Coping, one ordinary day at a time
Coping With Tic-Related Discomfort: My Personal Experience
This page is about the day-to-day side of tics — the discomfort that comes with them, and the ordinary things I have done to make those hours easier. I'm not a clinician, and none of this is a recommendation. It is what I noticed in my own life.
I'm Peter Amundson, and I've lived with Tourette syndrome for more than fifty years. What follows is my personal experience of coping with tic-related discomfort as an adult: the strain before a tic, the louder days, and the small routines I lean on. Nothing here is medical advice, and nothing here promises relief.
I try to keep two things apart on this page. One is what health organizations say about tics in general, which I link to and mark clearly. The other is what I noticed in my own body. Where I describe my experience, I mean exactly that — an observation, not a cause, a cure, or a rule for anyone else.
What the discomfort actually feels like
In my own experience
The tic itself is only part of it. For me, the harder part is often the stretch before: the urge builds in a muscle until it has to move. I have known that feeling since I was five years old.
The other part was self-consciousness. I spent years apologizing for my body and shrinking my life around the noise, and that watchfulness was its own kind of discomfort.
What health organizations say
Tics are sudden, repeated movements or sounds that a person cannot simply switch off. Some people can hold a tic back for a while, but it takes effort, and some tics are preceded by an urge or sensation in the muscle group. Not every tic is Tourette syndrome: many children have tics that never become TS, and a diagnosis is made by a clinician from the type of tics and how long they have lasted.
Louder days: stress, sleep and tiredness
In my own experience
My tics have always been louder when I am under stress. That was true long before I understood anything about Tourette syndrome.
I have been off pain medications since 2000 and off alcohol since 2017, and stepping away from both improved my Tourette's a lot. Nicotine made my tics worse when I was already stressed, so I don't use it.
Sleep is the lever I protect hardest. One late, bright night can leave my tics louder for a day or two, so I keep my room cool, dark and boring and stay off screens in the hour before bed.
What health organizations say
Stress, excitement and tiredness are commonly listed as things that can trigger or worsen tics, and a calm, regular bedtime routine is often suggested as general self-care. Tics can also fluctuate for reasons a person cannot see, so a loud day is not a failure of effort.
The everyday routine that steadied me
In my own experience
None of this is a prescription. It is the shape of my ordinary days: balanced meals at regular times, water through the day, movement I actually enjoy — golf and weights — and ten minutes of stretching most mornings.
When the urge builds, I slow my breath on purpose: in for four, hold for four, out for six, four or five rounds. I am not claiming it stops a tic. It gives my body somewhere to go besides the tic.
I cannot prove any of it changed my tics. I only know the ride got smoother, and that these were habits I could actually keep doing.
What health organizations say
A consistent daily routine with plenty of physical activity, and a calm bedtime routine, are general self-care suggestions for people living with Tourette syndrome. Published guidance also notes that there is little evidence that herbs and supplements help with symptoms — so any decision about a supplement belongs with you and your doctor. My own experience with supplements is described in the guide, and I make no claim about it here.
Focus, and where I put my attention
In my own experience
As a boy I disappeared into stamps and comics. I could look at a stamp for an hour, and those were the calmest hours of my childhood.
Now I protect a block of deep focus every day — phone face-down, notifications off, one thing in front of me. I also practice choosing where my attention goes, on purpose, over and over.
What health organizations say
Tics are often reported to get better during calm, focused activities. That is a general observation about tics, not a treatment recommendation, and it does not work the same way for everyone.
Tracking the pattern instead of guessing
In my own experience
Each morning I tick a few boxes: sleep, movement, balanced meals, mood. At the end of the week I look at what the better days had in common. In my own handwriting, my better days are not random — they are built.
I don't judge the hard days. I notice them, then build the next one a little better.
What health organizations say
There is no blood test, scan or single test that diagnoses Tourette syndrome; clinicians look at the type of tics and how long they have lasted. Notes about your own days can be useful to bring to that conversation.
When to talk to a professional
This page is my experience, and it is not medical advice. If tics are causing pain or injury, or making school, work, sleep or daily life difficult, please talk to a qualified healthcare professional.
Health organizations note that many people with Tourette syndrome do not need treatment, and that behavioral therapy and medication are options when tics cause pain or injury, or interfere with daily life. That decision belongs with you and your clinician — not with a website.
Where the general information comes from
These pages are written for the public and reviewed by the organizations that publish them. They describe tics and Tourette syndrome in general; they do not describe my routine.
Keep reading
- Finding My Calm — the free personal guideThe full routine I follow and the printable trackers, as one PDF.
- Living with Tourette syndrome: my storyHow the tics shaped my life, and what slowly changed.
- Living with motor tics: routines, focus and mindsetThe daily habits I lean on, and what I noticed about each one.
- Free printable tic trackersA daily tic journal and a weekly habit tracker, free to print.
Important disclaimer
This page reflects one person's lived experience with Tourette syndrome and is informational only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Results vary from person to person. Always talk to your doctor before starting, changing, or stopping any supplement, routine, or treatment.