Why do I stim so much

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I used to think that I did it discreetly like in my room alone or under a table. Now I realize I am starting to do it in public. I have a few different stims. 1 rocking my head back and forth. Not hard or fast and so slow that you might not even notice. 2 flapping my hands at my side very rapidly. 3 flapping my hands on my head and making a weird expression. I have noticed thatI do it a lot more. Why could that be. I am 14. I have Aspergers (one doctor says it is severe another says it is normal Aspergers I don't know). I flap my hands most often after seeing a great pert in a TV show or movie and when I do something cool in a game. Does anyone else have the same problem? Do you know why I am doing this? Thanks

Welcome to wrong planet!! I stim ALOT... it is rather common with us.
My stims are nearly constant. I wiggle my leg back and forth, bounce my leg, flex my toes, tap my fingers, wiggle my fingers, flap my hands, clean my nails, rock back and forth, scratch my head, and play with my bracelet, grab any object, play with it and put it down somewhere else and then forget that I even had it in my hand. God forbid that I get ahold of a clickable pen!

Anyway, why do we do it? I dunno....I think it primes our brain

Jojo

I had no idea such a concept existed until I came here a few months ago, so I'm still really not sure what exactly constitutes as stimming, but if I'm understanding it right, I seem to do it quite often. Always thought it was normal for everyone, though, and nobody ever seems to get annoyed by it. Guess it just depends on specifics.

From what I can tell, it's kind of like white noise, at least for me. Kind of like keeping a part of yourself occupied without having to think too much or be too involved in something.

I don't know why we stim. It's always annoyed the hell out of me when people asked "why do you do that?"

My main stim - a finger flapping type thing with both hands touching my face - is involuntary. I don't even realize I've started doing it until I stop. I do them in public, too.

I can't really stop the ones I have at this point - they are the ones that stubbornly stuck around my entire life. I've been trying for most of it to not do them, but I've resigned to them being unstoppable, for me at least.

There are some preventative measures you can take, though. Things like keeping your hands occupied with objects, and keeping your mind occupied with something that is outside of your head.

I stim to release the pressure of the stuff coming in through my senses. Not stimming feels like torture by pressing, so I have to stim all the time. Stimming also helps me focus and hyperfocus.

I pick at (bite) my finger nails, unless something is in my hand then I fiddle with that. I have to always be doing something with my hands. Sitting still without fidgeting for 5 minutes would be too hard :S. I also sometimes bite the inside of my lips/cheeks but not in any really harmful way. If I am in a class or something where I am writing I like to tap/bounce a foot. If I have something to nibble on (chips, nuts, biscuits, that sort of thing) I will just constantly eat them. I will go through a large pack of chips in one sitting if I am not careful. If I am alone/feel safe I will whistle or make clicking and sort of hissing noises with my mouth, having the radio on in the background stops me doing that a bit, I don't like silence.

I don't really know why I do it, part of being in the club

I do stims in public all the time, but I do 'super-stims at home'. By super-stims, I mean rolling on the floor making 'euhhhh' noises, then screaming 'I'm a tractor beep beep' and punching doors and walls. Then laying down on my bed and moving my body parts for a while. Then screaming out random phrases while walking on all-fours.

I am confused...I move my feet all and legs all the time when sitting would this be stimming? Oh and i can't stand still i have to pace, HAVE TO!

I stim all the time... tapping my feet or my fingers, biting my cheeks, playing with my hair... sometimes it seriously delivers the wrong message O.o

WOW I didn't know all of those are stims! I mean if I don't have something in my hands like a squishy apple (the relaxation toy schools have in consoling rooms not the food), a bakugan, a lego with things to either move or take apart and remake them, an action figure, anything really. Now just hope that I never run out of things to do in chruch (like drawing or reading or something to fiddle with) because with out something I can't stop moving. bouncing in my chair looking behind me playing with my shoe (ie. taking it off and fiddling with the laces.) I just had thought I couldn't stay still. Thanks for telling me guys. javascript:emoticon(':)')

I tend to bite my knuckle for sensory fulfillment, it is hardened from years of that. I also like to twirl my foot, flicker my fingers and make drumming noises in my head.

LL

I constantly have to have a rubber band or string in my hand, which I move continously. Fortunately, I can semi-conceal this at work, but I've noticed this behavior is picking up. On another post about this I did mention that when I used to run (up to 8 miles daily) I seldom stimmed (though I always kept a string handy). I'm still not sure why, but once I stopped running, I started up again. It was my main clue to being on the spectrum. I was really bad in elementary school, I think my parents made the rule up that no neighborhood children could come in our house because of my stimming,. Its also why I was threatened with institutionalization more than once I'm afraid..

Sincerely,
Matthew

Because you're awesome.

I mainly fliker my fingers, bounce my legs, rock side to side and spin around in circles. I don't spin in public, but I do those other stims.