--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mum turns back to face the screen, and I…" description: "\"“Mum turns back to face the screen, and I realise I’m still nodding. Anxiety Girl in action. She has the power to nod until she makes the connection sh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/kirsty-eagar-9800_nodding_mum-turns-back-to-face-the-screen-and-i_500871.jpg" --- # Mum turns back to face the screen, and I realise I’m still… ![“Mum turns back to face the screen, and I realise I’m still nodding. Anxiety Girl in action. She has the power to nod until she makes the connection she so desperately needs, or until her head falls off, whichever comes first.” quote by Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/kirsty-eagar-9800_nodding_mum-turns-back-to-face-the-screen-and-i_500871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/kirsty-eagar-9800_nodding_mum-turns-back-to-face-the-screen-and-i_500871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/kirsty-eagar-9800_nodding_mum-turns-back-to-face-the-screen-and-i_500871.jpg) > ““Mum turns back to face the screen, and I realise I’m still nodding. Anxiety Girl in action. She has the power to nod until she makes the connection she so desperately needs, or until her head falls off, whichever comes first.”” [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator watches a character use nervous nodding as a coping mechanism, illustrating how anxiety can dominate actions until it overwhelms. **In simple terms:** Anxiety drives compulsive behavior that can become self‑destructive. Key Takeaway Recognize and interrupt anxiety‑driven patterns. Themes mental health anxiety coping mechanisms self‑awareness Mood introspective empathetic Type psychological literary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative workshops - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology behavioral habits creative writing Questions to Reflect On - What healthier alternatives can replace compulsive nodding? - How does awareness change the anxiety cycle? A Different Perspective Over‑identifying with anxiety can reinforce it; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-girl-4265159/) [Mum Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mum-turns-541000/) [Nodding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nodding/) [Nodding Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nodding-anxiety-4265160/) [Realise Nodding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realise-nodding-4265161/) ## Related quotes > [I always assumed I'd be a terribly patient mum but it turns out I'm not!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-colman/i-always-assumed-i-d-be-a-terribly-patient-mum-but-it-turns-out-i-m/) [Olivia Colman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-colman/) > [The moment when I just said that everyone is beautiful in their own way and my mum turns around and says and what's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/the-moment-when-i-just-said-that-everyone-is-beautiful-in-their-own/) [Slowly\_fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slowly-fading/) > [My mother was a children's librarian. I remember when traditional stories were revised for modern audiences until they bore only a nodding acquaintance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/my-mother-was-a-children-s-librarian-i-remember-when-traditional/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Yes," answered Sara, nodding. "Adversity tries people, and mine has tried you and proved how nice you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/yes-answered-sara-nodding-adversity-tries-people-and-mine-has-tried/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [“Tatooine, huh? So awesome you know Star Wars facts,” he adds nodding. “Do you ever watch the animated stuff?” Grin. Grin. Grin. I'm seriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/tatooine-huh-so-awesome-you-know-star-wars-facts-he-adds-nodding-do/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Nodding the head does not row the boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nodding-the-head-does-not-row-the-boat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ Nodding You can nod your head to show that you are listening and understanding what is being said. Nodding is a sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/nodding-you-can-nod-your-head-to-show-that-you-are-listening-and/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [Great oaks grow from little acorns. He has a green thumb. He has green fingers. He's sowing his wild oats. Here Ceres' gifts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/great-oaks-grow-from-little-acorns-he-has-a-green-thumb-he-has-green/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [And the wind upon its way whispered the boughs of May, And touched the nodding peony flowers to bid them waken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegfried-sassoon/and-the-wind-upon-its-way-whispered-the-boughs-of-may-and-touched-the/) [Siegfried Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegfried-sassoon/) > [Ma'am," Augustus said, nodding toward her, "Your daughter's car has just been deservingly egged by a blind man. Please close the door and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/ma-am-augustus-said-nodding-toward-her-your-daughter-s-car-has-just/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Steve Carell, we’ve been nodding at each other for years now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/steve-carell-we-ve-been-nodding-at-each-other-for-years-now/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [“I'd rather be a nodding acquaintance, than a bobble head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-d-rather-be-a-nodding-acquaintance-than-a-bobble-head/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [He says one word, nodding into the daylight. "Look." It's an astounding word. It's a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/he-says-one-word-nodding-into-the-daylight-look-it-s-an-astounding/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [In the water bucket a melon and an eggplant nodding to each other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosa-buson/in-the-water-bucket-a-melon-and-an-eggplant-nodding-to-each-other/) [Yosa Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosa-buson/) ## More by Kirsty Eagar > [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“Oh, stop it, I tell myself. Stop looking for links and meaning and explanations. What did De Chirico say? The world is a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/oh-stop-it-i-tell-myself-stop-looking-for-links-and-meaning-and/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“Shame isn't a quiet grey cloud, shame is a drowning man who claws his way on top of you, scratching and tearing your skin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/shame-isn-t-a-quiet-grey-cloud-shame-is-a-drowning-man-who-claws-his/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“He exhales, then leans forward, reaching under the table to hold my knee. 