Stress helper device- Concept 2- Fidgeting/stimming tracker

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Many people are able to reduce their anxiety by performing repetitive motions with a particular object, like rocking in a chair, squeezing a stress-ball, or spinning a small rotating mobile. This small adhesive patch allows you to record how often you play with your existing stress-reducing objects. The patch monitors the motion of these objects and wirelessly transmits that data to your computer, where it gets correlated with your other daily activities as recorded in a calendar application, in order to provide insight into the short-term and long-term patterns of activity that tend to make you anxious.



You can either use existing calendar software like Google Calendar or iCal, or you can use a new application that allows you to record additional information relating to anxiety management, such as whether a particular activity has unpredictable start and end points, whether you're going to have to interact with a lot of strangers, or whether you're needing to travel for work.

Do you fidget with objects to relax? Would you be interested to log your stress-reducing behaviours?
Do you use a calendar? Would you be interested to see which events were the most stressful?
Would you like your calendar to have some autism-specific features?

I think stimming is for most Aspies a pleasurable experience. It's not necessarily akin to OCD where the sufferer has to do it or they fear something bad will happen. It's quite possible stimming increases with stress, but that may be because subconsciously the person is counteracting a stressful situation with a pleasurable one. So it's not necessarily a reaction to stress as in a manifestation of it.

Oh, this is cool!! !

I would be so obsessed with this. The graphics and concept are really neat.

This would be really valuable for staving of a "crash", beyond managing anxiety. Possibly you could actually see precipitating factors and behavioral "flags" leading to a meltdown. This would be great information for our doctors as well as ourselves and is probably terribly interesting to researchers. Yes, I would like the calendar to have some autistic specific features. Maybe something that quickly indicates "sensory", "social" as per "triggers".

You could also take a look at mood charts for bipolar disorder, for example. A medication check would be a good idea. That would help indicate whether the medication is effective for its purpose, not causing any problems, or if, say, the medication is contributing to anxiety. Good information for client and doctor both. I'd be interested in seeing any correlation between monthly hormonal fluctuations.

I haven't read your first post yet, but this is COOL!

I think that I'd have a hard time putting a little patch on every piece of furniture I sit in, and every little object I play with. This seems impractical.

Thanks everyone for your encouraging and helpful comments. We're now trying to assimilate them into some new/improved concepts.

gretchyn: are there particular objects that you play with more than others?

whirlingmind: interesting comments re. stimming and pleasure. Perhaps we could create devices to make it even more enjoyable?

Logicalmom: thanks for the encouraging comments! Do you use anything for scheduling at the moment?

General comment; does anyone record anything about their AS/autism, or life in general?

I live by lists - paper. I make a lot of them everyday.

I use sticky notes on my computer.

I use a whiteboard for general activities.

I journal on my computer and in notebooks. I am an obsessive writer. I practice mindful observation of my thoughts and have guidance from my psychologist in this practice.