Why do you stim?

Post Reply New Topic

I stim because it feels nice. I stim more when I am anxious or stressed. I stim basically because I need to, I can't imagine not doing it.

I have only noticed myself hand-flapping under extreme distress/panic, I rock when very upset, but I have also noticed I do mildly rock at random times too, but it's barely perceptible and I don't know I'm doing it until it dawns on me.

I have some weird ones, including clicking my ears (adjusting the pressure in ears), grabbing my crotch, and beatboxing. Sometimes I don't realize I am grabbing my crotch and that can be embarrassing... I used to get scolded for that as a kid. My wife can tell when I am happy or excited based on the tempo of my beatboxing, haha. Sometimes I do some rhythm speaking. The most recent one is "boxes, packages, boxes, packages, boxes packages, boxes and packages." Actually, most of my "stimming" behaviors are verbal or mental, but sometimes I spin around in chairs and tap on things.

A lot of times I guess it's my way of expressing emotions. Other times, it's simply to entertain myself because I am bored, but if I am in public, I am extremely conscious of the behaviors and I try to keep them under control.

I think I stim I'm not sure.

I pace sometimes. I do it automatically when I start thinking on something deeply. I also do it when anxious about something.

Super interesting thread. I'm on the parenting forum mostly for my son's recent diagnosis. But I do some stimming I think. I'm supposedly NT. What do you think it means? You've probably all had this conversation before... I have no clue why I do any of this. I guess mostly I'm often bored.

So, I rock all the time. Standing, sitting, well not when laying down I guess. I'm 46 and I've done it since I was a little kid. My parents were quite worried in fact. In the car I learned to bounce up and down instead of rock back and forth because my father would say that rocking back and forth was ruining his gas mileage! When I drive I bounce my left leg up and down.

I do weird breathing pattern things, like breathing in for the count of two then holding for a one count then out, almost like making a little melody out of it. Anybody else do that? I have no clue why and I don't feel great when I'm doing them. When I notice and stop and take a deep breath I feel better, and I feel like why in the heck was I doing that? I also have started breathing I guess you could call it sort of roughly so that it feels tight and raspy. I notice that and stop and I feel better. No idea why I do it if I apparently like not doing it better than doing it.

I'm always chewing on my lip. Not to the point of hurting it but if I mess with the outside part too much they get really chapped. I try to mess with the inside part to avoid chapping.

I sometimes do visual stuff involving lining up things in my visual field that are actually in different areas, like a pencil close to me with the edge of a painting on the wall farther away. My son does this sort of thing a lot which is what made me realize I do it a bit too.

And I don't know if this is stimming but I get phrases stuck in my head and they repeat and repeat and repeat. I don't verbalize them though unless it's a song lyric.

I really really like doing multiple things at once, such as reading while playing a board game or having a conversation, or working on the computer while focusing on a movie. Not just busy work but actual work and actual focus. I do have times when I decide to rest and I'm good at just chilling out and resting. But wanting to do a lot of stuff at once is I guess a form of sensation seeking, so maybe that's why I do the behaviors that might be called stimming. I have very little anxiety and I'm always praised for my calmness and rationality by people who have the opportunity to notice. So I don't think any of these behaviors are done for emotional stress. I can stop them if I want to, any time, and I don't feel any different or anxious or like I have to continue doing them or anything. So maybe because of that feature they are not like stimming at all.

I have no idea. I just catch myself swaying with no recollection of having started.

For calm. When I get excited I hand flap fast and jump up and down. I feel certain emotions as overwhelming. Since I was a toddler I have hand flapped.

When I used to have crying meltdowns I would rock and hand flap until calm.

Mine are almost only visual and tactile and serve many purposes. If I'm bored, nervous or need to calm down, I pretty much do the same things, just in differing intensity.

I hadn't realised that I stimmed until now (as I didn't know what it was) but looking back I can see I have had several, when really young I had a toy rabbit with a ribbon, I would fold the ribbon to a point and scratch my top lip, or fold it in half with the smoothest side up and rub it on my top lip, I think it was a comfort thing to get to sleep. When I was a bit older I used to put my finger in my belly button, people noticed and commented on this, when I was 18 I got it pierced and then I liked to play with the piercing. Since having my kids and taking that out I don't do that, but I have my tongue pierced and I like moving it on the top of my mouth. I do it because it feels nice.


Stims I do when stressed are humming and when a few really bad things have happened that I can't comprehend I have rocked. I think it's a way of focusing in a stressful situation. The last time I remember doing it was when my partner left me and the kids, there was just so many things to think about and as far as I was concerned it was right out of the blue (though now I know about the AS maybe it wasn't) I couldn't focus on what was happening and the emotions were so intense I felt as though they were warping the air in the room and I couldn't concentrate. Humming and rocking blocked out the distracting things and helps me focus.

Oh and I have a visual stim when I stare at something as though I am focusing on something, but I'm actually trying to unfocus my eyes (if that makes sense?) I usually do this when I'm talking to people and they are boring me, I think it might be so I focus more on what they are saying because I'm having trouble concentrating on their words. I sometimes do it for fun too.

<--- Has nerves like egg shells so stimming calms him down.

I pace and sometimes pace in circles. I like the way it feels and it's soothing. Drilling is also soothing to me like drills for sports like skiing or lap swimming or even drills in music like playing scales on the piano.

Rocking back and forwards is my most common stim and I do it almost every waking moment. Usually I can't resist, and rarely do I want to. These are some of the reasons that I stim. It is hard to explain exactly why, but I will make an attempt.

-My thoughts are always racing, and it feels somehow wrong for my body to be still
-My stimming is a form of communication, particularly when I am unable to talk
-If I am rocking I have better concentration because I am focusing on what I am doing instead of wasting energy trying to prevent what is natural to me
-I am often thrown into panic by my surroundings and sensory overload, but if I am rocking steadily I have a little more control of myself and I am less likely to experience a meltdown or a shutdown. Rocking calms me and distances me from my surroundings. Sometimes i feel like if I stayed still everything would overwhelm me; like if I stopped moving, I might never start again. There are times when I am still, but they are only when I am very relaxed and feel completely at peace
-It gets rid of excess energy and is an outlet for intense emotion

It is hard to explain right now. I am having trouble with articulation.

I should add that my stimming is increased by emotional state. When i am excited or particularly stressed or anxious it may become more pronounced or I may use multiple stims.

btbnnyr, these bunny emoticons are wonderful.

I twitch and flap my hands, twist my tongue, and pace. Those are my stims. These are my reasons...

#1 I am excited and it's overwhelming and sends a sensation through my body-excess energy-that I have to release.
#2 When my brain is being stimulated by things like typing, listening to music, watching a really good show, etc. which-again-causes excess energy.
#4 Caffeine-purely causes the excess energy thing.
#5 Cause it feels good.
#6 I have better concentration and focus of the thoughts.

Oh and I just realized I twitch my arms too.