Also because the really violent tics are the ones that are less frequent for me people forget that I do them and then it hurts and they're staring at me like I'm possessed.

I don't see people talk about this very often and I think we should talk about it more.

Things I've learned in my years of ticcing:

Exercise does help, but only as a preventative measure. Don't try to go for a run when you're already mid tic attack lmao

Do as much research as you can on OCD. Most of us already have it and even if you don't it's a major risk factor, so do lots of research into every area so you can catch the symptoms in yourself

If you have the ability to suppress your tics, please don't do it all the time. Seriously just don't it comes back to bite you. Instead focus on suppressing on one specific type of tic (for example, while working fast food my suppressing focus went into not putting my hands in the deep fryer. This meant I was constantly swearing my head off but one of those is more important in the battle. Whereas if you're at a library you might focus on ticcing quietly even if that means being more physical)

The simple versus complex tics is great information for doctors and stuff but it doesn't really mean anything in my day to day life. What has helped me is learning about tonic, clonic and dystonic tics.

Most tics happen very quickly, or it'll be the same quick motion over and over. If you have tensing tics, or any singular tic that goes for more than 10 seconds can be an indicator that there's other stuff going on other than just purely tourette's. Here's the videos I first learned about the different types of tics:

If you have punching or other violent tics, see if you can work out what satisfies the urge. Is it the impact of the movement (the thud) or the pain? If the urge is about the thud, try punching with the side of your fist or the base of your wrist. If it's about the pain, go for a slap instead. Do whatever you can to prevent long-term damage

Speaking of long term damage, DO WARMUPS!!!! Frequent screaming tics? Do vocal warmups at the start of the day. Neck tics? Stretch that bad boy out as much as you can. Tensing tics? Get your body moving and stretch it out when you can

punch doorframes instead of walls. You won't put holes through them.

Go through a sensory profile and work out which areas your body is naturally overstimulated or understimulated in. Both of these can make tics worse. For example, I'm oversensitive to touch, but undersensitive to taste. This means my tics are worse when I'm wearing uncomfortable clothes, but they improve when I'm chewing on gum. You can find sensory profile pdfs online to fill in and add up your score in each area, or you can get an OT to do it for you

If your normal tics start hurting weirdly, go to the physio ASAP. Don't wait two weeks to see if it goes away, tourette's is so prone to over using muscles and the longer you ignore it the longer you'll end up in a brace unable to do that specific tic. I recently damaged a tendon in my hand from snapping my fingers too much like seriously DON'T RISK IT.

[image id: A notebook with a row of doodles drawn in blue pen, including five flowers, a cloud, a rose, a watering can, a coffee and a tree. Below the tree doodle is a series of words. The first and second say tree, while the next 4 are scribbled over. End ID]