HOW I GOT OVER MY ADDICTION: HANDS ON MY NAVEL
Three or four years back, I was in Introduction to Psychology class one morning when the Assistant Lecturer was lecturing about defense mechanism and it’s types. It was quite an interesting topic and it caught my attention.
He defined defense mechanism as "psychological strategies or behaviors that people use to cope with difficult feelings, thoughts, or events". Then he went on to talk about it’s various types using engaging examples.
The type of defense mechanism that stuck to me was regression.
Regression according to his lecture can be defined as "An act or process of returning to a previous state or earlier development, it could be childhood or earlier memories when triggered by negative or unpleasant situations". An example he gave was of a toddler whose mother gave birth to another baby when the aforementioned toddler was only a year and some months old. This toddler may resolve to sucking his thumb, putting a hand under his armpit and sucking his tongue, etcetera. The reason being that they feel deprived of their mother’s weaning or breast feeding and turn to this method for comfort.
There is an African belief that pregnancies shortly after a child is born (within the space of a year) makes the supposed baby or toddler sick, always crying or restless because they feel the coming baby will take their mother’s affection away from them.
It doesn’t always grow with the children in some cases, but in other cases, there ought to be deliverance.
It got me thinking about a situation I am very familiar with. The connection between my belly button (navel) and my tongue in my mouth.
How does it work?
You may be wondering how it works. I put my fingers on my navel and caress it gently while my tongue is rolled backwards, touching the roof of my mouth. It usually makes me feel calm and at ease but it’s not a good look, trust me.
That class made me realize how much of a baby I was. I have a sister who I am older than with the space of eleven (11) months. The fact that I used my addiction to relax only proved to me how true that defense mechanism worked for me.
From my childhood days, whenever I studied or read through anything, my addiction helped me relax and I enjoyed whatever I was reading or doing. I couldn’t even go to bed without my hands on my navel and my tongue in it’s steady grind. It was relaxing especially when I was faced with stressful situations at my school, job or daily life. IT WAS THAT BAD.
EFFECTS OF SUCKLING OF THUMB OR TONGUE
It has a way of interfering with a child’s growing dentition. It may be hard to quit or like smokers, something else will have to replace it.
How was I able to conquer it?
Frankly speaking, I don’t know how. My parents used all the methods they could employ to stop my bad habit. I was given bitterleaf to chew, bitter herbs to drink, tying my hands with cloth to stop it and a lot more I cannot even remember.
Yet, it still did not work. It felt like a wasted effort. I tried to consciously stop it myself, but it was somehow embedded in my brain. The very few that know my predicament always hit my hand or squeeze my lips with their hands to distract me from it but after a couple of minutes, I am again in position.
IN CONCLUSION, I still have not been able to get over it. I have only been able to control it when I’m outside or with people but when I am alone, my hands are on my navel and my tongue in position. Even while typing this, my tongue is in position, it’s a good thing I have to type.
SUGGESTIONS are most definitely welcome. Are there ways to overcome this?
