What are your stims?

[AspiePie]

I flap my legs.. Rock... and pace!

 

[Myway]

I flap my hands, rock, spin, and jump at random times.

 

[ancusmitis]

I pace and tap out drumlines from the music I listen to. I was going to learn to actually play the drums at one point. Not sure what really stopped me.

 

[EricD]

I play with loose hairs, sway back and forth when I'm standing, talk to myself, etc.

 

[Nacho]

I think this is kind of weird, but I either:
- Whenever I think of something, I simulate like I'm typing it in a keyboard, and it keeps me busy, which is good in those situations.
- I start simulating like I'm playing the piano with my hands in an imaginary keyboard, reproducing songs that I like.

 

[Nitro]

I think this is kind of weird, but I either:
- Whenever I think of something, I simulate like I'm typing it in a keyboard, and it keeps me busy, which is good in those situations.
- I start simulating like I'm playing the piano with my hands in an imaginary keyboard, reproducing songs that I like.

Yeah,rocking out to music doesn't look all that strange to anyone.

 

[clg114]

I think this is kind of weird, but I either:
- Whenever I think of something, I simulate like I'm typing it in a keyboard, and it keeps me busy, which is good in those situations.
- I start simulating like I'm playing the piano with my hands in an imaginary keyboard, reproducing songs that I like.

Back in the MX days, I used to make twisting motion with my right hand like I was turning a throttle.

 

[Nitro]

Back in the MX days, I used to make twisting motion with my right hand like I was turning a throttle.

I drift grocery carts in the stores,or twist the grip like a throttle on a bike,often gearing down for a corner

 

[Vinca]

I tap out repetitive patterns with the pads of my fingers, either just one hand on any available surface, both hands mirroring each other on any avilable surface or right hand fingers and left hand fingers tapping each other.

Clenching and relaxing muslces in repetitive patterns.

Inerlacing my fingers, like in the photo, but keeping my palms apart then putting one thumb on top of the other, so they are touching and swirling them round each other.

 

[Astroganga]

Jiggling my leg when sitting, sometimes in a rhythm sometimes just very rapidly. I also do what I like to call penguin flapping its where I flap/slap my hands bilaterally at my sides.

 

[Mr. Cat]

I do weird voices all the time, random, and spontaneous. Never knew that was an aspie thing at all, but I've been learning quite a lot lately! I also like to spin, in my chair but especially standing up.

If I am anxious, I pick my skin. I will keep it limited in front of others until I can get to a more private place, in which case sometimes will last for an hour at a time, to the point of making myself bleed.

Hmmm, I always wondered if my spontaneous voices and skin picking while stressed (or tired) were aspie related.

 

[Nitro]

Sometimes I tap my fingers on a tabletop from pinky to index trying to duplicate the sound of an engine with a racing camshaft.

 

[JustDifferent]

It's always something with my feet or legs:
- Putting my toes on the ground and moving my heel/knee up and down.
- Tapping my knees together.
- Putting one leg over the other and then flapping my foot side to side.
- Sitting crossed legged on the floor and moving my knees up and down.

It all depends on the position I am in at the moment.

I also like to rub the edge of my nails over my finger nails. And you really shouldn't put me on a chair that spins..

 

[Katherine Rawstron]

I drum my fingers or slap my thighs in time to a tune, fiddle with my hair or eyelashes (the latter less so since I've been wearing glasses; I like the feel of the curve of the lashes or on a loop of hair); I've started rocking in the last year or so, I don't why this late in my life (I'm 57 next month!), the other things I've been doing since childhood or late teens. I've just stopped doing this for a few seconds and found myself interlacing my fingers and making circles on the palms of my hands with my thumbs! I caught myself twiddling my thumbs at a concert on a U-tube video - the camera wasn't even focussed on me as I was in the audience, to the far right of the screen, yet my attention was constantly drawn to that, not the performer! Since discussing my self-diagnosis with my husband, he mentioned I annoy him when I wiggle my foot, so I have tried to stop doing that, and have the following strategies to ensure I don't annoy or distract other people.
If I'm alone in the room, I let myself do what I like since I'm not annoying anybody.
I I'm in the front room with my husband, I pick up something to do with my hands, e.g. colouring, knitting, puzzles; it also keeps my feet still as I have something on my lap.
If I'm in a place with other people where the above isn't an option, I sit back and lean on the back of the chair or the wall and sit on my hands. If the seat is a backless bench, I lean forward with my elbows on the table (not bad manners these days) and tuck my hands under my elbows. As for my feet, I just have to consciously keep them still unless they're under a table where nobody notices.

