Stimming past childhood

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So I have looked on line for several solutions to my stimming issues, but the only help I found was for kids. (Particularly any chewing/oral stimming) What are your problems as an adult? What do you do when you are with others? What do you do to stimm?

I'm 28 and I still stim. You're not alone. I twirl a string or something with a similar feel (long and dangly) in front of my eyes for hours at home alone. I used to do this in public and I used to flap my hands and walk in circles talking to myself as a kid. I wave my hands and make fists and and claws with them when I'm upset (even in public). Unfortunately I pick at my skin (both in public and at home) and I do more socially acceptable stims in public like shaking my foot constantly or fiddling with something in my hands.

I'm 37 and never made the connection before, but I will often wake up twirling and pulling my hair out I twist it so much. sometimes I twirl my hair too when I am awake. It comforts me.

My stimms are very unusual finger and hand movements. I don't know how to describe them but they are very pronounced. I was teased quite a bit because of it when I was younger. I also rock back and forth quite a bit. I don't think I stimm as much as I did when I was younger but I definitely still do.

Some might argue that adults don't ever stim, but I think the topic is mostly just neglected and that many adults stim, often privately.

I do that too but I'm not sure if it's a stim. I only do it when I'm nervous. Other than that I mostly grew out of my stimming and I don't really remember it that well. My childhood assessment reveals that I used to rock back and forth excessively and very noticeably but I don't do that anymore.

      /Agree

well, I don't know if it counts as stimming but my need to block out upsetting thoughts by repeating things over and over again is bothersome to me. I don't really have a problem with it in public because I'm the cause of the thoughts that provoke it and I mostly think them when alone, but I have slipped and done it in public on occasions. Also, the rocking is rare and I don't find it creepy like the talking to myself, so it's not a problem. I will do it in public if I feel like it and not even think about it.

I think as adults we tend to 'internalise' stims more through being repeatedly told to pack it in as kids, so the most obvious ones are the echolalia type repetitious patterns, and stuff folk don't notice like chewing things. These days I only get visibly 'will you STOP doing that!' stimmy when I'm very stressed out. mostly I can keep it on the down low.

I buy string cheese at a convenience store and dangle it in front of my face , at least that's what works for me. I also take all the pencils out of my bag when I'm in class and line them up in a neat line or make shapes with them.

As for my hand flapping, once I start, I usually don't stop until I calm down. I just like doing it. The same thing goes when my echolalia acts up.

Try and find a way that you can "make your stims acceptable", Everyone has stims, so just find ways to do it in either one way or another. Autistics and Aspies do it more so openly.

I very often miss the fact that I am doing it, nor could I provide a complete list of stims i do. If you catch yourself doing a stim you don't want to do perhaps you could simply stop doing it and try to replace it with a better one. I don't think stopping it altogether is an option though.

I didn't try to stop "stimming" in public because I didn't realize it would be a problem for anyone. I figured everyone did stuff -- whether it be rocking or shaking my foot or drumming my fingers or playing with some item. Only when I found myself in the AS descriptions have I wondered whether I should stop. But since most of what I do starts without me realizing it, that's kinda difficult.

Yeah, like most ppl who posted I stim just as much as when i was a kid. By adulthood its second nature to me to do the more noticeable stims in private. The main issue as an adult is certain things that help ease the stimming are no longer age appropriate, i.e. its much more socially acceptable for a kid to jump and spin and hand flap than an adult. What i mean by easing stimming is movements that most ppl on the autism spectrum seem to find theraputic. Like, if i get a ton of exercise I'm much less likely to do the tic-ish stims and my whole body feels soothed and relaxed.

As mentioned above, everyone stims. Our neurological design just makes us need to stim more than others. Its good for us, so keeping yourself from it at all I would think would be harmful. But if you really want to stim less, exercise is a healthy way to calm your central nervous system.

Some stims are just better to avoid in public, but when I've tried to avoid all stimming, ive just felt really stiff and unable to relaxe and then ppl ask why I'm so still. So I've pretty much came to the conclusion that I'll just let myself be natural, at least then i can feel some sense of relaxation... since ppl seem to comment on me either way.

Has anyone else noticed that you seem to move/walk a little differently than most ppl? If I allow myself more freedom in my movements i end up not twitching/fidgiting as much. ...Ive even noticed i walk differently when I'm alone. Its like my subconscious mind has just learned to adjust my whole way of moving depending on if I'm alone or not.

I've pretty much made up my mind I'm gonna sway and rock when i feel like it. and **** what anyone thinks about it. Apparently I'm not the only adult who still stims hella a lot... *pride.

I do something very similar, however I must do it directly above the ground. The posture required to both look down and twirl something an inch above however has destroyed my rotator cuffs and caused some serious neck problems. In the last few years stimming has become some discomforting I can't get anything out of it anymore.

I struggle with my secret habit of stimming for most of my life, always trying to stop, just as I learned it was perfectly ok to do so(7 months ago), I started loosing the ability to do so.

I had never heard of stimming until I started to research AS and realised that not only did I have it but that I have been stimming in various ways all my life. I now watch people and realise that other people do not sit rubbing their nail over their finger ALL the time. They also do not bang their mouth with their knuckle when really stressed and I doubt they bite inside their mouth most of the time. So aged over 60 am I going to try to stop? Absolutely not!

This. I didn't even realize that other people didn't do the things I do while sitting around.

Just to list a few: leg bouncing/shaking (I see this one around, but not as severe as mine), twirling my headphones cord, twirl hair/beard/mustache, lots of stuff with my hands (running fingers along other fingers, grabbing and twisting, etc). Move my tongue back and forth in my mouth, do this rocking motion while standing (stand on toes and then back).