Involuntary expressions

[monkeydog]

Hi all!

I was wondering if I was alone in experiencing this: lately (for the past 6 months or so) whenever I get angry and try to hide it for whatever reason, my nose and lips begin to twitch and won't stop until I stop fighting it and let my face pull into a snarling expression.

From inside it feels like a wolf growling and baring its fangs.

Anyone else have something like that happen?

My spouse was very frightened the first time it happened and I tried to explain to them that I don't feel at all angry, it just feels like my face is angry. In fact when it happens, that's when I become completely calm.

I used to think I don't get angry at all but have slowly been getting into touch with that emotion over the past year in therapy.

Edited to add:
It's only happened at home before today, but earlier today I got some negative feedback from a coworker, and experienced a lot of anxiety because of it. And then slowly the anxiety morphed into anger and the expression crept in. It's a problem because I work in an open office and at least one coworker saw me sit at my desk with that expression. It passed about 20 minutes later and now the muscles in my face are sore. It's frightening and just so weird.

[yoyogirl]

Perhaps a part of you is angry about something and it’s completely involuntary like in th back your mind.

[one_step_closer]

I've had a sort of similar experience, which I think many people have, where I have felt like I wasn't anxious at all but my lips/cheek were twitching uncontrollably. I was embarrassed and then was very wary that it could happen again so focused a lot on it which usually made it happen again because I was making myself extra anxious. I'm not sure if this is kind of what you are experiencing. Maybe you are hiding anger from yourself, as I was likely hiding from myself that I was anxious. Are you able to take some time away from other people if you feel like the face expression thing is going to happen? Do you have techniques to cope with whatever emotions come up when you're interacting with others? Have you spoken to your therapist about the facial expression? I hope you can find a way to deal with things.