moving in circles to relax

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When I first researched Asperger's syndrome, I was struck by the part about engaging in repeated, stereotyped behaviors. I thought about a perennial activity of mine growing up, which was the need to continually be moving without actually doing anything in particular. Sometimes I'd walk in circles around the firewood pile, or the wood chip pile, or a bush or mound in the horse pasture, just about anything suitable. The constant motion had a relaxing effect, and I also felt it stimulated my creativity. I'd almost always be making up a movie or a story or a song in my head. I found out years later that simply walking stimulates the cerebral cortex and therefore, boosts memory. My mom once asked me what I was doing when I did this and, although I don't remember this, my alleged answer was "resting." Even as an adult, I find myself still doing this, though now it's usually just around the couch, and my creativity has greatly declined since I was a kid.
Does anyone else out there have "stimies" like this? Can you relate? I'd like to hear your anecdotes.

Pacing is a big one for me. I do enjoy walking a great deal and often when I walk it will be almost the exact same path for months. I find that it does intensify my creativity and I'm always working on a movie in my head. Sometimes I will be at peace and have a thought pop into my head that I will jump up and pace about thinking of. Sometimes it is to work through a problem or particular stress. I do walk and pace a lot out of ritual and habit. It all boils down to it being very calming and relaxing for me and greatly stimulates my brain.

I do this all the time. There's a small divider wall in our house between the kitchen and family room and I do a lot of laps around it. Or I just walk in circles in my room. Lots of times there will be something on the floor like a shoe, and I will orbit it.

I paced like that a lot when I was having panic attacks but I don't do it to often otherwise

Kewl. I'm not alone.

I don't walk in circles but I do walk from one side of my room to the other. Worth saying, I do it more than I should, even if I have to do something I walk a few times in my room before going downstairs.

I'm notorious for pacing, especially when I'm anxious. I couldn't even tell you how many times I walked in circles around a table.

I pace in circles and back and forth across the floor all the time. It relieves anxiety in a similar manner to aggressive flapping. I pace around the coffee table in my living room whenever I have to have phone conversations; they make me too nervous to sit still. When standing, I'll shift my weight from foot to foot; the swaying feels rather like rocking, and I like it. I recently added humming to my repertoire. Repetitions of the same low, drawn out note over and over again make me feel safe inside my head, like the noise is creating a protective barrier against the outside world. If anyone saw me in a state of heightened anxiety that didn't qualify for meltdown status, they'd find a violently flapping, floor pacing hummer, and they'd probably think I was extremely low functioning.

I don't do it anymore but I used to do it a lot as a kid.

We had a huge, oval carpet in our living room and it had a 20cms wide border. I remember I used to walk, run or ride my bike(yes, inside the house...) repeatably on the "track" and I wouldn't stop although my parents were constantly telling me not to do that(saying that I am going to make a hole in the floor if I continue - how possibly?).

I don't know what I was thinking about it but I remember that going rounds like that felt nice and was addicting. Once I started I couldn't stop because I wanted to make another round around the carpet... And one more... And next one...

Oh yah - I pace, I rock, I walk in circles sometimes.

You're in good company.

Yeah, lots of circles or orbits as I called them, either on foot or on bicycle. Also a lot of spinning of myself and objects as well. That was mostly when I was younger as in around 13 and younger.


I liked doing this until I was around 35.

I can definitely relate to a lot of these behaviors. I'm infamous for pacing at many times throughout the day when I'm either trying to figure something out like a problem or details for a story/song I'm writing or just trying to dedicate something to memory. I also have a tendency of shifting my weight whenever I'm standing and it helps calm me. This can be a problem though when people just want me to stand still because my constant movement is distracting to them. I also have a habit of twiddling my fingers but no one really seems to notice that.

I walk around circles around my house then my mum bans me from doing so and I go upstairs and do it.

I don't just move around in circles in one room. I also move around the entire house.
Anywhere outside as long as it's not raining and no talking. I also move around the entire blocks on the street. If not, around the entire village. If that's not even enough, I also move around across the city. All on the same routes.
I get to practice how to filter street noise and jaywalking (They don't mind it here). People mistaken me for having walking exercises. And yes, I get to relax that way.

The only bad news is, I get a lot of broken shoes and flip flops. If not few wounds but it's worth it.

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I like to pace in circles.

Sometimes when I talk to myself, I start pacing around my room. I take the same path each time, and it's kind of subconscious.