test

Can daydreaming be considered a stim?

Page 2 of 2 [ 27 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

MrXxx
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 May 2010
Age:54
Posts: 5,680
Location: New England

12 Dec 2012, 10:11 am

No.

The whole point of stimming is "self stimulation." It is sensory stimulation used for various reasons, most of which amount to helping one concentrate, block out other stimula, or to cause a soothing effect mentally.

It's an external stimulus one creates through visible and/or audible and/or tactile actions. The reason we do it is specifically because we're not able to do so mentally. Daydreaming is a mental activity. Not stimming.


_________________
MrXxx has dropped off the face of the earth as you know it. Though he does occasionally come creeping out of it's nostrils to fling boogers around.


Marybird
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 1,565

12 Dec 2012, 12:08 pm

IMO, I don't think so. I stim and I daydream. My stimming is constant, repetitive, and rhythmic and is cognitive and related to sensory processing. I also have repetitive thoughts and phrases which are possibly related to stimming. To me daydreaming doesn't feel the same as stimming. It doesn't seem to have the same motivation.



Drone
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 3 Dec 2012
Age:22
Posts: 88

12 Dec 2012, 12:16 pm

I daydream a whole lot. Especially to music. I also need to be moving while I daydream. I would consider it a stim. I never see anybody else walking in circles making odd movements.



Marybird
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 1,565

12 Dec 2012, 12:50 pm

Drone wrote:
I daydream a whole lot. Especially to music. I also need to be moving while I daydream. I would consider it a stim. I never see anybody else walking in circles making odd movements.

I daydream while walking in circles to music and stimming also. Never considered the daydreaming to be part of the stimming though, just that I stim while daydreaming. Maybe it is, but I don't know



Cuckooflower
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 4 Oct 2012
Age:27
Posts: 359

12 Dec 2012, 1:32 pm

MrXxx wrote:
No.

The whole point of stimming is "self stimulation." It is sensory stimulation used for various reasons, most of which amount to helping one concentrate, block out other stimula, or to cause a soothing effect mentally.

It's an external stimulus one creates through visible and/or audible and/or tactile actions. The reason we do it is specifically because we're not able to do so mentally. Daydreaming is a mental activity. Not stimming.


Okay. That makes sense. So I suppose it cannot be strictly classed as a stimming behaviour as such, even if it is absorbing or whatever else.


_________________
Dime quienes son tus amigos y te diré quien eres


MrXxx
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 May 2010
Age:54
Posts: 5,680
Location: New England

12 Dec 2012, 1:39 pm

Cuckooflower wrote:
MrXxx wrote:
No.

The whole point of stimming is "self stimulation." It is sensory stimulation used for various reasons, most of which amount to helping one concentrate, block out other stimula, or to cause a soothing effect mentally.

It's an external stimulus one creates through visible and/or audible and/or tactile actions. The reason we do it is specifically because we're not able to do so mentally. Daydreaming is a mental activity. Not stimming.


Okay. That makes sense. So I suppose it cannot be strictly classed as a stimming behaviour as such, even if it is absorbing or whatever else.


Exactly. If we're able to calm or sooth ourselves mentally, we don't need to stim. Stimming is a way of coping when we can't manage to calm ourselves mentally.

That's why a commonly used method for overcoming stimming (especially stimming that could cause self harm), is meditation (very similar to daydreaming if you think about it).


_________________
MrXxx has dropped off the face of the earth as you know it. Though he does occasionally come creeping out of it's nostrils to fling boogers around.


drchcat85
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 4 Apr 2014
Age:30
Posts: 72
Location: Eastern Europe

18 Dec 2014, 3:02 pm

I think, daydreaming is a stim behaviour. When I get sensory overload or anxious in social situations, I start to dream. At school, many classes made me bored, then I used to daydream.


_________________
Self-diagnosed with ASD in march 2014
Diagnosis confirmed in june 2014.
Self diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, social anxiety
Myers Briggs type - INFP
My brother has classic autism; I am not native English speaker;
Autism spectrum is not disorder, is neurodiversity, talent and originality!


StarTrekker
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Age:22
Posts: 2,066
Location: Starship Voyager, somewhere in the Delta quadrant

18 Dec 2014, 3:37 pm

I think stimming refers to strictly physical self-stimulation rather than mental. For myself, I wouldn't classify daydreaming as a stim.


_________________
"Survival is insufficient" - Seven of Nine
Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder on the 10th of April, 2014
Thanks to Olympiadis for my fantastic avatar!


Norny
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Dec 2013
Posts: 1,340

18 Dec 2014, 9:09 pm

I wouldn't classify it as a stim nor a mental stim, but it seems to have a similar effect. When my autistic friend can't stim he stays in his head and thinks about random stuff.


_________________
Unapologetically, Norny. :rambo:


EzraS
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Sep 2013
Age:14
Posts: 3,257
Location: Misfitropolis

18 Dec 2014, 11:03 pm

I would say daydreaming the same thing over and over could be a stim. I do that to help relax me. I probably do less more typical stims when I'm doing that.


_________________
Ezra Shea
Classic Autism: Level 2 / Moderate


pensieve
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Age:29
Posts: 8,316
Location: Sydney, Australia

18 Dec 2014, 11:15 pm

I would start daydreaming when really stressed out, so in that way it is a stim.


_________________
My band photography blog - http://lostthroughthelens.wordpress.com/
My personal blog - http://helptheywantmetosocialise.wordpress.com/


pensieve
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Age:29
Posts: 8,316
Location: Sydney, Australia

18 Dec 2014, 11:16 pm

EzraS wrote:
I would say daydreaming the same thing over and over could be a stim. I do that to help relax me. I probably do less more typical stims when I'm doing that.


If it's a stim then I stim every night so I can get to sleep.


_________________
My band photography blog - http://lostthroughthelens.wordpress.com/
My personal blog - http://helptheywantmetosocialise.wordpress.com/