# Rubbing Fingers?



## Procrastinator

This is really embarassing but I have this strange habit of subconsiously rubbing my thumb against my fingers. I often get calluses on my thumb. I do it against other parts of my body too i.e. arms, back, neck.

I don't understand why. I just seem to start it randomly and not be able to stop. Is it ocd? or just a weird habit? :blank


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## Wirt

is it random or when you're out in public?

I dont have any random habits I know of but i always catch myself clinching my hand in a fist when Im out. Usually have to mindfully stop doing it.

but you could be doing it for a bunch of reasons, ranging from a simple habit to trying to calm yourself down


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## Procrastinator

Thanks for replying. 

I think I started doing it when I felt anxious. But now I find myself doing it when I'm bored or nervous and just randomly. Once I start I can't stop. Do you think I should I tell my counsellor about it? It would feel such a ridiculous thing to say, I've never heard of anyone doing this before.


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## Wirt

I dont think it's ridiculous. I think its almost normal for people with anxiety to have stuff like this that helps them deal with it. the fact you cant stop once you're mindful of it tells me its something worth going into. especially if its something you want to stop doing


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## southward

Are you taking any medication? When I was on meds I would rub my hand against my thigh a lot...I would also rock back and forth....

Or it could just be a nervous habit, no biggie...


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## quietriverrunsdeep

OCD is catagorized in the dictionary as "an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts and feelings and repetitive, ritualized behavior". If you find yourself rubbing your fingers in a nervous situation it could just be a coping machenism of SA but if you find yourself so constantly thinking about having to rub your fingers that it's ruining your ability to function, then it's OCD. One of my family members has extreme OCD and if she can't do what she thinks she needs to do, she has a breakdown. The diagnosis is all up to you I suppose. And about your councellor, I'm sure he/she has heard about many cases like yours. OCD isn't exactly rare. There's nothing to be ashamed about.


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## Alys

lol..i do a similar thing..i have ocd, but i'm not sure it's related


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## Delicate

I've done that when I'm stressed before.


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## Miss Meggie

I do this too. I rub my thumb around the tips of my fingers in circles. My dad always jokes that I'm going to rub my fingerprints off.

I usually do it when I'm nervous or uncomfortable. I also find myself doing this when I feel like I've lost control of a situation, like when I've ordered my food at a restaurant the way I practised in my head and then they throw something at me, like, "What would you like for a side?"


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## odd_one_out

I stimulate my fingers constantly too and engage in other repetitive movements such as rocking and flapping. It's referred to as stimming and regulates sensory input and anxiety.


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## pollster

I have a tendency to "play" with my hands/fingers in social situations, especially in moments of silence. I rub my hands or fingers/nails/cuticles and just generally fiddle with my hands. 

I never really focused on it too much until one evening when I was at a table having dinner with several people, and one person (whom I didn't really know) actually called attention to it, and made some joking comment about how I was going to rub my fingers raw or something. It sort of freaked me out to know that it had actually caught someone's attention.

I still do it sometimes, but I'm definitely conscious of it, and then try to stop. It's like not looking someone in the eyes. Just a bad habit.


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## Delicate

odd_one_out said:


> I stimulate my fingers constantly too and engage in other repetitive movements such as rocking and flapping. It's referred to as stimming and regulates sensory input and anxiety.


Chimpanzees rock back and forth when they're stressed and upset it's a comfort kind of thing... We're from the same family... I think it's kind of interesting.


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## conjectural

I do this all of the time, but I have never considered the fact that it might be related to SA, because I don't do it when I'm nervous, I just do it whenever, without thinking. I rub my thumb in a circle on all of my fingers, and then continue back and forth for ages. It's just a little habit, I've never really thought about where it originates from or what it means.


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## Miss Meggie

pollster said:


> I have a tendency to "play" with my hands/fingers in social situations, especially in moments of silence. I rub my hands or fingers/nails/cuticles and just generally fiddle with my hands.


