Weird Tics - the strange stuff we do without realizing it

I've wanted to make bird sounds my entire life. I used to be able to do a good pigeon coo when I was much younger, but not anymore.

Teach me how to bird, Mythee. Teach me how to bird.

My tics: Cracking joints. I've gotten the "Oh my god" reaction too. Fiddling with pens. Sometimes straight-up tossing them in the air and catching them. Stuttering, though it comes and goes. I guess that doesn't really count.

I make a lot of weird humming noises to myself when I am alone (or at least think I'm alone), I think more because I like the vibration of making noises than for the actual sound
Also to get myself to stop clenching my teeth

it gets worse when I am ill I have this completely unfounded belief that if I hum at the right frequency it will settle my stomach

I have the typing quirk of using tildes, and oh my god, I am horrified when someone dislikes it or is put off by it. I use the tilde as apunctuation to evoke whimsy, or a playful tone. So naturally I do it all the time with people I like.

Irl, I have annoying speaking quirks, such as acting like I have something else to say, when I really don't. I also play with my hair a lot when I'm nervous. Like fixing and adjusting it to the point where someone told me, "your hair looks fine, stop that." I also can't stop flipping cigarette boxes. Like I have to grab them from a rack and I feel wrong if I don't give it a flip before scanning it. Nobody is impressed either.

Teach me how to bird.

Fellow pigeoncooperson. I will gladly attempt to help you regain your birdsongtalents. Voice tutoring over Skype if you're serious about it. 8'D I've successfully gotten more than one person started with birdcalls before, but with higher, more stringent ones- if you only want to relearn pigeons, it's probably harmless, but if you want to learn other types of birdcalls too I gotta put my usual disclaimer out that you're going to make your voice crack more (possibly permanent damage, even) in the process and get more than one throatache. If you are out seeking a career in humansong, birdsong is not a bueno idea. >O

I love tildes and smileys, but you're right, either of those are not welcome everywhere. ;u;

I think I would be really annoying to you IRL because I would grab every one of those opportunities you offer to fill in for what you would have hypothetically said, but always with very silly things. >D One of my friends IRL is constantly fixing her bangs, and even though it was distracting at first, I got used to it (and so did her boyfriend), so I don't think it's that bad!

Also randomly flipping things such as pens or boxes = good showmanship in my eyes I would provide applause every time

I used to tilde then I had it beaten out of me

Not to say it was actually beaten out more that life is significantly less cheery now ;-;

I was a tilde.

Oh and also I crack knuckles. A lot. That seems to be an ET thing? Can we have a poll?

As for speaking quirks. Um. I guess... I use filler speech a lot? And end my sentences in question marks sometimes? Those don't really seem like odd things. Eh.

I crack knuckles too. I think it's just pretty common.

Sorry, I'm actually one of those people that winces out of concern and worry whenever people are cracking their knuckles or any other part of their body. XD But it's kind of unintentionally hypocritical because I'm the one that people warn each other about concerning brofists and whose friends have insistingly high fived instead of fistpounded with because I give really intense brofists. It's an uncanny effect of fist training: an addiction to the sound of knuckles clapping against something in a solid hit [including other knuckles]. When there's a chance for a brofist, I just... go for it... and then people are like OW xD When I get a high five instead of a brofist, I just dejectedly hit my fists against each other afterward to hear the sound... ;u; The sound of camaraderie and success

One dudefriend is all proud of himself because he's able to take my brofists now, some time after we both signed up for Wing Chun and he's had a bit of training. I'm essentially being used as a meter to gauge pain tolerance. XD

I laugh at totally inappropriate things

CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN WELL YOU SOON WILL

Mythee, brofisting you every day sounds like a lot of fun if not painful.

actually Jacq I kind of do the humming thing too

I also have the really terrible habit (depending on your point of view) of having literal conversations with myself out loud. in public.... lol

I almost exclusively sit in seiza position with my legs under my thighs. I'm pretty sure it's just because I was short as a kid and did it to reach the table, and also real short still. But it's kind of weird because I can't get comfortable sitting on my ass, I'm always sitting on my legs all the time and just kind of naturally end up that way without thinking.

Sometimes I turn doorknobs or bat doors back and forth a bit before closing them. Like they were off-center, so I had to nudge them in either direction an equal number of times to fix them. Only while closing them, though. I have some other little things like that that I used to do more, too.

I don't think I have a mild case of OCD or anything, though - I've taken psych courses before, and I've done a little research, and people are very clear on OCD being about intense feelings of anxiety, and fear that if you don't perform your rituals then there will be direct negative consequences, not about the rituals themselves. It's an anxiety disorder. So, I don't really know what I have. Just weird little habits, I guess.

I don't think I have a mild case of OCD or anything, though - I've taken psych courses and done a little research, and people are very clear on OCD being about intense feelings of anxiety, and fear that if you don't perform your rituals then there will be direct negative consequences, not about the rituals themselves. It's an anxiety disorder. So, I don't really know what I have. Just weird little habits, I guess.

IIRC, the phrase for that is "compulsions," minus the obsessiveness. And the disorder. I think there's a few mental disorders that are pretty much normal human tendencies exaggerated to the point where they're detrimental to one's well-being, OCD and OCPD being among them.

I wiggle my fingers in an embarassing manner when I am reaching to grab something at arm's length, especially if I am trying to pick something up off the floor without looking at it

I have a terrible habit of when I'm trying to imagine an action or scene I tend to actually act it out without meaning to

so like when I'm thinking about how to draw a character in a specific stance I usually try to mimic it...

I wiggle my fingers in an embarassing manner when I am reaching to grab something at arm's length, especially if I am trying to pick something up off the floor without looking at it

What exactly is wiggling one's fingers in an embarrassing manner?

Also, when I'm listening to music and I'm alone, I subconsciously bob my head left and right without turning it to the rhythm.

I just kind of flex them around this is hard to describe

I sort of bring my hand upwards when I'm saying thanks. I think it's a result of knowing three ASL words, one being "Thanks", and using it whenever I doubt the other person can hear me.
(For the record, the other two words are "Cow" and "Sexy". Unfortunately, "Thanks, sexy cow" does not come up often in conversation.)

pfffft. Not gonna lie, Kíeros, but with that avatar I just imagined Silver saying "thanks sexy cow" to Kris and...

It's not really a tic because it's not involuntary (it's more of a ritual behaviour I guess?) but I tend to walk around in a tight circle whenever I'm standing and not doing anything.

Also I pick at my face I gotta stop that

May I recommend you change the thread's title to "Weird Habits - the strange stuff we do without realizing it"

Calling most of the stuff in this thread 'tics' is rather... bad. If you wanna know more I guess you can PM me.

I've edited this post because my original post was really angry and pissed off.

when i played violin, somebody pointed out to me that i was humming along with the violin for some reason