What are stimming behaviors?

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as a child, when lying in bed trying to fall asleep, i used to rub my feet one against the other. i could be doing that for hours until my muscles started to hurt and only then i actually noticed that i was doing that. now i only play with my ears and nose a lot, i crack my fingers and bite my nails and fingers, and stuff like that.

Im a near constant stimmer....since my diagnosis my family and friends have been pointing out all my stimms that I didnt even notice before. I tend to have A LOT of stress and I think I stimm to release pent up energy and stress. Most of my stimming involves my hands and fingers. I flick my fingers, bite my nails and fingers, I play with the seams in my clothes, rub my cell phone and any other smooth surface, I make my hand into a C shape and rub the back of my fingers on my mouth. I rub my feet together and wiggle my toes. I also do large motor stimming like rocking and pacing. I also curl up when Im sitting and I stiffen up sometimes and hold myself in odd positions.

Luckily one of my stims is just plain old taking a walk somewhere, at least that is one stim I never need to hide because everyone takes walks. If I am driving and have the need, I find a nearby neighborhood road to park and get out of the car and start walking. Surprisingly I am not thin but I love to eat so that cancels that out (gotta stop that and once I do, the weight will definitely fall off). I am also a nail biter (I never thought that was a stim but apparently so), I shake my leg while I am sitting down, sometimes I listen to the same song over and over again (that is one that I have never stopped) but my stims were MUCH worse as a child and I even knew back then I would be less accepted if I allowed anyone to see what I did so I always did it in private.

Hand flapping was my main stim when I was a kid. I don't really do it any more - I learned to stop because eventually I got old enough that people found it intolerably strange.

Now I shake my leg a lot, and I tend to tap my fingers on the desk or whatever is in front of me. (I love typing.)

Stimming can be something you do like rocking, flapping like u said, headshaking, finger twisting, flickering off the corner of your eye, leg shaking, finger tapping, pencil clicking and etc. Stimming can also be something you stim off of, get that same sensation when your stimming while in my case i rub my cellphone because it has a silicone cover and rubber hands and feet i rub all over my face, hands, mouth, and fingers, or my pot which i use the pan part on my forehead or stomach for the coldness and the rubber handle i rub like crazy. So theres stimming you do and stimming you do off of something basically. Like I've seen autistics stim off of strings, twirling them around their fingers becoming so intrigued with how it feels lol, i know because i use to do that lol.

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Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

I think I stim, when I'm bored or very nervous there goes my leg bouncing, I can't help it. I also sway back and forth while standing, hit my arm against my side, bite my nails, when excited I caught myself hand flapping I think... I'm still trying to figure this out in myself.

I move my plush Tux to my mouth... well, actually, to the part of my face between nose and upper lip, breath in and move her away, then return this procedure... Or when I'm sitting, I move my knees towards and then away from each other.

I rock from side to side.
Bouncing with my leg. (either one, somtimes both)
Pencil Clicking.
Finger Tapping. (guess thats pretty normal for NT's too.)
On computer, Clicking on EVERY mouse button, forth and back. (like a rolling movement.)

All these things happens when im borred. Also when thinking a lot.
Noticed the other day that I also do tiptoe walking, when REALLY happy

[EDIT]:
I Could actually continue..
My parents always used to freak out, because i had this thing with paperclips...

Also a thing I'v ALWAYS done, and still do a lot is, like when I walk around a corner or even though a door, and other things, I have a stong feeling of that i MUST touch it. Like putting my fingers in a crack, to feel it... then i can move on ... (anyone else having this?)

Pretty much everything except for the self-injurious ones, screaming, and the ones involving poop.