Finger tapping and foot tapping caused by stress

• If you don't want to stop - If you're okay with your foot tapping or finger tapping and it's not affecting anyone around you, you don't have to stop. What you may want to do, however, if find a quieter way of doing it when people are around. Try to tap your leg or your side in order to muffle any sounds that you may make. And if you're by yourself, you might want to simply stop and notice when you are fidgeting to help you see just how much of a problem it is.
  
  
• Take notes - When you're concerned that your finger or foot tapping is getting in the way of your appearance to others, you should try to keep a journal of just how often you are doing it, what you are feeling and how long you are doing it for. This will help you to see just how much of a problem it is and whether or not it is something you need to control more closely.
  
  
• Stop yourself - Whenever you are feeling the urge to tap, try to stop yourself by saying, "Stop" aloud or to yourself. This can help you start to associate stopping with the movement instead of just ignoring it when it happens. Come up with a way to draw your attention to the action when you do it. Others like to wear a rubber band and snap the band on their wrist or their arm whenever they begin to fidget. The negative association of the pain with the fidgeting often helps to stop the behavior.
  
  
• Workout your tension and your anxiousness - Even if you're not someone that likes to exercise, you should try to incorporate some sort of activity into each day in order to diffuse the tension you're feeling. Try going for a walk when you begin to tap or fidget, if you can.

Fidgeting isn't necessarily harmful to you or to anyone around you, but if you want to look calm on the outside, you need to learn how to manage your fidgeting.

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