I keep scrunching my face up lately

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When I'm concentrating on something or trying to focus, I keep finding myself subconsciously scrunching my face up; squinting excessively and holding my cheek muscles tensely so I'm pulling a weird face. I have only been doing it recently and it feels rather comfortable but is very embarrassing. As far as I know I'm not doing it in public at least I HOPE I'm not doing it in public.

People comment on it saying that I need glasses but that isn't the case. I can see just as well squinting and when I'm not squinting, and the squinting just feels like a habit I've gotten myself into. Clenching my facial muscles feels rather comfortable but I really want to stop this as it could start to have a negative effect on my social respect.

I think it might also be caused by sinus trouble, as I was doing this a lot when I had a cold last week. But I'm not sure. Is there any way I can resolve this issue before it becomes a subconsciously permanent thing? Does anybody else do this?

I swear I read a reply here yesterday?

I noticed sometimes I clench my teeth or jaws or whatever. I never used to do that. I wonder if it’s our medication?

I do grind my teeth often but it's not noticeable much, plus I've read it's common among NT people too. But scrunching your face up is much more noticeable and unusual. Yesterday I was doing a fiddly task that required patience and concentration, and I noticed my face starting to ache, which then brought my attention to how my face was and I quickly relaxed my muscles again. I'm glad I was alone.

But when I had a cold I was doing this a lot, because I had a tickling sensation in my nose as if I permanently wanted to sneeze, so screwing my face up was the only way to make the irritation go away. Since then it's become a habit. I've been on Sertraline for a while so I don't think it's caused by that.

Maybe it's a tic?

Tics don't have to be forever, they can come and go in times of stress. A temporary tic was one of the only things my granddaughter exhibited when she was so depressed. Once the anti-depressant started to work, it went away.

I get facial twitches when I'm stressed. They resolve on their own as the stressors pass, but are very irritating when they are happening. They have lasted up to two weeks, in the past.

I am. Granted I hadn't paid attention before b/c I am new to ASD awareness. At work I was contemplating my position on a exercise bike and an acquaintance said "why, so serious!". Then I noticed when looking at clothes at the local thrift store I am doing the same. Now I feel it at home when I am concentrating on something. My work stress is up, so maybe that's contributing to the intense expression, or else I've been doing this forever and just now noticing.