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what is your stim?

Ok - here's the list.

- When driving, palms on steering wheel & alternately tapping end of fingers on right/left hands against end of thumb.
- When walking, scraping the ends of each two finger pair against the end of the thumb back & forth - always right then left.
- Also when walking, repeating sequence of words (sometimes syllables) or a license plate I've seen, saying one on each step. Always first one on the right step and then left. I have to start on the right step & finish on the left :confused:. This one can also happily co-exist with the first stim.
- Rapidly flapping both hands with the fingers held together (when anxious) - only do this one at home alone :D
- Tapping ends of fingers of both hands together in unison with toes curling up/down alternately on left/right & also in unison with tapping tongue on back of upper/lower teeth - tend to do this one only when lying in bed o_O
- Pacing & flapping hands when very anxious.

I read about somebody who used to bang empty soft-drink plastic bottles (top secured) against their head, gave it a try and weirdly it feels nice. I don't drink those things so don't have the necessary equipment handy to do it again.

If in a social situation I hide my stims like doing some finger tapping under the table or moving my toes up/down with accompanying tongue to teeth tapping.

I had read about the 'picking bits off skin' one & thought "That sounds disgusting - I'm glad I don't have that one!" Then one day I realised I was enjoying picking pieces off my scalp & recalled that I used to do that a lot more (sometimes until bleeding). Oh well one more can't hurt :)

I've been aware of doing these things since about 6 years of age, but only consciously analysed them since realising that I'm an aspie. I guess I've never thought that other people don't do them too. I've tried to understand why I do it, but have given up - it just feels 'right' to do them.
 
What?
Those things I did when I was 10, the things that annoyed my father, but I enjoyed-----those were 'stims'?
A. Clacking my fingers against my hip bones, to make a noise
B. Flapping my hands so that my thumb hit against my fingers to make a "snap" sound
C. Playing tunes on my teeth by tunking them with fingers

A & B annoyed him most.
C for some reason was more acceptable. The tunes I played were recognizable.

Currently, when I want to think, to have ideas come freely, it helps to walk around.
Rocking a little is good for focusing on thoughts or when I try to play a video game.
 
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I don't have, and really don't understand having particular stims in particular situations. For me, there's this buildup of... energy or something... a kind of vibration of the nervous system that causes repetitive muscular movement, and it activates whatever muscles "get in the way of it". Best I can describe it.
 
tachyon said:
I read about somebody who used to bang empty soft-drink plastic bottles (top secured) against their head
Click to expand...

I've done this one, but not regularly. It's a great alternative to smacking ones self in the head when feeling frustrated. I suppose one might simply find the sensation pleasing in general.

I also wanted to add that it is really difficult to explain stimming to people who don't do it. I've "come out" to a couple of friends recently and when I try to explain the joys of shaking dog collars they just give me odd looks and move away. When I explain that it feels good, relieves stress, and acts as a kinesthetic link to my imagination they still seem unable to conceive how that could be.
 
Tapping, typing finger movements
Shaking hands left to right instead of up and down as in flapping
Stretching my head back
Rolling my tongue against the sides of my teeth (I now have a permanent sore spot that never heals there...)
Biting tongue
Licking lips
Clearing throat (not sure if a stim or a tic, or compulsion)

Someone must be an expert on telling stims apart from tics and compulsions. Enlighten us?
 
oh i thought i was the only one who done this i rock , i click my fingers i bite my lips ,i crack my jaw i pull hair
when am really upset in public i make a weird sound like hmmmmmmmmmmmm but loud i count 1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2...3... in my head but some times out loud

i also self injure like ripping my nails off my finger and banging my head of things and i also self injure
UPSETTING TRIGGER WARNING








I cut
my husband has hidden all the knifes in the house and i cant get money just in case i buy blades or pills
but thats another topic
 
I seem to rotate some stims and other are more compulsive. Clicking my teeth together is an ongoing one and more of a compulsion, tapping my hands against my legs and wiggling my toes in a pattern are content and/or impatient ones. I'm actively fighting chewing my fingernails and almost have it removed from the repertoire. Walking and jogging is helping.
 
My stims and the emotions/situations that cause them:

skipping: happiness/excitement
toes wriggling: anxiety/discomfort
clapping: randomly
rocking on the heels: generally while I'm waiting in queues or otherwise standing still
biting my lip: pretty much constant, though I don't do this when very stressed.
hand flapping: anxiety/discomfort
repeating the same word or phrase over and over: stress
 
When I'm alone at home I often stomp with my feet or hit the wall, if I don't do it when I have the impulse I start crying and hyperventilate, or I stratch at my face. When I'm in public I make different finger movements, biting my cheeks and lips, squinting my eyes (always two times!)
 
BlackWhiteFox said:
When I'm in public I make different finger movements, biting my cheeks and lips, squinting my eyes (always two times!)
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness, the eye thing! I'm always squinting, or closing my eyes and rolling them way up in my eyelids. No one in my classes has said anything yet... :P
 
Only been thinking about it as a stim lately, cause i've started suspecting i might have aspergers. The following things are things i've thought on as bad habits earlier:

Ate pencils at school, and my teeths were usually yellow because of it. Later i cracked knockles, then after that i use to press on crack/press on a crushed knuckle (not crushed after cracking it). Now i kinda crack the tip of my nose, which probably looks silly, and i also can't stop myself from doing it at work. Trying to stop it, but think i need to find another stim in order to stop it.

Other stims i've had for awhile, and havent stopped, is folding my hands and moving the thumbs in circles, droodling strange looking faces on paper, droodling some kinda of combinations of lines, playing around with pens (kinda like in 007 Goldeneye), and playing/buiding with coins and beer bottles. When i'm sure i'm alone, i tend to talk to myself, sing and come with comments to people on tv.
 
I highly reccomend that anybody who is into stimming look up "office toys." There are so many options, and generally playing with them is socially acceptible. They also tend to be less destracting to co-workers, which is a big plus.
 
I'll run my chin stubble constantly when I haven't shaved for a few days ... I love the texture. Also love running my fingers over my hair at the back of my head after a short haircut. Texture there is awesome!
 
I play with my loose hairs, or just play with my hair. When I'm with Kim I play with her hair. I'll move my legs back and forth. I very rarely flap my hands. I did it a lot as a kid, not souch now. If I find one of Kim's loose hairs, I'll run it through my fingers or inspect it closely. I talk constantly and make strange little movements. Is that stimming?
 
I just remembered, my first girlfriend was also autistic (I think a bit lower-functioning than myself) and her stim was hunching her back over, looking down and fiddling with her fingers. It was way more adorable than it sounds on paper. Hah, I miss those days.
 
Kim, like me has an alphabet-soup DX. I'm FASD, PDD, ASD plus legally blind. Kim is similar, but with eagle vision.
 
I love to run my fingers through her hair. The soft silky texture has a calming effect on me.
 
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