Just realised I've been talking to myself and pulling strange facial expressions - what it this?

[Paranoid1stTimer]

I think I must have been doing this for years but particularily at times of great stress. I recently noticed DS kept asking me "What is it Mummy? What did you say" and I was like "...nothing" then I actually caught myself mumbling while I was thinking about some money problems we are having at the moment and DS was standing looking at me frowning. I have then caught myself grimacing and kind of making facial expressions as if I am having a conversation in my head and nodding to myself when I am on my own thinking about stressful stuff.

I suffer from mild depression from time to time and anxiety/social anxiety that I have had some counselling for but when things get on top of me it spirals a bit again.

How can I stop myself doing this???? I get strange looks on the bus/train sometimes when I drift off into my head overthinking things which makes me realise I must be muttering or grimacing away on the bus!

Just wanted to add it suddenly dawned on me that when I started a new job temping a few years ago it was a really busy, stressful finance dept and I was chucked in at the deep end with no one really talking to me - really, really unfriendly atmosphere and I got quite stressed out. I noticed after a few days the team opposite me would start nudging each other and straining over the tops of their monitors and giggling. I didn't know what was going on at the time. I was sure I heard them say "There she goes...." and the nudging would happen again but I had no clue what was going on. I now think I must have been stressing out and either talking to myself or (more likely) pulling faces as I was trying to get on with my work.

Also, my Dad used to be staring at me and laughing to himself when I would sometimes be thinking about something stressing me out and I never realised until now maybe the same thing was happening even back then when I was in my early 20's. He never said a thing either which might have helped a bit. We never really got along anyway.

Sorry for all this but I just feel like such a freak.

My husband does this. Not so much the grimacing, but he does gesticulate a lot as if he's having an argument with someone. I tend to point it out to him when he does it. It also tends to be when he's thinking about something that's wound him up during the day. As if he's going over it all. I'm not sure how to stop it, other than the possibility that simply being aware of it might now allow you to moderate where you do it. To be honest I don't think it's such a terrible thing. It perhaps helps you to deal with stress.

Thanks dontrunwithscissors I think I am doing exactly what your husband is doing. I get easily wound up and due to the anxiety I obsessively go over and over and OVER things in my head that someone else would just forget about. I don't think it helps with the social anxiety either because I will go along to something new (occassionally after forcing myself) then worry that I am twitching or grimacing away. Maybe I should scream into a pillow more often or something

Thanks for being kind about it though. It's incredibly sensitive issue obviously.