In this article you will learn about the psychological mechanisms of tremors and how to deal with it.
Tremor that occurs during excitement is a normal physiological reaction of the body to stress. Almost everyone at least once felt a shiver in stressful situations: on exams, in a driving school or during public speaking.
But in some people, the tremor is more frequent and stronger than in others. When the trembling in the hands becomes noticeable, it begins to cause inconvenience: it is impossible to eat soup quietly, it is difficult to write legibly, and the change at the cash register tries to fall to the floor. Tremor becomes a disaster for those whose work is associated with small precise movements: for athletes-shooters, surgeons and dentists. Some public figures, teachers and actors struggle with the shudder appearing in front of the audience.
It happens that the trembling in the hands is joined by a shaking neck and head. Shaky legs interfere with many novice drivers, and a trembling voice-lecturers.
Why do my hands shake in excitement?
1. Deterrence
The human body reacts in a certain way to stressful events. First, the brain and adrenal glands produce stress hormones. Hormones prepare a person for active physical actions, and for this the pulse quickens, the muscles become toned, the pressure increases, the respiratory rate increases. This so-called reaction "beat or run", which used to help 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 inner tension that manifests itself in the form of trembling. Suppression takes a tremendous amount of energy. Restraining tremors leads to increased tension, and therefore — increases the tremor.
Tremors are more pronounced in those people whose body responds more brightly to stress. And still those who not was accustomed be emotional, and seek to be restrained and rational.
2. Focus
It turns out that there is a rule: if you focus your attention on any part of the body, it leads to changes in its work. You can independently conduct such an experiment.
Go to a quiet place. Sit comfortably. Direct your inner gaze to the big toe of your left foot. Feel how your thumb touches your index finger, how it touches the floor. If you are wearing shoes, feel them with your finger. Listen to the sensations in the finger-he is warm or cold, he is relaxed or tense, whether he is comfortable in shoes. Focus your attention on the big toe of the left foot for 3 minutes, try to keep your attention on the sensations in it. After 3 minutes, describe how your feeling in your finger has changed since the beginning of the experiment. Most people feel the difference.
Focusing on the sensations in the hands, on thoughts of tremors leads to increased tremor. Therefore, in stressful situations, turn your attention to other things.
3. Fear of making a bad impression
With the fear of not liking a person feels like a small child. It seems that only others know what is good and what is bad. As if there are continuous judges and prosecutors around. In fact, the toughest accuser is inside. As practice shows, people think only about themselves and rarely notice others. It is rather unpleasant to think: "no one really cares about me except the people who are very close to me." In addition to the fact that this idea is quite accurately reflects the reality, it helps to be confident person.
In psychotherapy, you can make the voice of the inner critic quieter.
4. Vicious circle
The thought of other people noticing the tremor intensifies it. A vicious circle is formed in which this thought causes fear to make a bad impression, and that leads to the release of stress hormones. Hormones trigger the body's response to stress. When restraining the "hit or run" reaction, a tremor appears.
5. About "I»
As a rule, trembling is peculiar to those people whose parents and educators have achieved perfect obedience (complete restraint of natural reactions) in a variety of ways. Some were scolded as children, others beaten, others condemned or showered with contempt, with the fourth as punishment ceased to speak. As a result, they hid their natural, spontaneous part deep inside themselves. Without realizing it, they began to show a False Self, and the Natural Self was put in an inner prison.
A particularly strong tremor typical of people with violent temperament, when they hide their strength and activity. Their irrepressible energy bursts out trembling.
Psychotherapy helps to detect and neutralize the psychological mechanisms of trembling.