 

[AutistheFrog]

My stims are pretty typical of more severely autistic people, I think, even though as far as I know, I'm high functioning. They are difficult to hide, and there are a lot of them. They are:

• Hand Flapping (Moreso when I was a child)

• Object Flapping (I hand flap with a pen in my hand that I tap on, often combined with pacing.)

• Pacing (Usually done when over-excited/energetic/or anxious)

• Vocal Stimming (I say repetitive things in a nasily tone, like, "Shmog mog mog mog" or "Snardle, snardle". Sometimes while rocking back and forth, but not always.)

• Chewing/Biting (When I'm overexcited or very upset, I chew on things.)

• Swinging (I often swing on the swings as a stim to calm down when I have too much energy/anxiety/overstimulation. During this activity, I listen to music.)

• Bouncing (I used to jump on a trampoline. I did this for years, all the way from age 10 to age 22 for the same reason I swing. Unfortunately, when I was 22, I tore my ACL and lateral meniscus by falling and twisting my knee on the trampoline, and needed surgery. Due to that, I can no longer jump on trampolines to cope. Instead, I've learned a less satisfactory, but still worthwhile way...I bounce, while sitting, on an exercise ball. During either activity, I listen to music while bouncing.)

• Head Banging (Not the most healthy stim for me, and done when I'm very upset. In this stim, I bang my head against a wall. It's to inflict pain, and therefore a self-harming stim. I do not often do this stim. I only do this stim when extremely upset.)

• Pinching (I often pinch my armpits to get the feeling of something in my nails. I'm going to be trying to use putty instead soon, though.)

 

[Meg12]

picking at things or clenching hands

 

[Full Steam]

I was convinced I didn't stim at all. Most of the other traits are just like me, but stimming, no not me.

It's only reading this thread I've seen the true extent.

I've always bobbed my knees, but less so now.

I open and close remote control battery compartments over and over while watching TV. All the remote controls have loose covers as the plastic gets warn down.

Stretching and rotating feet in perfect symmetry.

Scratching my head and picking (I want to stop this).

Flipping and rotating wedding ring.

Flipping and flapping any small object I have nearby.

Firm hand pressure on my eyes head and ears when tired or stressed, usually touching the pulse in my head at the same time.

Putting and holding three fingers on the pulse in my head.

Holding my wrist and finding my pulse(I never take my pulse). I do this a lot in public as it's invisible.

Checking for eyebrow, ear, and nose hair that's got to long and pulling it out if it has, as long as no one is looking. As I get older I seem to care less about people seeing, which makes me worry I'll end up looking like a crazy old man with disgusting habits

Apart from that I don't stim at all!

 

[Nemo]

I bite my nails, my lip/inner mouth, and clench my toes repetitively.

 

[Vegenigma]

I was officially diagnosed ~7 years ago and still learning about myself. I never heard of stimming before until today. I've always had these quirky behaviors and just recently I decided I wanted to find out if others had them.

I am often itchy but even moreso when in meetings at work or meetings new people. I constantly flatten my hair in meetings, I scratch my nose, wrinkle my nose, scratch below my nose, my scalp, my arms, my calves, the corners of my eyes. When I was in the 6th grade I used to make knots in my hair and pull it out until a teacher noticed a bald spot. I also pull nose and ear hairs out. When playing school basketball, someone elbowed me in the nose and it caused some damage to the cartilage and from that on until today, I twist my nose with my fingers until I make the cartilage emit a cracking sound. I did so much damage that I needed Septoplasty a few years back. I pick my nose a lot. Even at 50. I try to hide it but sometimes I just don't care. I tap my feet a lot and sometimes bounce my knee up and down. If I am holding a pen, I make it click off and on, especially during meetings. I drum on tables often (and even became a real drummer at an early age- I use that as an excuse for why I do that now). At home, when my 7 year old plays YouTube song videos on the TV, I end up singing these kid videos all day and cannot get the songs out of my head. Clearly some of the things I do are stims but some are not. Recently I caught a coworker immitating me which I found upsetting.

 

[Hedgehog Instigator]

Don't remember if I ever posted to this about my stimming, it is something I learned to become ashamed of. I pace and flap and from a young age learned to hold shoe laces or strings while doing so. I still as an adult but because the Prozac has lessened the need. To me this behavior is not only soothing but it helps me escape reality. I often think in a very repititious way while doing so. Its sort of like fantasizing but in a very set pattern.