what is your stim?

[Vexx3]

Oh okay, I get it. Thanks!

I often twist the seams of my shirts and pants in between my fingers. I hate doing it because it's ended up ruining clothes but I can't stop myself.

I also crack my knuckles and bounce my legs a lot.

 

[mama_lotus]

Ugh, I have a lot.

Private: I "finger flap" which sounds similar to Yumeko-chan's pill rolling. I also do one where I hold my left fist to the side of my nose and finger flap with my right hand on the other side of my nose. I have done that one for about 30 years. Every once in a while I still rock, laying face down, side to side, but that was my stim of choice as a child.

Public: Gently stroking my bangs to the side, knuckle cracking, back cracking, toe knuckle cracking (perhaps that one should be moved to the private category), finger flapping under the table, heel tapping really fast.

I can also be a hand flapper. I flap towards me when I'm overwhelmed/upset and out while jumping when I'm excited/happy.

I also used to do the sphincter muscle thing as a kid. Whenever my mom would make me sit still to French braid or curl my hair. I'd say "if you do this much longer I'm going to have to squeeze my butt." Or standing in line I'd tell everyone "this makes me squeeze my butt." It's now a family joke. Anything that sucks? "It makes me squeeze my butt."

 

[zurb]

This thread is fascinating reading. Didn't really think I stimmed, but I've got the knee jiggling, rocking, and pacing. Sometimes find myself fingering seams in clothing. Funny thing is my fingernail biting stopped when I found out I was aspie. I don't remember ever having white tips on them before. And now I keep tapping the phone with my nails instead of my finger tip, but that doesn't work.

 

[Thea]

I will rock in my seat. I've learned not to do that in public so I'll rock from foot to foot imperceptably and when I get over excited and am alone I flap my hands.

 

[Flower44590]

Rub finger tips, tap fingers to thumb, petting.

 

[faithmclaine]

I flick my fingers and rub and attack my face can u change the stim or does you brain pick it

 

[wyverary]

I scroll up and down web pages using my trackpad.

 

[zurb]

can u change the stim or does you brain pick it

I think it is subconscious. Often people don't know they do it until their attention is drawn to it. Then it starts subconsciously, but you might catch yourself doing it.

I actually wonder the same thing about special interests.

 

[Thea]

It's interesting reading other people's stims and realising some I didn't even know I did like rubbing my fingertips together.

 

[faithmclaine]

I think it is subconscious. Often people don't know they do it until their attention is drawn to it. Then it starts subconsciously, but you might catch yourself doing it.

I actually wonder the same thing about special interests.

Me too

 

[anja]

I grip things really tightly... Only hard objects like a wooden pole, chair, my leg etc. I like the feeling of something pushing back against me. I also chew, gum specifically. The repetitive motion is something I really like ... When I'm in an uncomfortable situation I will rock but not a full rock, I'll lower my upper body to a surface and rock slightly back and forth from my position

 

[anja]

I think it is subconscious. Often people don't know they do it until their attention is drawn to it. Then it starts subconsciously, but you might catch yourself doing it.

I actually wonder the same thing about special interests.

For school I once tried to surround myself in this one topic I was having a test on and I did develop a somewhat special interest in it however it was very short lived and I feel it stemmed from a previous interest of learning facts and so once the test was over, the subject bored me and I returned to reading other facts. So personally I feel that special interests are subconscious and although can be consciously created won't last as long as the drive and deep interest won't be there. as for stims I think they are subconscious and your bodies natural way of moving. However the same kind of thing applies to both just a personal opinion though

 

[DarkLady]

I do a lot of different stims but usually I rock back and forth while listening to music.

 

[Anon88]

Oh you're far from alone, but this thread hasn't been up for very long

When I'm alone I'm quite the hand flapper, I also have some items on my desk that I can squeeze or touch. At home I like to put things on myself, I don't have a weighted blanket but sometimes I'll just put my laptop on my lap or I'll sleep with a pillow between myself and the covers, so it kind of presses into my torso.

In public there are a lot of little things I'll do with my hands that are almost imperceptible, like if my hands are flat-ish on a desk I'll put pressure on my fingertips the way I would if I was typing what I'm saying. I also find it relaxing to count things or look at patterns. I learned sometime in elementary school that hand flapping isn't something everyone does, so I'm careful to keep my stims to a minimum while others are around.

The other day I was waiting in line to get into an event, and the person in front of my husband and myself was already drunk and getting belligerent with security. I didn't have any way to calm myself down as I felt my anxiety and heart rate rising, and after the confrontation was over my husband looked at me and was surprised that my whole neck and chest area had gone red and blotchy. So apparently if I'm unable to satisfy these needs you can see it on me. Awesome.

I do the pillow thing to. It kind of reminds me of sleeping with a teddy bear except that I was never the type of kid who enjoyed sleeping with stuffed animals (except for this really cool panda bear I had once). For some reason I prefer sleeping with the pillow pressed against my torso than an adorable little stuffed animal. Maybe because of the fullness of the pillow versus the inconsistency of the stuffed animal's shape.

 

[anne.bc]

For now, my stim is rubbing my thumb over where my engagement ring used to be. I used to spin it with my thumb and now that the relationship ended I think I'm about to rub that ring finger raw. Lol doing a lot better today. Yeah I went to the beach recently so there is a tan. I also live in Fresno. XD

 

[Mattymatt]

This is a stupid question but what is a stim?

 

[Judge]

Some kind of repetitive motion we do voluntarily or involuntarily. Usually associated with relieving stress.

I pace....much like a judge going back and forth, intensively thinking about some decision.

 

[Mattymatt]

Oh, okay. I talk to myself to relieve stress. Weird, yes, but it works like gangbusters.

 

[aj]

This is a stupid question but what is a stim?

Life with Aspergers: What is Stimming and what does it feel like?

 

[Douglas_MacNeill]

This is a stupid question but what is a stim?

Not a stupid question at all; I'm glad you asked. "Stim" is shorthand for "self-stimulation" or "self-stimulating behavior"
in the jargon of autism spectrum disorders. Welcome to AspiesCentral.