I realize my blogs have been slightly on the long side these past couple of weeks, so this week I decided to cover a less common habit that is also much less of a problem. It is a habit that is often found with musicians. Can you guess what it is?
Ah, yes, it is foot tapping.
As I said, it is most commonly done by musicians and they use it as a learning and counting tool. Obviously this can become an annoying habit, however for them it is acceptable. Especially during a lesson or performance.
It is for us everyday foot tappers that it can become a nuisance for others around us.
I don’t exactly tap my feet, I simply do the motion without actually taking my foot off the ground. Not really annoying but still a mindless habit.
Does this sound familiar to anyone?
No. Well, why would it? I find that this habit is one of the most unnoticed, especially if the tapper is silent like me. It is crazy how many times I catch people doing it. The funniest part is, I bet they have no idea they are doing it themselves.
This habit is most often caused by boredom, irritability, and in some cases anxiety ¹. Personally I found these are the most common, yet it is different for everyone. Next time you are feeling any of these emotions, check to see how your body reacts. Perhaps you are also a tapper and you just don’t realize it!Be careful with this habit, because it can give off a negative vibe to those around you. Some may realize you do it out of boredom and will feel offended if you do it during one of their presentations. If you catch yourself doing it during a speech or presentation, try and realize your doing it and stop. Remember, it will be over quickly. There’s no need to show your annoyance, be respectful of your peers ¹. Click here to learn more about your body language.
It is especially important to try and stop this habit if you are a loud foot tapper, because you don’t want to bother those around you.
Luckily there are quick fixes to this habit. You could try putting pressure on your leg whenever you feel the urge to tap. This will help “redirect” your brain so that it fights the urge. ¹
If it is stress that causes this habit, it is important to be aware of your feelings and try to find ways to deal with the stress and not just ignore it by performing other bad habits ¹. One could try going to therapy or simply talk to a friend in order to deal with these stresses, without being obnoxious to those around you.
Trust me, no one ever wants to deal with their stress, but it is something that must be dealt with because although it begins with subtle habits like this, is can progress and develop into worse habits.
As I said earlier, it is not the most problematic habit unless it is 100% caused by extreme stress. If you are like me and you just do it out of boredom, then there really is no need to stop. However if you are a noisy tapper, please for the love of God stop! It is extremely annoying.
Talk to you all next week!
I DO THIS! I AM 100% A FOOT TAPPER! I will admit that I do it when I’m bored and irritated, like you mentioned, but most of the time I’m either thinking of a song (or just making up one in my head), or I’m finding the rhythm in someone’s speech. But yes, I am totally guilty of this! Good thing you sit right in front of me!
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny how I can relate to this blog because I am a foot tapper. There are many times I catch myself tapping my foot against somebodies chair and they turn around and give me an evil stare but, I can't help it! I always seem to tap when I get nervous or anxious. Nice blog :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Derek! I hear ya haha. I always do the same thing. The worst is when you're listening to a good song and you feel a compulsion to just tap along. It's funny how it works. At least it's not a big deal like some habits. I'm just going to continue tapping along to my music and whatnot because it's not hurting anyone!
DeleteThis is one of my biggest pet peeves! When I see a person tapping their foot/ feet in class, it distracts me and all I can concentrate on is their feet. The funny thing is that i have caught myself tapping my feet before. I don't even notice that I'm doing it, it just sort of happens. It's not so bad when the tapping doesn't make a sound, but if it does, I agree 100% that it should be stopped!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! My brother does this all the time!! I do it as well but only when I'm alone and thinking of music. As a musician it is critical to keep a beat and tapping my feet is a way for me to keep my tempo steady. My brother made a huge habit out of it! Instead of just your regular tapping, his whole leg shakes too! It shakes the whole table,ground and ground!
ReplyDelete