what is your stim?

[Arashi222]

Simply A Bibliophile I am in the same boat. I never thought I did hand flapping or rocking until I was alone and finally calming down I realized I was rocking. I tend to have many stims but rocking is one that I tend to do a lot when I am stressed after reading something or worried about something I will start to rock. I am not really sure if I hand flap or not. I have been told I do but I don't know if its true hand flapping for just regular fidgeting.

 

[Megan]

Besides rocking and rolling my head around on my shoulders, I'm not sure what other behaviors are considered stims. I nod my head a lot. I flex my fingers, wrists, ankles, and toes very often. Sometimes this bothers me when I'm trying to fall asleep. I make fart noises a lot with my mouth and I repeat certain words and phrases to myself, almost like I'm singing. When I'm stressed, I excessively touch my hair. I pick at everything on my face, and I pick my nails and toe nails. I also pick at the skin around my nails. I pluck hairs, but I suppose that trichotillomania and not a stim. I swing my hands when I walk. I close my lips tightly and lick the outer corners of them. I also really enjoy spinning in circles.

I try to keep noticeable behaviors to a minimum in public, but sometimes I can't help touching my hair if I'm nervous. I'd like to be comfortable enough to do these things in public, as long as they're not distracting to others.

 

[Cerulean]

I also do quite a bit of skin picking, around my fingers mostly, but sometimes face and neck.

 

[fjord]

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

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 never imagined anyone else did this! I usually "type" when I'm waiting to fall asleep. It's a way to keep my thoughts from racing around so much.

You mentioned a "weighted blanket", which I'd never heard of before, but googled it to discover its link to AS. I like to sleep with a super heavy denim quilt, folded so it's double. My husband think it's crazy since it gets so hot, but I can't sleep otherwise.

 

[Simply a Bibliophile]

We need to start a thread for "The stim I didn't know I had." I found out another one. I was surfing and found some information about Series 3 of Sherlock, promptly took my hands off of the keyboard and flapped them like crazy. I don't even think about doing these things, but now I notice it every time that I stim.

 

[fjord]

We need to start a thread for "The stim I didn't know I had." I found out another one. I was surfing and found some information about Series 3 of Sherlock, promptly took my hands off of the keyboard and flapped them like crazy. I don't even think about doing these things, but now I notice it every time that I stim.

Ooh, series 3! Your avatar is making me want to re-watch 1 and 2. When I was younger I read ALL the Sherlock Holmes books. That was a graduation from Encyclopedia Brown, hehe.

Until reading this thread I really didn't think I had any stims, because I didn't see myself rocking or hand flapping. However, reading all these examples makes me realize I'm doing some thing or other all day long, hmmm....pressing my fingers hard onto surfaces, straightening my fingers, tapping or slapping rhythms, running my tongue over my front teeth, needing to say the 'b' or 'p' sound over and over, and other things. When I was a kid I would scrunch my upper lip to touch my nose, and excessively bite and my lips and cheeks, smell a book whenever I opened it, etc. Oh, and smell my hand - until somebody noticed it at a family gathering. Talk about mortification!

I've noticed my son smelling his hand. But he also has this need to press his toenails and fingernails down (with the other hand or foot), especially when he has to just sit somewhere. He can't give me any reason for doing it, so I wonder if that's a stim, too.

 

[testosk]

Ooh, series 3! Your avatar is making me want to re-watch 1 and 2. When I was younger I read ALL the Sherlock Holmes books. That was a graduation from Encyclopedia Brown, hehe.

Until reading this thread I really didn't think I had any stims, because I didn't see myself rocking or hand flapping. However, reading all these examples makes me realize I'm doing some thing or other all day long, hmmm....pressing my fingers hard onto surfaces, straightening my fingers, tapping or slapping rhythms, running my tongue over my front teeth, needing to say the 'b' or 'p' sound over and over, and other things. When I was a kid I would scrunch my upper lip to touch my nose, and excessively bite and my lips and cheeks, smell a book whenever I opened it, etc. Oh, and smell my hand - until somebody noticed it at a family gathering. Talk about mortification!

I've noticed my son smelling his hand. But he also has this need to press his toenails and fingernails down (with the other hand or foot), especially when he has to just sit somewhere. He can't give me any reason for doing it, so I wonder if that's a stim, too.

This is very interesting. I don't think I have aspergers, autism, etc, however I stumbled upon this site when looking for something else to describe an itch. However, I actually find myself putting pressure on my toes and fingertips for a stim. Also someone above was talking about a heavy blanket, and I usually just need a heavy blanket at my feet to fall asleep.

