Can't stop screwing my face up

[Clarentine]

I don't know what's going on. It started a couple of years ago but not too bad at first. I might have maybe focused on it for half hour or so but after a few days or a week I'd forget and then not do it for months and months. This year it's got well bad. I stopped doing it for a while again but now it's got worse than ever. I kind of squeeze my eyes shut really tight and kind of pull faces and I'm worried I'm doing myself some damage - I do it so hard until it hurts and when I was a child someone told me that you can overheat your brain with all the pressure! Which obviously sounds disgusting. Not to mention causing wrinkles? I have to do it over again working different muscles in my face and until I feel the pain. But it's like good pain, not like really painful but more discomfort. It's like I really tense up my face. I used to do it in private but now I do it walking through town, on the bus, sitting at my desk, and just hope no one notices it. There must be a way to control it, surely? It's not anything medical as I was already an adult when I started doing it.

[Golddigger]

I dont know anything about this but I will try.
Do you do it at certain times? Of the day, month or whatever?
And do you know why you do it? A habit perhaps?

[Mrsbear1]

There was a girl at school who used to blink really hard and screw her eyes up when she did it. I think it was 'just' a bad habit?

[Mrsbear1]

And perhaps the more you're concentrating on it the more you're thinking about it and the more you do it?

[Ghostsdonttalk]

Could it be a side effect of medication? Some drugs can do this. Read the patient information leaflet.

It could also be transient tick disorder. I don't know much about it, you could Google but try to stick to health information sites like webmd so you get proper information.

[NorbertDentressangle]

It sounds like some sort of facial tic maybe?

[NorbertDentressangle]

Definition and explanation of tics

[BusyLittleSpider]

I do this too.

I do suffer from anxiety and find that it happens when I am stressed, in a way I see it as a way of relieving tension (although it is subconscious)

[desertmum]

could it be tourette syndrome ? my son has this and one of his tics is screwing up of his face. I have it to a lesser extent and my tics are all facial. We both do through good and bad times where our tics are less or more than usual. Doesn't affect us otherwise. My son was on meds for a while when it was really bad with motor tics as well. It is a neurological condition that is made worse during times of extreme emotion; which can be happiness, excitement etc. as well as stress.