I've been searching the Internet and struggling to find answers for this.
I'm 21, and I've had tics/stims/habits all my life. Usually they involve working specific muscles, such as clenching my arm or leg muscles, moving my eyes to one side as far as they go until the muscles strain, and squeezing my throat muscles. They come and go and change in severity, as they do for everyone. They appear seemingly at random, I'm not sure if there's a trigger, but stress definitely makes them worse. And when I get on a habit, I cannot make myself stop.
Currently I am squeezing my throat muscles and making a high-pitched squeak sound deep in my throat. I can satisfy the urge well enough without the sound most of the time, so I don't think I'm bothering any coworkers.
But my problem is: my throat is REALLY sore. I do it so much that my voice has become hoarse from this overworking of my throat muscles. It's also really frustrating when I want to stop but I can't, which adds to the stress and probably makes it worse.
Does anyone have advice for me on stopping these habits? Any way to suppress the urge or gain self control?
I'd really appreciate any help, tips, and tricks, thank you!