I fiddle around with my hands in ways other than just rubbing my fingertips. I use my right index finger to spell out words on my leg or the chair I'm sitting on. I also "play" the piano or violin when I'm anxious. (I really do play those instruments, so when I'm "playing" them under the table or whatever, I'm not just choosing two random instruments...)

I also have the bad habit of chewing my fingernails and biting/picking the skin around my cuticles. I sometimes do that so badly that I've had bleeding cuticles with the skin peeled up to the first knuckle. (Gross, I know. And painful.)


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## kaylyng

I do the same thing. I stopped for a while... but it just started back up again a few weeks ago..
I don't just do it when I'm nervous. I just... do it. Its weird. But, it seems to only bother my parents...


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## Innamorata

I stim, I often rub my hands together without thinking about it, or bite my lips, or fiddle with my hair, or scratch my arm.


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## LynnNBoys

I've started doing this when I'm nervous. Rub my thumbs with index and middle fingers. Probably started in the last 6-8 months. 

If I'm concentrating, then I twirl my hair sometimes.

(Sorry that I'm contributing to a very old/dead thread!)


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## DavidBlues

I do the same exact thing. Idk, I feel weird when my hands aren't doing something.


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## max87

I rub my knuckles against my lips. I do it all the time, even in public and i hate it cause i can't seem to control it.


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## Joe

I do that as well, but I also done it before sa. Thinking about it I rarely do it compared to when I was young, and I put my hands over my head when I do it as well. Now I scratch my thumb which sometimes causes cuts but its unintentional.


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## kt1090

It's a self-soothing mechanism. Kind of like how babies like their back rubbed or butt patted to calm down, it calms us to have this human touch, even if it is our own hands rubbing together. I'm pretty sure it's normal and just something that naturally occurs with anxiety. If it causes you distress, then try being more aware of when you do it and try to stop yourself and channel this nervous energy into something else.


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## karenjbb

I'm unhappy to hear of this for you, but I do the same thing. I keep callouses on my thumbs from doing this. My psychiatrist said it is caused by my anxiety. I do it without even thinking about it. I can take my anxiety med up to 4 times/day, but if I do, I sleep all day.


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## Amorphousanomaly

Is this a habit, like nail biting, or is this something more serious? I've known people that chewed their tongues, which always seemed kind of weird.


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## Fingerrubbingood

*Thought I was alone*

Mee to, im doing it now, I do it between writing, texting, I know at work and class its weird, my friends dont note it but its weird, my three yr old cousin one made gun of me I was 10 now Im twenty and its like i do it in between thoughts, when Im upset of alone in becomes excessive. I rub my eyebrows, neck, facee arms, cuts I prefer it to itching even. I also have RMD( Rytmatic"headbanging"disorder"), I do have medically acknowledged problems that this probly stems from , because both are caused by anxiety:boogie


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## Fingerrubbingood

Me to, I thought I was alone I'm doing it now. I do it between every thought, its weird and a few people openly tell me like I don't know I'm doing, of course I know jerk. Anywho, it rub it on my eyebrows, arms, face mainly the lip and nose area. I have a white thumb b/c the skins gone and it I get upset it Ill dig at it till its not smooth anymore, but rough. I've never itched my face as I've taken to just smoothing my thumb over any annoyances. I do it excessively when I'm angry or alone (because I can batches). 

I do have acknowledged medical conditions, mainly anxiety and dissociate disorder as well as another tweak called RMD (Rhythmic "headbanging" Movement disorder). I "smoothed" my face and eyebrows about twenty times since writing this. To avoid my face I focus my thumbs on my on my other fingers rubbing it between them downward over and over. I feel so unoramal but I know its a soothing method.


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## millenniumman75

I do it while eating Doritos to get the artificial cheese powder off of them. They can be really messy. :lol


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## sica

^oh your hillarious 

I do too, I either rub my thumb on my other fingers, create a fist, or will rub my clothes, like the bottom of my shirt or around my collar when I am stressed or anxious. mainly my right hand though, only sometimes I do it with my left.


