Do you have a favorite stim? And why do you do it?

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Now that I think of it I do more stuff than rubbing my feet together. I pace quite a lot and I talk a lot to myself. For example when I'm confused or when I'm just thinking too much I kind of have a monologue with myself to ease my mind. I also rub my hands together or rub my fingers on one hand against the palm of the same hand. I remember when I was younger my parents told me I used to rock from side to side a lot. Even happened in my sleep. They could walk into my room the middle of the night finding me sitting up in my bed just rocking from side to side. I don't do that anymore though. Not that I'm aware of at least.

I am rocking.
I put my right hand-palm on my forehead and start moving both into circles.
I am pacing waiting for the train when I have to go to the autism-center going in a circle or ten steps - turn- ten steps -turn.
I am "rubbing" or "twisting" my fingers especially while talking to someone.
I am "biting" my "teeth" on each other always and people point it out to me, because at each side there is a muscle moving and people realize it, but I have no control about it.
When I am happy I jump across the room and flap my hands.
I am 'turning" around myself.
I tap with my fingers on my face almost permenantly and I cannot not do it in public.

My favorite, most comforting, stim is rubbing my ears. I usually don't do it in public anymore, but sometimes I slip and have to pretend I'm adjusting my earrings. No one but me probably even notices, but I'm still self-conscious about it.

Less favorite but similarly comforting:
When I'm alone and stressed I zone out and pick at myself (the rough patches thing) and pull at my eyelashes. These are comforting in the moment but I always regret it after.

When I'm really freaked out I'll make loudish non-word noises and flap my hands. I try very hard not to do that in public.

Yes, totally! I also pick at my skin wherever it's rough. I do it less now than I used to, but it used to be pretty bad: what started out as a bit of rough skin around my fingers would end up with half the finger being a bleeding mess, too painful to even touch let alone continue picking. I've mostly gotten over that, but I still do pick my fingers a little bit at a time.

I'm still learning about this notion of "stimming" and struggling to find a precise scientific definition. There are plenty of things I do that I've always assumed were perfectly ordinary, but perhaps they're stims. Examples are cracking knuckles, pacing, rubbing sore parts of my fingers (after I'd been picking them too much), keeping my hands busy with a stress ball or a slinky or similar toy, swinging back on my office chair (not a rocking chair and not designed for rocking - I've actually fallen backwards many times ).

I find pacing is something that helps me to think or to verbalise ideas. Sometimes even if I'm in the middle of a meal and I have an exciting thought I'll just get up and pace back and forth through the house, then realise what I'm doing, remember that there's a meal back in the kitchen waiting for me and get back to eating. (I only do that when eating alone, of course, not when I'm with others.)

As a kid I did other stuff as well. I liked rubbing my earlobes between my fingers or pressing my ears against cool metal objects. I think I did spin a bit as well, but not excessively. I also enjoyed being "squeezed" a bit, like between two heavy mattresses or gym crash mats (even though I hated being hugged by people). I always thought these are just things that kids do. OK, maybe hating hugs is a bit unusual, but isn't spinning just something little kids do for fun?

Absolutely. As I'm usually either listening to or working with music, I often find myself tapping my feet, hands / fingers and bobbing my head to the beat, keeping time with the music. It helps me relax, focus and stay on beat / time with the music - which is vital for a DJ doing mixes.

i just saw this and had to say that i love making chicken noises too:)

I like lying on the floor, it seems a bit abnormal

Probably bouncing my leg/foot or rocking in a computer chair. Maybe all of these at the same time.

Running up the stairs on all fours and talking to myself when I am alone or when I think I am alone at least, HEY! it keeps me entertained.

I do many of the things already mentioned here, like rubbing my hands/fingers together, tapping my feet, biting my lips, etc.
Most of these things I only do when no one is around, and mainly because I am bored and always need to be doing something with my hands and feet.
Also when I am reading a book I will play with the corners of the pages because I like the sound the paper makes. Most people think this one is really weird.

Sucking my thumb - as a kid it included rubbing my nose too, now it's just sucking my thumb, it's of course comforting and yes this may make me a big baby but I don't care

I meow and squeak too...I like my happy noises

Hand flapping (in my room when I am alone)
walking in circles
scratching at rough skin
rubbing my forehead
tapping
shaking either leg
rocking
biting nails
repeating words
talking to myself (at school usually)

Most calming is the flapping, though of course I cannot do it in front of others.

My primary two, flapping and playing with my eyebrows, are generally involuntary, and occur primarily when I'm stressed, bored, or excited. The one I do more deliberately though is rocking, either side to side or back and forth. I like it because it calms me down when I'm under a lot of stress, or just tired from overstimulation. I love rocking chairs, but can't use them for long periods of time because too much repetitive swaying makes me motion sick.

All of the stims I do, almost always involve my hands or fingers and often happen when I am bored, or am not using my hands. Most of the stims I do irritate me and I try to stop but I start doing them again anyway. But the stims I do like, I just start doing them for no reason almost, but I like doing them so I don't stop and I do them mostly when bored.

These would be flapping my hands at the wrist, but I don't usually do it fast. I do it a bit slow. But I have one that I like doing sometimes, but looks really strange, I like to press my finger tips down on a flat surface like a table and then move my hands around in circles or side to side. But the hand flapping I do, not sure why, but for some reason I just like doing it and sometimes I actually do it on purpose, just because I like doing it. So I guess that is my favorite stim because it can be relaxing to do it.

Last edited by Alfonso12345 on 29 May 2012, 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

I bite on my bottom lip when thinking hard about some thing.
Rock when Im really stressed not in public any more.
Flex my hand when talking about some thing that excites me.

I used to have alot more but "broke" my self of them in public to try to apear "normal".

I do a bunch of things that one would consider stims--sometimes done voluntarily, sometimes not--including...

-pacing (this one is almost always voluntary, but I'll feel an urge for this one)
-humming, singing or reciting lines from movies to myself
-leg/foot bobbing/shaking/wriggling
-tapping
-rocking
-softly slapping my hand against my leg, chest, or back
-Spinning back and forth if on a spinny office chair or stool

I've caught myself flapping a few times, and I'll sometimes pick at scabs or rough patches of skin. I think my favorite is either pacing while talking to myself and fiddling with some random object, or when I have both legs bouncing and am rocking at the same time. Leg-bobbing seems to be the stim I do the most.

At the moment, my desk at work is in a semi-open work area with three other people; the other three manage to sit still most of the time. Me? I'm constantly stimming somehow.