Restlessness

Hi @GhostGirl123

I can understand the restless. It happens to me quite a bit.

A lot of the time I will have some sort of fidget toy with me. I always have one or two on me at all times. They do help me. I normally have something that is small enough just to fit into my pocket so I can use it without others noticing I have something.

There are times when I wake up and just wish for bedtime to come. Counting down the hours till I can go back to bed.

I don't think that you are alone with these feelings. I'm sure there are others on here too that have the same things happen to them.

Hi @Snowie , thank you very much for your response. I’m going to look into getting some things to fidget with while watching tv, so thanks for the tip! I’ve always wanted to try kinetic sand, so I’m hoping that something simple like this, will help xx

Hi @GhostGirl123, I don't experience this restlessness or need to fidget or move constantly. But when I read your post I immediately though of a question I always get on the many mental health screening tests I've done in the past 2 years. One of the questions asks something alone the lines of "Am I so restless that it is hard to sit still?". I'm sure another asks about fidgeting. I think it was checking my anxiety levels.

So I am no medical expert by any means, but from the test's i've done and the questions I've been asked it sounds like you have high anxiety. I'm sure someone here with far more experience can provide better information and/or correct me if i'm wrong.

Depression and anxiety do seem to go hand in hand with me, so is there anything you're really anxious about? Anything in particular that is always worrying you? Have you spoken to a therapist or counselor about this? Asking here is a great first step, but you may need to site down with someone and talk this through with them to fully understand why you're feeling this way.

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i definitely relate to the restless feeling! i have anxiety and depression, i tend to shake/tap my feet a lot or just constantly be fidgeting with my hands, touching/picking my face, etc. have you noticed a pattern in terms of why/when you do it? for me, i've noticed i do it when i'm under-stimulated or highly anxious.

i've always interpreted it as 'my body has soooo much stored energy but no way to release it hence the fidgeting/restlessness' and usually when i'm super anxious or depressed, i don't tend to move around as much which makes the restlessness energy increase. for me, active moments have helped, like having a break to 'dance/shake it off' literally, going for a walk, going to the gym, playing sports, etc. but during those more low mood days, its not always possible to shake it off so i tend to go for fidget toys. i sometimes play around with a squishy toy, rubiks cube or do some knitting, etc while watching tv. anything to keep my hands occupied that require low mental effort basically.

i think creative activities or things that require some level of concentration help me, not sure if its the same for you but let me know if you give it a go!

Hey @GhostGirl123 welcome! You're not alone in having a tricky time navigating the forums (it is something we're working on changing!) so feel free to ask if you need any guidance.

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As to your question.... whooo boy can I relate to this with every fibre of my being! I have ADHD, and the restlessness is a huuuuge part of it. It sort of feels like if I don't wriggle, I'll explode! I am not saying that feeling restless is exclusive to ADHD, quite the contrary - but it could still be worth checking it out? Largely because I've found that the medication really helps with the restlessness. If you are curious (cos I had NO IDEA that a lot of my symptoms were actually undiagnosed ADHD, I only really knew it as the 'rowdy little boy' disorder), you can take a peak at this adult ADHD screening questionnaire: The Jasper Goldberg

Obviously, no one here can do any official diagnosing, so if anything from the above does resonate, it'd be worth a trip to the doc to see what next steps might be!

As @Snowie mentioned, fidget toys and the like have been an absolute game changer for me as well - I have soooo many, for all kinds of situations. Some that are quiet and subtle (for meetings and stuff) and some that are all about the texture, some that are just satisfying to click/tap/etc., they really help. The kid's section in Kmart actually seems pretty well stocked with fidget/sensory toys too, at least my local one is. Frequent stretching breaks and regular exercise also really help.

Let us know how you go with the kinetic sand! I quite like it myself, but it's a bit messy so I never ended up buying some... maybe I will tho hehe. Playdough is also really fun! It can be kinda nice to get a little silly, let our inner child come out to play along the way too 😊💜

Thank you @MJG017, I do actually recall this screening question, but didn’t probably think it was a big deal at the time—now I truly understand what it means! Thank you for drawing my attention to it xx

Thank you for your tips, @rav3n ! It really helps to know that I’m not alone xx

Thank you @Jynx for your helpful reply. I just bought some stuff from the kid’s section of Kmart, so hopefully the sand will help me a bit! I’ll let you know! xx