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Am I the Only One?

Emma03

Emma03

Active Member
So, I can do some pretty odd things when I’m nervous, scared, happy, sad, amused, etc. As a kid, I did a LOT of weird things in public places the same way I did at home, that changed when i was around 6, I realized what I was doing was “weird” and started masking it. I redirected what J was doing to make it smaller and less noticeable. Of course, what I was doing was stimming. At this point, the most obvious stim I do in public would be twisting a hairtie around my fingers or jiggling my leg in a certain pattern. However, alone in my room, I stop masking it so much. Recently, I have been chewing on a plastic water bottle that is almost completely crushed. It sounds pretty weird, but it is just natural to me, I don’t really think about it, and sometimes have grabbed it and am chewing on it for an hour before I even realized what I was doing. Is it just me that does this? Both the chewing thing and the masking thing.
 
Hi Emma, no it's not just you. Many of us mask to some degree in public and may even have been told not to do our 'weird things' by parents or caregivers as we grew up. Chewing on things is one form of stimming and there are websites selling stim toys that include chewy things you can wear round your neck and take with you anywhere. I personally like chewy textures in food and this can lead me to overeat if I am not careful. I don't chew plastic things or fabric as I don't like the taste and for me chewing has to be accompanied by swallowing, which is why gum doesn't really work. :)
 
Not just you. Nothing ever is just anyone.

Not weird. Not at all.

I used to break my phone and other things from chewing so I got a chewy puzzle piece, among other things.

Stim away! You are normal and beautiful and have no need to mask or change!

What wonderful news!
 
Hi Emma

You can breath a sigh of relief, because you are most certainly not the only one.

I had always masked stimming, because of a sense that it is not the right thing to do, but now, I tend to just allow it to happen.

Do you find you cannot make stimming happen?

I do the typical one of bouncing my leg or legs up and down. Wring my hands or rub them together; stroke my chin with my index finger (mmmm). Bounce up and down and can squeal like a child ( which is totally off the scale of adulthood at the age of 49 lol).

Happens when all the emotions are on a high.
 
When I had long hair, I used to chew on the ends of it :)

Many of my stims are involuntary repetitive actions or movements that are hard or impossible to stop or not perform in public. I don't try to stop them any more, not unless they are distructive in some way, or genuinely disturb other people.
 
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Yeah, I think most of us on this site do stuff like this.

In my case, I'm always picking at the palm of my left hand. I've been doing this since 7th grade.... havent let up on it for even a single day. I make a point of not doing it around others. I have discovered that people generally dont like seeing someone pull little bits of their own skin off.

And I'll fidget with whatever happens to be nearby. Back in school, it was ball-point pens. I'd end a school day with my hands covered in random blue lines that didnt wash off very easily.

If I get seriously agitated or panicky I'll rake my claws- er, my fingernails (may as well be claws, in my case, I'm not so good at the clipping) down my other arm. I dont know why. Generally though anyone seeing me do that knows immediately that something is wrong. Usually means a panic attack is incoming.
 
My daughter must chew something to focus at school tasks properly. She has a special chewing thing from the occupational therapist which she is allowed to take into the exam room.

Come to think of it, chewing on the pencil tops is so common.
And what about chewing the gum?

So it's not that weird really and generally, who cares, unless it's really disturbing?
 
I hate the taste of chewing wooden pencils. I tried it once when very young and never did it again. My stationery always has and will be my pride and joy.
 
I remember when I was a kid, I love chewing leather. Once we got an inside dog I quit getting in trouble for it because they started blaming the dog. lol
 
I constantly have to chew gum as a calming/coping mechanism.

I used to get all kinds of weird looks at the store for buying big amounts of gum in bulk, but people are used to it now.

I’ve always chewed the same flavor as well, if one store in town doesn’t have the flavor I want, I’ll literally go store to store until I find it. I’m just weird like that I guess.
 
Nihilus said:
I constantly have to chew gum as a calming/coping mechanism.

I used to get all kinds of weird looks at the store for buying big amounts of gum in bulk, but people are used to it now.

I’ve always chewed the same flavor as well, if one store in town doesn’t have the flavor I want, I’ll literally go store to store until I find it. I’m just weird like that I guess.
Click to expand...
I could never chew a whole piece of chewing gum - always had to break it in half.
 
Pats said:
I could never chew a whole piece of chewing gum - always had to break it in half.
Click to expand...

As a kid I often relished chewing an entire "cigar" of bubble gum. You remember? The ones that looked like a colorful cigar, right down to a fancy band wrapped around it. Yeah, it was a mouthful. :p

Often blowing bubbles that nearly allowed me to leave the ground. :cool:
 
Judge said:
As a kid I often relished chewing an entire "cigar" of bubble gum. You remember? The ones that looked like a colorful cigar, right down to a fancy band wrapped around it. Yeah, it was a mouthful. :p
Click to expand...
Just watching would make my jaws hurt. :) I had a friend who stuck 4 jawbreaker gums in her mouth at one time and it hurt watching her.
Oh, and I couldn't even chew an entire cigarette one. lol
 
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