STIMMING: An NT's experience

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Stimming does not appear to make or break any spectrum diagnosis. From my experience, stimming is one of the many things I do subconsciously, or until so many people (completely unrelated people), coincidentally make fun of the fact that I am doing it. For the most part, this rude awakening to my awareness was enough to somewhat control, or at least attempt to control it.

Things like rubbing my palms on my jeans I learned very early, my grandmother put an iron-on patch on my brand new jeans right on the top side of the knees where I would constantly rub. Somehow, that habit itself wore off. Leg shaking, and playing / pulling on my hair wore off much later. The stuttering to extremes which I have since never heard, wore off within a month of moving out of my parents house (14). Therefore, it might not have been spectrum related at all - who knows.

The adult life problems around stimming (as all areas), are much more complex in social terms. More noticeable, creative and embarrassing, (three individual threads) stimming events and styles come and go. The one that has survived time is the ear thingy; it is right up there with...well it is very far up on the entertaining pleasure scale. If grandma where alive she would knit me some earmuffs lol. At any rate, stimming is not as extreme with every person, aspie or not. An awareness of this behavior is not a cure, only a temporary deterrent.

I remember back in elementary school being told to stop shaking my foot, though to this day I really think they were telling me out of habit lol. Any way, a couple months ago, I'm standing in front of a salesman in the middle of a very large store, having a very productive conversation. As we were about to seal the deal, I noticed his foot was flopping, well there was no doubt that somewhere he had a friend or a camera of both and they were making fun of me. I immediately told him thanx for your time and have a nice day. Sad part is, a month ago I seen the same guy talking to someone else, doing the same thing, so maybe it wasn’t all about me, on that particular day at that moment. I am working on the amends process to this day, and it looks promising for all.

Point being attempted here is this and nothing less, whether a person is or isn’t this or that, does not make them any better or worse than either. Awareness is not a cure for me, nor can I save you with my awareness. If you are aware that you have no money in the bank, then you cannot put anything into my account, your war stories may appeal to some and even convince yourself, meanwhile, I'm starving to death listening to war stories.

The problems with problems are that they cannot be solved without a cause, nor can shooting the author solve them. By experiencing and behaving in the problems we have, we are only rolling in it, slinging it and messing up the entire cause that we came here for to begin with.

By considering what we have in common, and the possibility of occupying a common place, we might realize that every single member is capable of teaching someone something and the fact that we all have a lot to learn, some of which we will like, and some not so pleasant truths.

On that note, I would like to the God, and I would like to thank the academy..........ok, well maybe not just yet, my britches still need some mending, but I would to thank all who have made this far through this post, or any of my post actually, for opening your mind .


Flamers Unite
& Fiskers Welcome

Most of my stimming comes when Im happy or pleased with myself....such as if I made a good post or read something exciting and interesting I wring my hands and sorta crack my wrists while moving em in a sorta circular motion and scratch my head and/ or my neck, and stretch alot and crack my fingers.Sometimes i moved my neck around like I am making it crack.\\\


When Im upset or overwhelmed sometimes I do the neck thing or I rub my face while closing my eyes.


When Im at a table sitting, my leg is usually thumping up and down (bouncing my knee) or if Im standing, my leg is sometimes moving....this happens when Im overwhelmed or excited.