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Have you ceased stimming for long periods of time?

Kalinychta

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
I’ve had houseguests staying with me for the last three weeks, and they won’t be departing for another three or four weeks. So far, I’ve only been able to stim once while my guests were off at the beach (my stim is rocking), because I’m just not comfortable doing it when other people are in the house (other than their beach visit, they’ve always been here when I am). Giving it up has been difficult. It feels like I have a buildup of energy lodged in my body and an “itch” in my psyche.

Have any of you guys had to stop stimming for long periods of time? How did it make you feel? To me it feels like going on a diet. I can deal with the deprivation and starvation (so to speak) for a while, but I would never, ever be able to give up stimming long-term.
 
At my age, it is not as if I have to stop. I no longer have the need to do it, even when in a situation that would have once had me bouncing my knee like someone withdrawing from a long term addiction. Now, when it happens, which is fortunately rare, it is usual from an overwhelming sense of impatience.

That said, your situation sounds like a definition of an excised level of Dante's hell that the publisher made him cut for length reasons. I am not making light of it, just trying to commiserate. I really have trouble tolerating long term house guests, no matter who. I do not think I could keep an even keel in such a situation. I hope you are able to find a bit more space for yourself, maybe by taking a walk (or sequestering yourself in the bathroom??).

When I stimmed more and because it was always knee bouncing, I could hide it at dinner tables and such without anyone being any the wiser, so I was never in a situation where I would need to come up with an explanation. It sounds as if you need more me time than you are currently experiencing. I pray that you are able to find a daily dose of that while your infestation (;)) continues.
 
Have any of you guys had to stop stimming for long periods of time? How did it make you feel?

I basically do this in social settings (to appear normal) and it adds to my anxiety. Wouldn't recommend masking this hard unless you have to for some reason / it doesn't affect you as much, but it's pretty bad for me at least.
 
when I'm at work or around mixed company, like some of my more square family members, times when I have to "censor" my personality, sure. it's taxing and exhausting, like playing a Shakespearean role on stage repeatedly just to have an income.

And this is coming from a person who (in his slightly biased opinion) has stims on the more socially acceptable end. Things like cracking my knuckles, tapping my foot or a pen, humming while walking, twiddling my thumbs or rubbing my forehead. I have to bust out the more cringe ones for when I'm around more laid-back audiences, like my metalhead buddies, stoners or my pops.

The drummer in my band, who also is on the spectrum, went into this whole apologetic spiel arguing why he rapidly pulled his knees together and back so much, since people thought he needed to go piss wicked bad a million times. I reassured him abundantly that he doesn't need to explain or justify anything to his boy, if he hadn't noticed, I do the exact same thing.
 
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These days I find myself rarely stimming, short of standing in front of my tv set or pacing around my sofa in the living room.
 
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These days I find myself rarely stimming, short of standing in front of my tv set or pacing around my sofa in the living room.
I do the same things! I also pace around my entire house while I'm on the phone.
I didn't realize this was stimming. Lol
 
I honestly cant really stop, so I just make sure to do it where nobody can see me.

Fortunately, that's generally pretty easy around here.
 
The drummer in my band, who also is on the spectrum, went into this whole apologetic spiel arguing why he rapidly pulled his knees together and back so much, since people thought he needed to go piss wicked bad a million times.

Hahaha!!! That’s so funny.
 
I do not have much control on when I stim. It just seems to happen and feels terribly uncomfortable to force myself to stop. However, I have gone through months of not stimming and suddenly it starts again.

I stim mostly with my leg or legs bobbing up and down and sometimes do rock back and forewards or flapping my hands. This mostly occurs when extremely excited about something or extreme stress.
 
I do the same things! I also pace around my entire house while I'm on the phone.
I didn't realize this was stimming. Lol
I rated your post as funny because I am literally pacing up and down my hallway right now as I read that post. I guess I can relate.
 
Perhaps a different perspective here… I am enjoying my stims for the first time in my life! For about 40 years now, I have definitely done a whole variety of things, but it was always a source of embarrassment to be hidden away or some sign of a defect. Only now (mostly from reading people’s experiences here on the forum) can I realize that the stims make you feel good and it’s fine. I didn’t realize I don’t have to fight them and can enjoy the relief that comes from it without so much of the worry. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s frustrating because they can be annoying and interfere. I am a hand flapper, finger squisher, rocker, leg bobber, and occasional face tapper. And, yes, there’s others. It’s like the one woman circus sometimes.
 
Stims do feel good. I wiggle alot. I have to be careful, my stim of hair tugging can go wrong. I started scratching my head out of stress, then that spot became sore. So it was like OCD- compulsive scratching which happens during stress. If you have no stress/OCD, then stims aren't dangerous.
 
I typically don't stim anymore. I don't know if I stopped for no reason, because I naturally got less anxious, or because of my several anxiety medications.
 
I can't go 10 minutes, maybe less, without stimming. Many of my stims are "micro stims," in that it could be tongue chewing, teeth clicking, repeatedly pressing a fingertip into my other hand, moving my fingers, flicking a finger, "palpating" the same area of my leg (inner knee, left leg) while driving, and many other little bitty stims that aren't too obvious to other people. But I frequently rock, too, but NEVER around other people. My stims automatically go micro when I'm around other people, the inconspicuous ones, though I'll flap a foot or move my legs freely around others because these are socially acceptable. I have to watch the tongue chewing because that can be visible (looks like I'm chewing taffee or trying to swallow peanut butter). All in all, I see no reason why I should try to stop stimming for the sake of seeing if I could give it up. It feels natural TO do it; and very unnatural and awkward to suppress it.
 

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