# Chewing gum



## svartskulle (Jan 8, 2006)

Has anyone ever been noticing an effect from chewing a gum? It is weird really, but chewing a gum helps me to relax in a strong anxiety situation tremendously, now I am not leaving home without a pack in my pocket. :troll 

Another thing - I often find myself shaking my right leg when sitting and talking to someone and apparently it helps me to relax too. In both cases its some monotonous movement of different parts of the body, I am wondering if I am onto something here. :con


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## jc/sc/anxiety22 (Dec 11, 2005)

Hi, yes chewing gum or chewing on my tongue also keeps me cool and collected, i use it when i am at the barber shop. Chewing gum and pumpkin seeds are also used to baseball skippers. I'd read an article where chewing gum causes synapses to fire off in your brain. And a study was taken where students who chewed gum during tests scored higher than those who didn't. Good Idea =)


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## brokenlight (Mar 10, 2004)

Chewing gum makes me feel like I am oversalivating and then I have to keep swallowing. So, that doesn't work for me. The thing about shaking your right leg is similar to how I can press my thumb nail firmly into my pointer finger and that can stop me from shaking in some situations.


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## svartskulle (Jan 8, 2006)

jc/sc/anxiety22 said:


> And a study was taken where students who chewed gum during tests scored higher than those who didn't.


Very interesting. Another example - I often start walking from one corner to another when I am thinking about some problem without even noticing it first. Or think how mothers calm their babies down by swinging them up and down. In every case its some repetetive rythmical movement.


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## jc/sc/anxiety22 (Dec 11, 2005)

Alot of that is true, "we move to the rhythm of life". I was SA free practically until my college years, i remember during the times i was SA free, listening to music with a nice rhythm to make me dance and chewing a lot of gum when i was in high school. However sugarless gum is best to avoid cavities. Alot of waitresses chew gum as they are socializing and taking orders from people and the job can be very stressful. I'd also read that the mind can only be pre-occupied by one thing at a time. Hence, why staying busy is good for SA. Repitition is involved with memory and recall, which is why when u repeat somebody's name out loud for example it's a good way to remember. :thanks


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## FreeSoul (Jan 1, 2006)

I chew gum a lot at work. It does help me focus a bit. Keeps my breath decent also.


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## Dante3214 (Jan 16, 2006)

svartskulle said:


> Has anyone ever been noticing an effect from chewing a gum? It is weird really, but chewing a gum helps me to relax in a strong anxiety situation tremendously, now I am not leaving home without a pack in my pocket. :troll
> 
> Another thing - I often find myself shaking my right leg when sitting and talking to someone and apparently it helps me to relax too. In both cases its some monotonous movement of different parts of the body, I am wondering if I am onto something here. :con


Yup! You hit the nail on the head there!

It's just people who have it really bad worry about swallowinging (trust me).

But it does help!


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## ghostgurl (Sep 20, 2004)

I could see how it may help, if you're focusing on the chewing and not much else. Distraction is a way to ease anxiety. I read before class starts so I'm not as anxious that way.


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

I used to chew gun for the same reasons. It would help me relax in tense situations. After a while though, I started having pain in the jaw. I looked into to it and found that chewing too much gum can cause something called TMJ(?)

However, I def. recommend it if you're in social situations or taking exams like mentioned above.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Chew gum really relives my anxiety.


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