Other things as well that I do would be every few minutes I put pressure on my pockets, I go left, right, then my rear pocket checking to see if I have my phone, keys, and wallet. But I do it even if I know I have nothing in it just out of habit. But definitely the biggest thing I do is put pressure on my thumb nail with my index finger, then use my thumb to put pressure on my other fingers. Then once I roll through all of those, I roll my ankle a little bit, and I'm settled for a while.

 

[alisonrcraig]

I had never heard of stimming. It's a bit of a shocker to realize that I'm 40 and I've done this in socially accepted forms all my life. Instead of tapping my nails, most of the time I tap the tips of my fingers so I don't annoy people, and do it where they can't see. I bounce my knee a great deal when anxious, and a large variety of other habits I'd never considered. I have found myself rocking when anxious and in private, but in public i use one hand to rub the muscles in the palm of my other hand.

 

[Studies Shadows]

I dont think stimming is a disorder, rather an immature abillity/compulsion or action requiring a grown up (added survival)purpose. I have adapted my love of making my arms and body go around in circles (Aikido) and repetative body movements and rythmic breathing (long distance swiming). I still rock and sway in my chair cos it feels good. I guess I am one of the hyper types always needing stimulation or sensation. I nibble my nails and fingers.

 

[buckyboy14]

I rock and sway instinctively. This has occasionally hindered me. I compete in speech tournaments, and nearly every time, I get points deducted for rocking side to side.

 

[Soup]

Soup's stim of the day: slow rocking from side to side (like a tall skyscraper) & odd shoulder srugging. that last one makes it look like I've been saying "DUH..I dunno" in NT body language all day long.

 

[Tarragon]

YEP! Those are stims, Demo. I can relate to the itch thing. I think we Aspies, due to our different neurology, may be more sensitive to environmental factors like temperature changes, humidity changes, laundry detergent, certain fabrics etc. so we get the flaming madcap itchies. I take a 24 hr non drowsy Reactine to thwart this & it works well with no side effects, Of course, I also avoid fabrics etc. that irritate me. This prevents me from getting itchy in a public place & trying to resist itching like a flea-bitten dog!


!!! I can relate to the itchy thing! I didn't know it was a stim. I thought I was just hyper-sensitive to things! I can't walk past the aisle (let alone walk down it) of the cleaning products in a supermarket, damp washing makes me itch uncontrollably, heat triggers it too. from the looks of it, this is part of being an Aspie? I'm new to all this, but it would be a relief for me to know the reason behind my sensitivity! oh, and certain Fabrics make me itch too! This is a common phenomenon?

 

[Soup]

It is, Tarragon. Seems like so many of us report having super sensitive bodies. While in the NT world, someone may be sensitive to wool, we tend to be sensitive to an entire stock-pile of fabrics & textures. I can FEEL the pokes from polka dots. As a kid, I thought the print was actually POKE a dots: I believed everyone felt poked by the dots. Stripes feel like scratches to me & looking at them makes my balance go wonky. We are wired differently in ways modern medicine is only beginning to understand. I don't doubt for a second that this difference applies to the way our skin & muscles process physical sensations as well.

 

[Cerulean]

I get that too, fleece and microfiber cloth hurts me. Gah its the worst!!

 

[balder]

Before join this forum I didn't know anything about stims, but I guess do it a lot, like tapping on surfaces or shaking my knees and feet when I'm sitting down. I always thought that it happened because there's usually a music playing in my head, but I've just noticed that I do it even when there's none... Also when I'm in front of the computer, leaning on the table with my elbows, I keep tapping my lips. If I try stopping rocking my hands, I soon start doing it wity my feet and vice versa...

 

[Soup]

Welcome to the club, Brother Balder!

Soup's stim of the day" Lots & lots of hand flapping.

 

[Dara]

I have many stims.
I play with my hair (I don't think it's weird buy the way, I've seen many doing it and rarely people bother me for this); chew my lips or the skin at the side of my fingernails, I rock back and forth/form side to side (this rarely in public), I tap my foot or my fingers...

When I'm very stressed, sometimes I have an 'odd breathing pattern'. I don't know how to explain it... I can try to make an example:
inhale a little - stop - inhale more - stop- and so on... and the same to exhale.
Each breath and pause had a different length, like playing a silent tune.
It's embarrassing to share this, but it's one of those stims I can do around people without anyone noticing.

 

[Cerulean]

Dara I know what you mean about the breathing tunes, I do something similar to that. I also will play repetitive little "songs" on my fingers, with my teeth, or sometimes my toes.

 

[Dara]

That's comforting Cerulean! I never heard of anyone else who did that.

 

[Christian T]

Dara I know what you mean about the breathing tunes, I do something similar to that. I also will play repetitive little "songs" on my fingers, with my teeth, or sometimes my toes.

Me too! I'll play out rhythms every part of my body I can.