fear of not being liked, a person feels like a small child. It seems that only those around you know what is good and what is bad. It’s as if there are all judges and prosecutors around. In fact, the toughest accuser is on the inside. As practice shows, people think only about themselves and rarely notice others. The thought is quite unpleasant: “No one really cares about me, except the people who are very close to me.” In addition to the fact that this thought quite accurately reflects reality, it helps to be a confident person.
In psychotherapy, you can quiet the voice of your inner critic.
Vicious circle
The thought that other people will notice the trembling makes it worse. A vicious circle is formed in which this thought causes fear of making a bad impression, which leads to the release of stress hormones. Hormones trigger the body's response to stress. When the fight or flight response is suppressed, tremors occur.
False Self
While working with a psychologist, Veronica discovered that she behaves the way other people want. She considered herself sociable and non-conflict. Gradually she began to realize that she was not really what she had thought before. Veronica realized that not all people liked her. I realized that I love solitude and walks in nature. Who prefers reading a good book to a fun party. She realized that sometimes she gets angry and wants to defend her interests.
As a rule, trembling is characteristic of those people whose parents and educators achieved ideal obedience (complete inhibition of natural reactions) in a variety of ways. Some were scolded in childhood, others were beaten, others were condemned or showered with contempt, and others were stopped from speaking as punishment. As a result, they hid their natural, spontaneous part deep inside themselves. Without realizing it, they began to show the False Self, and the Natural Self was imprisoned within.
Particularly severe trembling is characteristic of people with a stormy temperament, when they hide their strength and activity. Their irrepressible energy bursts out trembling.
Psychotherapy helps to identify and neutralize the psychological mechanisms of trembling.
"Pantogam": a nootropic drug with a long-term effect
Taking Pantogam for tremor is advisable if the condition is triggered by stress. There are two forms of release of the drug - syrup and tablets. The syrup is usually prescribed to children aged six months and older. while taking Pantogam, the ability to learn increases, memory improves, and a person becomes more positive. Irritability, suspiciousness, and anxiety go away.
The main active ingredient is hopantenic acid. This substance began to be used back in the Soviet years, and it has established itself as a relatively safe remedy for a number of neurological pathologies. Hopanthenic acid exhibits moderate anticonvulsant and nootropic activity, increases the brain's resistance to toxic effects during hypoxia of various origins. The drug is prescribed to both elderly people and young children for various types of neurological disorders, decreased learning ability, and developmental delays.
"Pantogam" is relatively rarely used as a drug for hand tremors. However, in complex therapy it is prescribed for many neurological disorders. Pantogam has a significant advantage: the effect lasts for about a month from the moment of discontinuation. This is one of the few drugs with a truly prolonged effect. In addition, Pantogam can be purchased at a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription.
Source
