What is your Stimming Pattern?

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I was curious about people’s patterns for stimming. I have a number of stims. One in particular is that I flick my fingernails against my fingers. I just start doing it. It happens usually either when I am deep in thought or am feeling anxious. I also notice I do this a lot when driving my car. Or walking my dog. At some point, I notice that I am doing it. Sometimes, I continue for a little while. More often than not, I decide to stop. Then, I wonder when it will start again. Eventually, when I don’t expect it, I start again.

I was just curious:
- How often do you notice yourself stim?
- How long do you think you were stimming before you noticed?
- When you notice yourself stim, do you stop?
- When you stop, how long does it take you to start again (that is, when you do not start again on purpose)?

I usually don't know until it's brought to my attention by someone. Like my dad will start rubbing my shoulders to help me relax and I realize I'm rocking vigorously. Same thing when a teacher starts giving me calm talk.

I flap my fingers or whip a sock/handkerchief in the air with the speed of lightening. several times a day, for anytime from minutes to hours. at work, six hours straight, because i work six hours.

i usually know when doing it and do it on purpose, and i won't stop, although i can. i dont go for more than a few hours before starting again. i also rustle the paper when reading a book in a way that ruins it. this too i do deliberately, but i wont do it with a library book or a book someone gave and is expecting back, only books i bought online. i do this for as long as i read.

flapping helps me concentrate and solve problems, and it makes time seem real, how long is an hour, a minute. that's why i do it when bored, like at work.

If I notice myself stim, I've probably been doing it for a while. I only stop if I have a good reason. If it feels good, I'll keep doing it after I've noticed it. Or, if I stop and notice myself getting anxious or agitated, I'll start stimming again and I calm down some. I stim when I'm bored or doing something that doesn't take a lot of brain power, like watching TV. When I'm with friends and needing to interact, I stim all the time I can. I try to make it less noticeable, if I can.

Exact same for me. I don't know I'm doing it. So I wouldn't be able to answer this; there's probably a hell of a lot I do but don't know it.

I usually notice my stimming (tapping my fingers together is my main one) after a few minutes or so, I'd guess. After I was first diagnosed I tried to stop the behavior but after a couple days I said to heck with stopping because it started up again by itself anyway so I might as well get used to it. Besides I had done it for many years before I even knew it was stimming lol.

Not aware much when flapping my hands. Rocking often on purpose.

My stims are on purpose so I'm fully aware I'm doing them & can stop when I want & start back up when I feel like it.

I usually stim when nervous or unoccupied with anything.

-touching my face without realizing it
-pacing around, especially when on the phone for some reason
-playing with my wallet chain when I have the wallet in my back pocket
-crumpling any paper I might have, such as a random receipt, my bus transfer, a document I am attempting to turn in somewhere though I try to put things like that in folders and not do that but I am not always aware when I start crumpling something.
-If reading I will likely flip/fidget with the pages I am not reading
-As a child I used to like to smell any book before I read it
To name a few I am aware of.

No idea. I'm unlikely to notice unless someone has pointed it out to me (I notice at the time, and then I'll be more likely to notice spontaneously for a while....not sure how long, but maybe a day or so depending on how much the event stuck in my mind vs. being instantaneously forgotten) -- or if I've been reading about stimming on WP and whatever I've read has caused me to think about my own stimming (pretty much the same deal as with people pointing it out to me).


No idea.


Not usually.


Not a clue.

I tend to rub things or play with things on my clothes, like a button or a zipper pull, run my fingers up and down my purse strap, twirl a strap around my fingers, trace a pattern around the edge of something, snap and unsnap things over and over again, or just feel the texture of something.

When I'm alone I touch my face a lot, or run my fingers over my lips, or something move my hand or my foot in a rhythmic pattern.

I usually don't notice it. Sometimes I just sort of rub my thumb and forefinger together (right or left hand, doesn't matter) or start tapping my foot. I was just sort of nodding off rubbing my finger and thumb together the other day and I had no clue until my husband grabbed my hand and asked what I was doing. I told him it's a nervous habit, which I guess it is, but when I was a little kid I would chew my fingernails down to nubs. I only stopped doing that when I started doing acrylic nails to keep myself from doing it.

Why do I rub my fingers together? I have absolutely no idea. I think I probably do it more when I'm in a place where I'm not consciously monitoring my patterns of movement.

I have awful Stims, one where a rock back and forth while listening to music. I often clap loudly, hop or jump, moan and screech, and flap my arms and hands wildly while doing this. When I do it I go to my fantasy world where I get to hang out with famous people and talk about the things I like with them.

How often do you notice yourself stim?
Before I really realized and thought about what it was, very rarely. Often only when others would point it out to me. Now that I'm conscious of what I'm doing though, I recognize that I'm doing it pretty frequently, maybe a dozen or so times a day.
How long do you think you were stimming before you noticed?
Usually just few minutes.
When you notice yourself stim, do you stop?
This is a question I wonder about all the time. Once I've noticed it, then if I continue doing it I'm doing it intentionally. So should I stop or keep going? I think most of the time I just keep stimming, but in some more public circumstances I may try to stop.
When you stop, how long does it take you to start again (that is, when you do not start again on purpose)?
Depends. Most of the time probably a couple minutes. Basically however long it takes for my attention to drift to something else. However, occasionally I'll try to stop stimming with my one hand or leg and completely unconsciously the other one with start immediately. When that happens I usually just go with it and keep stimming.

How often do you notice yourself stim?
Frequently during the day. Mostly, when alone, but I have forgotten myself in public.

How long do you think you were stimming before you noticed?
Maybe seconds - maybe minutes.

When you notice yourself stim, do you stop? I often do, because have learnt, that any behavior, you can control, you should control....but that is just oldfashioned rubbish!

When you stop, how long does it take you to start again (that is, when you do not start again on purpose)?
I start again, when I feel the urge. It may take 5 minuts or two hours.