'I didn't mean that. I want to be here. You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/he-exhales-then-leans-forward-reaching-under-the-table-to-hold-my/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“I draw the light with my fingers, and it seems to spark in response. And it’s then that the magic of this place, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/i-draw-the-light-with-my-fingers-and-it-seems-to-spark-in-response/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“SVU, CSI, CSI: NY. These shows, they're all about things being done to females and children. If they were full of thing being done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/svu-csi-csi-ny-these-shows-they-re-all-about-things-being-done-to/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“It’s funny to me that power comes from sitting behind a desk. It should come from spending yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/it-s-funny-to-me-that-power-comes-from-sitting-behind-a-desk-it/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“Ridiculous really, when you think that I come from a broken home and I probably have low self-esteem. But the way I see it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/ridiculous-really-when-you-think-that-i-come-from-a-broken-home-and-i/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“It's hard to explain, but it's related to me know that for every moment of beauty this place gives me, I probably miss a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/it-s-hard-to-explain-but-it-s-related-to-me-know-that-for-every/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“In normal families, unbroken families, the mother and the father are like two hands cupped together, and held by those hands are the children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/in-normal-families-unbroken-families-the-mother-and-the-father-are/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“I stare at his forearms. I can make out a naked woman with a snake going up her vagina. She’s holding a knife, slitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/i-stare-at-his-forearms-i-can-make-out-a-naked-woman-with-a-snake/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“There was thin, reverberating silence; the sort of delicately plucked note that isn’t heard, but felt in the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/there-was-thin-reverberating-silence-the-sort-of-delicately-plucked/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“I couldn’t bear to be talked about. Some girls are shiny-sharp enough to not be damaged, but I didn’t think I would be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/i-couldn-t-bear-to-be-talked-about-some-girls-are-shiny-sharp-enough/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“And what really struck me was that the woman still meant so much to Grandad after all of those years. She burned in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/and-what-really-struck-me-was-that-the-woman-still-meant-so-much-to/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“It’s not love. It’s an obsession. And it’s not art. It’s a way of seeing things. A way to see the things that aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/it-s-not-love-it-s-an-obsession-and-it-s-not-art-it-s-a-way-of-seeing/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) [Explore all 70 Kirsty Eagar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) ## More Nodding quotes > [In the water bucket a melon and an eggplant nodding to each other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosa-buson/in-the-water-bucket-a-melon-and-an-eggplant-nodding-to-each-other/) [Yosa Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosa-buson/) > [He says one word, nodding into the daylight. "Look." It's an astounding word. It's a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/he-says-one-word-nodding-into-the-daylight-look-it-s-an-astounding/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“I'd rather be a nodding acquaintance, than a bobble head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-d-rather-be-a-nodding-acquaintance-than-a-bobble-head/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [Steve Carell, we’ve been nodding at each other for years now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/steve-carell-we-ve-been-nodding-at-each-other-for-years-now/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [Ma'am," Augustus said, nodding toward her, "Your daughter's car has just been deservingly egged by a blind man. Please close the door and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/ma-am-augustus-said-nodding-toward-her-your-daughter-s-car-has-just/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And the wind upon its way whispered the boughs of May, And touched the nodding peony flowers to bid them waken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegfried-sassoon/and-the-wind-upon-its-way-whispered-the-boughs-of-may-and-touched-the/) [Siegfried Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegfried-sassoon/) > [Great oaks grow from little acorns. He has a green thumb. He has green fingers. He's sowing his wild oats. Here Ceres' gifts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/great-oaks-grow-from-little-acorns-he-has-a-green-thumb-he-has-green/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [“ Nodding You can nod your head to show that you are listening and understanding what is being said. Nodding is a sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/nodding-you-can-nod-your-head-to-show-that-you-are-listening-and/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [Nodding the head does not row the boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nodding-the-head-does-not-row-the-boat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“Tatooine, huh? So awesome you know Star Wars facts,” he adds nodding. “Do you ever watch the animated stuff?” Grin. Grin. Grin. I'm seriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/tatooine-huh-so-awesome-you-know-star-wars-facts-he-adds-nodding-do/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [Yes," answered Sara, nodding. "Adversity tries people, and mine has tried you and proved how nice you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/yes-answered-sara-nodding-adversity-tries-people-and-mine-has-tried/) [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/) > [My mother was a children's librarian. I remember when traditional stories were revised for modern audiences until they bore only a nodding acquaintance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/my-mother-was-a-children-s-librarian-i-remember-when-traditional/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Communism requires of its adherents that they arise early and participate in a strenuous round of calisthenics. To someone who wishes that cigarettes came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communism-requires-of-its-adherents-that-they-arise-early-and/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“You are a young man," she said, nodding. "Take a word of advice, even from three foot nothing. Try not to associate bodily defects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/you-are-a-young-man-she-said-nodding-take-a-word-of-advice-even-from/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) [Browse all 103 Nodding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nodding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mum turns back to face the screen, and I realise I’m still nodding. Anxiety Girl in action. 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