When I'm anxious, frustrated, or reaching sensory overload, I'll hum to myself, one continuous note repeatedly. It feels like I'm putting up an electrostatic barrier and protecting myself from the external stimuli, or whatever it is that's upsetting me. When anxious or excited, I'll also repeat lines of dialogue from movies and TV shows over and over to myself, just the same line or phrase, until I feel better. It feels like having a lifeline to cling to, and when I stop before I'm ready, it's like I can physically feel my security dropping out from under me.
The time I accidentally missed my therapy appointment and thought I was going to have to reschedule for the following week, I had a mini-meltdown, and afterwards, when I determined that I'd be able to get in to see my therapist in two days instead, I was relieved, but still so wound up that I spent twenty minutes to half an hour pacing up and down in my room, flapping furiously and just saying, "Okay, okay, okay,okay" over and over again as fast as I could. It was exhausting, but that was the point; before that I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin.
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"Survival is insufficient" - Seven of Nine
Diagnosed with ASD level 1 on the 10th of April, 2014
Rediagnosed with ASD level 2 on the 4th of May, 2019
Thanks to Olympiadis for my fantastic avatar!