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what is your stim?

I bet you are good at fiction. I admire that. I don't have the patience. I think re predicting, I might be good at it cuz I also have pattern recognition. That's a common autistic trait that can be most beneficial.
 
I used to have a definite stim where I would shake a dog collar while pacing around. I would also substitute other string or rope-like objects, but the collar was by far my favorite. I would hide this habit from everyone, because I knew it was a waste of time and quite abnormal. I eventually quit, but when I'm feeling stressed I sometimes wish I still had that collar. In fact, I even dream about it sometimes.

I guess I have some other habits that could be considered stiming. I frequently feel compelled to peel the calouses off of my feet. This is a really gross habit, and leaves my feet in a rather sorry state. I know I shouldn't do it, but it's a stress relief. I also bounce my leg a lot, which some people find annoying. I think this is unfair though as it is an outlet for my nervous energy. I like to tap intricuit rhythms on objects, and if I am stressed they become very fast. When I'm alone I also like to make weird noises, especially sounds akin to Inuit throat singing. Then again, are these last two examples stims, or just reflections of my musical inclinations?
 
Does anyone else scream? I only do it after extreme stress...like after I was raped at 18 & after my father died & after my divorce.

This is a scary stim for me. It's a gut wrenching scream that I'll do for like 15 minutes, just screaming over & over again. It's like a release but it also scares me. I usually do it in my car or in the park when I know I'm alone. Weird.
 
I don't think that's so unusual, JD. Those would be really traumatic experiences, and screaming is a good way to release anxiety. It isn't exactly socially acceptable, but I think a lot of people do it in private. I have even heard of therapists recommending screaming.
 
Datura said:
I don't think that's so unusual, JD. Those would be really traumatic experiences, and screaming is a good way to release anxiety. It isn't exactly socially acceptable, but I think a lot of people do it in private. I have even heard of therapists recommending screaming.
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Thanks for the kind words & support. It's a scary stem for me cuz after a bad experience, I'll do it almost everyday for several months.

I don't cope very well under stress & it takes me much longer to get over things.
 
Flex my ankle, which makes one foot rotate or my leg bounce up and down depending on my position. I have this odd thing I do with my hand, which is flex it open and shut, a little spasmotically, but that I do only under cover of night in bed usually... just a few times. Or I'll tap the bedpost. I also will rock in bed when I first lay down, but again just 3 or 4 times. When sitting and my hands are unoccupied I will squeeze them together, twiddle my thumbs, etc. :grimacing:
 
JDartistic said:
Thanks for the kind words & support. It's a scary stem for me cuz after a bad experience, I'll do it almost everyday for several months.

I don't cope very well under stress & it takes me much longer to get over things.
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Hmm. While it isn't all that unusual to scream to release stress, the frequency you are describing does seem unusual. Not that that is a bad thing. Perhaps you just feel the pain more deeply than some people, or express it differently. Some of the ways I have expressed emotional pain in the past were also quite scary, and perhaps not as healthy (ie. banging my head against a wall). I am not sure I would call that a stim though, more like a self harm behavior.
 
Datura said:
Hmm. While it isn't all that unusual to scream to release stress, the frequency you are describing does seem unusual. Not that that is a bad thing. Perhaps you just feel the pain more deeply than some people, or express it differently. Some of the ways I have expressed emotional pain in the past were also quite scary, and perhaps not as healthy (ie. banging my head against a wall). I am not sure I would call that a stim though, more like a self harm behavior.
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Luckily it only happens under extreme duress.

I don't know about self harm behaviors. I don't think I have that except my self-talk can be brutal, but I don't think I self harm.

Gosh, Aspies are unique & complex, aren't we? :-)
 
I play with my hair (wrap a portion of hair around my fingers, over and over); sometimes I walk on my toes, but only if I'm undressed; I sing silly, made up songs to my dog, in a high voice and I yell and curse, if I'm upset about something and I love lots of heavy covers when I sleep.
I've taught myself not to do these things in public, because I get negative attention. Also, my Dad was bipolar, and he would beat me with a belt as a child if I lost my temper in front of other people.
 
During my therapy appointment today I noticed another one: holding onto my right heel as I flex my Achilles tendon. I don't know why, but I tend to stim quite a lot in my therapy sessions, even though I feel completely relaxed and at ease in my therapist's presence. Maybe that's because I feel complete freedom to stim to my heart's content? Hmm...
 
SonoranPrincess said:
I sing silly, made up songs to my dog, in a high voice and I yell and curse, if I'm upset about something and I love lots of heavy covers when I sleep.
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LOL! I do the exact same thing with my dog. I can't even begin to count all of the ridiculous nicknames and words I've coined in the process.
 
What I do is, all at once, shut my eyes tightly clench my jaw and I put my hands right over my nose and sometimes I shake just a bit, and wiggle my fingers. It's all done at the same time, often I make a small noise but other times it's silent.
There are other things I do but this in particular is one that I've done for about 19 years now.
 
i sing made-up songs a lot. most of the time its just nonsense words with a tune, but sometimes they're actual words, usually about my cats.
 
I find that I have to stand and walk around, and pace like the captain on the bridge of a warship. Even when invited or told to sit down, I prefer to keep moving. I'm sure there's some Greek word for this condition or symptom, but I have no desire to look it up at this awfully late hour on a school night.

I also crack my knuckles and other joints, although that's pretty normal fare as far as human behavior goes.

One more gross one that I do is bite my fingernails and the little flaps of skin on the edges of my fingernails that sometimes pop up. Sometimes I draw blood.

And finally, I definitely do the 'conscious daydreaming' stuff. Sometimes when I'm on the subway and I'm listening to music I visualize a whole music video matching the song. The part of my mind that can visualize stuff is very active.
 
The conscious daydreaming is a stim? It is an incredibly powerful dominant default state for me. I have to struggle hard to come clear of it, and even then, I keep getting sucked back into it, and I'll tune out & miss things without meaning to. I have worked hard my entire life to apply myself away from this state.

I find that I bounce, spin, rock, flap, pace, twirl and hop. My stims tend to be large/whole-body affairs. They provide relief from stress, help me process things, and help me feel GOOD! I honestly consider the relief (and eventually, sometimes even euphoria) to be bringing me a balance from the sensory/social stresses of ASD.

Wyverary, good point about therapy sessions. I may stim more then, I am not sure as I am usually not aware of stimming. I know I pace there.

I think stimming is one of the best perks of ASD. It makes me feel well and happy. I have never been very aware of myself much in general, and I am not usually aware of stimming.
 
I do this thing where I can walk around a shop daydreaming and my mum has to pull me out the way of someone I nearly knocked over, or I constantly touch objects and have an overwhelming urge to touch certain objects, I will subconsciously pick up a makeup brush when my mums doing her makeup or something like that. I also move my feet depending on whether I pass a double or single street light. Do you guys think these count as stims
 
Since last I posted on this thread I have been doing a bit of a mental inventory of my stims as I perform them.

-pacing (I used to pace a lot more, but it bothers people)
-tapping rhythms on objects and myself
-mouthing objects and feeling them with my lips
-bouncing on my feet
-rocking and swaying
-making bubbles under my tongue and popping them
-watching ceiling fans, alternating between watching the whole and focusing on a single blade
-cracking joints (again, people hate this)
-bouncing my knees
-kicking my feet
-placing objects against my ear and listening to the sounds they make
-repetitively pricking my finger with hard pointy objects
-looking at objects really really closely
-peeling my feet (eew!)

I also came across this video the other day. While I generally appear "normal" I really relate to the way the artist interacts with her environment, especially when I am alone.

 
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