Is pacing a "stim?"

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I pace a lot. I've done it even as a little kid. It's not uncommon for me to pace for over an hour or more at a time thinking about something. I've paced for easily over 3 hours at a time. I don't do it when I'm anxious really, I more do it when, I say, get an idea, about, let's say, cooking. My family says it's unsettling when I pace, that it makes people anxious. I don't quite get why. I'll walk around the house, my room, whatever, just thinking about whatever idea popped into my head and how to make it work.

But, anyone else pace like this? Is this a "stim" like hand flapping or whatever?

yes. i love pacing. well i dont know if thats the right word but i do it a lot it somehow seems to help organize thoughts running through my head

I do exactly the same thing and get the same comments about it. I think what they find unsettling when I do it is that I have a blank fixed stare because I'm entirely in my head and everything is tuned out.

I've always thought of it as similar to an athlete being "in the zone". My thinking is much more clear and fluid during my little pacing trances.

Last edited by Rascal77s on 08 May 2012, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yes, I pace and/or walk all of the time and I'd go nuts if I didn't do it.

i pace. i walk in small circles always turning to the left. it does not feel good to stand still so i am always walking when i am standing.

I walk in circles when I'm talking on the phone.

I think it's a stim, myself. I do on occasion pace for hours, but usually it's just over and over again in small 2-10 minute bursts for an hour or longer. When I do this, I'm usually just thinking about something - exactly what I usually am doing with other stims. My family, too, finds it unsettling, so I just pace in other parts of the house.

Yes, it's a stim. Although it's not one of mine, I do understand, because I have several others that I do. And yes, I do often go deep into my own thoughts. Sometimes I am in one of my daydream story universes, which I have done all my life. Other times I am just zoning out because I am tired. Then there are other times when I am just mentally wandering around inside my own brain, as I think about stuff. Just like having a real, 3 dimensional living room, I also have a mental, no dimensional "brain" room.

I have sometimes received comments about my stims, but hey, it doesn't bother me, and it's not hurting anybody, so I will keep stimming, as it seems to provide some sort of needed outlet. Besides, every move you make burns calories, and I need all the help in that department that I can get.

after a large loss, i paced to deal with the pain. family didn't like it. i guess houses are too small for marathons.

I don't pace in the house, but I generally do when I'm waiting somewhere else. When I have a book, sometimes I sit down and read, sometimes I pace and read.

I pace when I'm deep in thought, upset about something, or if I'm talking on the phone. Or sometimes just because.

I pace:
when thinking or obsessing or resisting a bad temper
sometimes when I'm too hyper to sit down to eat a meal I've made; this bothers my kids,
when waiting at an office - like a veterinarian's, doctor's, etc. because I get kind of claustrophobic in there and can't sit especially if there are others waiting I'll go outside.
I wish I could pace while waiting for check out at the grocery store but there's no room so I just rock a little bit, trying not to be obvious. (waiting in line with people around makes me want to run out of the store actually)
When I pace at home my cats don't like it - they have to put up with it though

I think it is a stim. I find it relaxing when I do it. I also do it to calm myself down, it can be when I get excited or getting anxious or having anxiety. I try to not do it in my apartment because I don't want to make elephants to the person below me so he ends up playing his music loud again. So I rock back and forth instead when I sit or tap my feet or bounce my legs or drum my fingers.

My pacing drove people crazy in high school and the girls on my softball team. They had to keep reminding me to sit and it was always awkward and uncomfortable. I felt I needed to do it.

I think that it can make people uncomfortable because they don't understand why you're doing it. I pace a lot. I also walk on the top of my feet. I do it when things are noisy, or any sensory thing is overwhelming. Also when I'm nervous or emotional. Walking can help but due to allergies, and hypersensitivities I have falling out of the routine of doing it. I wish I walked more. It can probably help with pacing. I never noticed it a big problem when I was walking more and doing more sensory integration. I also live alone so people don't really notice it because there is no one here lol.

Yes, it is.
It is also common in anxiety disorders.

Ha, me too.