Has anyone ever heard of...

[kahumai, RN]

Has anyone ever heard of a person clenching their hands into a fist as a coping mechanism to deal with stress or sadness? A friend of mine told me that sometimes a depressed/anxious individual will not feel comfortable with their hands wide open and close their fist, sometimes by holding onto a small object, but how much truth is there in this statement? Thanks!

[MomNRN, BSN, RN]

Very common! I do it to avoid smacking the face of an obnoxious coworker!

Kidding aside, it can be almost a reflex in certain people. It is a way to maintain control. Everyone has a "thing" they do to stay in control. Some clench their hands, I sometimes clench my jaws. I might do it to avoid saying something that will get me in trouble!

[jax]

I think another example of this is the chronic hand-bag hanger oner. I have looked after many people mainly elderly women, who will not let that hand-bag go. It goes to xray, it goes to OT , it sleeps with them. Everybody needs their little bit of security.

[PJMommy]

I'm one of the jaw clenchers. Grind the choppers at night and then, during the day, I'll clench my teeth so tightly when stressed that I don't even notice it until my head starts pounding or my jaw starts aching. I seem to recall reading once that women are more prone to the jaw clenching. It would be interesting to know more about the hand clenching thing.