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## mesmerize

lol i do that and more , i tend to rub every part of my body to rough textures sometimes i get wounds from it but i keep doing it wtv


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## whattothink

I do this sometimes.. rub my thumbs and fingers together in a circular motion. It's a good way to release pent up energy/anxiety.


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## bob90

*rubbing thumb sides(cuticles) and fingers' cuticles together.*

I do a very similar thing. Although the difference here it is that I do it for a very clear reason. And not for no reason whatsoever as some of you do. Also before I rub my thumb with fingers. I peel the cuticles of the thumb and finger. I don't peel them off. Just a wee bit. And the when I rub it with fingers I feel a ticklish sensation. I enjoy it a lot. I have been doing it since childhood. I have grown addicted to it. My parents used to discourage me when I was small but now they do it very very seldom. Once my brother asked me what did I do. I told it I did it for the itchy ticklish sensation. I showed him by rubbing my thumb against his fingers. And he to felt the same ticklish sensation. This ticklish is not extreme as it is at underarms. But a very slight relaxing and soothing sensation. Some times my mouth opens due to this relaxation. Although no one has noticed me doing this besides my family (at least no one has told me) but in school and once my small cousin asked me why my cuticles are half peeled. I excused by saying it was due to dryness. 

The only problem is my cuticles remain in very bad shape. The skin around my nails also becomes white and of strange shape when i bathe or go in swimming pools. Which is sometimes shameful. Although I haven't had as such a shameful experience that i try to break this habit. I have tried it without peeling my cuticles but didn't have the same ticklish sensation. I am very curious about how came to this habit. As I don't remember how and when i started doing it and why. I have been doing it ever since I can remember. I must mention here that that I don't it because of any stress or tension.

On the contrary I do it when I'm idle, doing nothing.. reading book, watching movie or tele. so I don't feel its OCD. I would be really thankful if someone mentioned their similar experience specially the cuticles peeling and rubbing the finger sides and thumb sides together part. Also if someone knows if I have any problem then plzz tell me..


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## bob90

Just to mention another fact. Just did a bit of googling. I have been peeling my nail wall skin.. rather than cuticles.. but i do it with cuticles also sometimes..


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## TastelessCookie

I thought I was the only weirdo out there. I play with my fingers ALL the time. It gets really weird, I'm telling you... but I love this ''glue'' feeling it gives me. :um


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## Desiree82

I did a quick Google search of "rubbing the fingers together " tick and this is where I chose to land. I'm bipolar with ADD and OCD tendencies... Weeeeeee. Super awesome! I noticed I do this when I'm in the computer, locked in and working on lengthy and tedious tasks... Just wondering if it's normal and/or common for people like us... Seems as though it's fairly normal.


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## Jamie107

It's usually when something is at the back of my mind and it's probably just an extra distraction or a feeling of control. I've found myself to be gently holding my throat sometimes or lightly scratching my chest while in bed. Totally random.


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## Jamie107

I also might occasionaly bite my jumper or tuck my chin under it Lol.


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## CWe

sounds like a habit to me


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## Gohmer

I do the same thing but only with my left hand. I like the way my calluses feel for some reason. I also play with my ears when they're cold and have been doing it since I can remember. It's just some weird quirks I wouldn't think anything of it unless it hinders your daily life.


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## minimized

I rub the skin off my fingers and other places. I read once that it was a form of stimming.


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## chaosinfyrno

I do the same thing, I think it's just a coping mechanism but it might be some kind of ocd stuff but I don't know much about it.


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## visualkeirockstar

I do it when I'm bored.


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## twitchy666

*exfoliation*

I do it with my lips

after putting lipsil on the day before. the black stuff comes off on fingers - refreshing the lips. Like picking nose.

Morpheus, Mr Anderson, Agent Smith get ready for karate, Bruce Lee - praying
Mr Migago..?


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