Stimming Without Realizing?

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Are there any stimming symptoms one might have and likely not realize, even when looking for them?

If you don't understand what I mean, I'll make an analogy. When I first ready of Asperger's, I didn't think that the "no eye contact" symptom applied to me. Of course I look people in the eye! That is until I heard and aspie discuss how she looks at people's noses and mouths to avoid eye contact while not creeping out the NTs. Then it dawned on me: I do the same thing. (And also sometimes let my eyes go out of focus so I can look into the "eyes" of a big blurry amorphous blob.)

Thus even though I was conciously looking for the "no eye contact" symptom, I still didn't realize it because of the manner in which I avoided eye contact. Now apply that to stimming and see if you have any ideas.

Lack of stimming was something that made me think 'not aspergers' the first time I heard of it several years ago. But after researching it more, I find I do a lot of different things that would be considered stimming. I also find that as I quit trying to fake being NT, I catch myself doing things like rocking more.

One thing I do is hold my thumbs between my fingers a lot. This is not outwardly a repetitive movement, but I do it automatically because it keeps my thumbs from twitching.

Can you list specifically things (whether or not you do them yourself) that you believe are stimming but are not immediately recognized as such?

I'm not sure I understand the question. Understood as stimming by me? Stimming in a diagnostic sense? As understood by other aspies? I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just not sure what you are asking.

I don't have very good body awareness, so often I am not aware of things I do. When I first read about walking on your toes, I just thought, "Weird." But then I realized that I walk on my toes ALL THE TIME when I am around the house. Sometimes I'll just walk around in circles in the living room on my toes, especially if I'm thinking about something or talking on the phone.

I don't know if this counts as stimming, but I have a tendency to start humming or whistling when I'm talking to people. I'm not aware that I'm doing it, and it's usually not the best way to make a good impression :p

I believe that qualifies as vocal stimming. I sometimes hum without being aware of it. Got me in trouble once in science class.

You mean if I start doing something all of a sudden, such as shaking my foot a lot without realizing that I'm doing so sometimes? If so, then yeah.

I do that all the time. My parents used to tell me off for shaking my feet all the time. I still do it now - and I'm fifty! I seem to do it most when sitting back on the sofa watching a movie on TV - something other people find very distracting! I don't know if it is Aspergers related or not. I don't know what other people's feet shaking habits are.

I'm not perfectly sure these are stimming.

When I walk around I sometimes wring my hands at my chest and/or sort of hold my left thumb squeeze it.

I sometimes walk around at work with my hands to my side putting my thumbs in the palm of my hand touching and putting pressure my thumb. Sometimes I do something similar with my pinky finger. I've noticed I'll also sometimes squeeze my hands shut and and open my hands as wide as possible while walk around at work.

Lately I've been twisting my arms at my side and turning my hand facing the opposite direction. I just like the way that one feels.

I often am moving my jaw around for some reason. I'll also connect my canine teeth and lightly pinch a small piece of my cheek.

For a good chunk of my life I've been known to lay on hard cool surfaces to help ground me. I liked how it feels enough to sometimes fall asleep on the kicthen floor. I've wondered if that's a form of stimming.

I can do a low hum to help calm when I am having anxiety. I'll also talk to myself outloud sometimes. Not sure if that's stimming.

There's also perseveration which I've read is the technical name for stimming. But some use the two terms for different repetative behaviors. You might want to look that up. I think I go over some thoughts over and over as well. I would actually post a similar idea over and again in different ways because I was probably perseverating on the idea. When I was a kid I used to ask the same question over and over. I sometimes like to say a phrase as well.

This is all I can think of. I used to not think stimming applied to me. I still don't feel like I truly stim. But these are things I've thought of.

I THINK I have long been conscious of most of my stimmishj behaviors

Do NOT always realize I am in the act [which is why I can remove my handkerchief from my mouth and stop my knee bob twenty times in a session, as I realize, stop, resume and realize aain.

Only recently saw how some of the stuff fits in.

I do indulge some o it more than I did; having a swaying wife increased my body rocking, sorting out the spectrum has reduced my anxiety to stop the knee bob.

I have stimmed and not realized it. I might not know I shake my hands or rock and in the past I would start pacing again and not realize it.

I have realized I tend to walk on my tip toes when I go up the stairs. Sometimes I go flat foot. I didn't even notice my lack of eye contact when I was 14 and I was never sure if I always had that problem. Apparently I have always had because I read in my old IEP records fro when I was five years old I don't look people in the eye.

Oh yeah you don't need to stim to have AS. It's one of the things you don't have to meet in the criteria because it only says "one of the following" so even if you don't meet the stimming part and you only met the special interests part and being so focused on it or meeting the inflexibility to routines and change, you meet it if you met two of the following from the first part and then all the bolded parts in the criteria.

Does it actually soothe your anxieties? Does it noticeably reduce your stress level and keep it from spiraling out of control? That's what a stim is for. If its just a fidgety habit, that doesn't count. Everybody has those.

I do stim, and I know I engage in stimming without my awareness. Stimming is associated with all ASD - yes, Aspies stim too. About NTs and stimming - not really. Important to distinguish between stimming (an Autistic trait) and just 'normal' fidgeting or restlessness!

For me, stimming is both relaxing and envigorating at the same time. Now I am more conscientious and I try to remind myself to not stim (a natural tendency) around others, or at least engage in 'quiet' stimming where it's not really noticable. I have a squeezey ball on my desk, for instance. btw, I can/do stim very classically - yes, I do the rocking back and forth stimming. When I stand I 'twist,' which actually keeps me balanced.

All of the above? I'm looking to find examples and then compare them to myself to see if I've done those without conciously realizing it.

What if you don't know when you are having stress? I actually think that happens to me. I can rationally observe the symptoms of stress in myself like a 3rd party observer while not mentally "feeling" it.