Oh, I love this find. My whole life I practice my balance on a daily basis since I was about 8 years old. I do it when nobody’s looking, turning any painted line on the ground into an imaginary balance beam, walking down cracks, etc.
I was always afraid that if I didn’t do it on a regular basis, I might start losing my ability to balance and I have no idea where that came from; I just do it.
However, when I was 11, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which includes things like catastrophizing, etc.
I wonder if visually focusing on my feet or the line as I attempt to maintain my balance is a kind of “stimming” in that engaging so many systems into a single task calms down whatever is overactive in anxiety – that is, just a few moments of relief?
I don’t know. But I love that there is a connection between postural sway, balance and anxiety. It feels as if it might explain ‘something’ even if I’m not sure what yet.
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