what is your stim?

[GFHandel]

I don't know if it can be named stim, but I like singing something (especially fragments of operatic arias). I do it even in half-voice going along the street and when the street is totally empty - I sing in full voice with my highest notes. Just when I get fixated on a melody, I externalize it by singing.

 

[Charlotte Antell-Collins]

I love singing

 

[Shawn D]

When I don't feel comfortable I touch my nose, that calms me down.

When I was a child, I would place my hand against my face and stroke my nose with the side of my ring finger.

 

[Shawn D]

I bite the inside of my mouth and lips.

 

[Charlotte Antell-Collins]

I chew my lip, I make clicking sounds, and I am always fidgeting, I'll tap out a repetitive pattern kinda like a drum beat

 

[EmmaJC]

I've got a ton...I went through a stage of making 'animal noises' when I was in middle school, I'd get home and go through the ritual of walking through every room, all the while making my noises.

These days I mainly quote movies in a strange voice or say the same phrase/word over and over again in, what I'm told, is usually very accurate imitation of the source.

The main one I've done since I can remember is making patterns with my fingertips using minimal pressure on any flat surface, usually in time to sounds I hear. I also 'write' the words 'the', 'hello' and 'hello my name is Emma'. Sometimes it goes on for longer and I can't stop until I've formed all the letters correctly. Promise I'm not OCD though, I was tested during my Aspergers Assessment

 

[aj]

Singing: i sing bless oh be the name of the lord over and over
Biting my nails: do this most of the time always my right hand unless im out of nails lol
Rocking naturally i dont even notice at first
Biting my hands

 

[Cali Cat]

I twirl a strand of hair tightly, and then circle it around my ear over and over and over. When I get tired of it on one side, I switch and do it on the other side. I also leg bounce, tap my feet, drum my fingers, rock back and forth if sitting and side to side if standing. When standing in line at the bank or somewhere rocking side to side, I've often wondered if people think I need to use the bathroom.

 

[Ste11aeres]

The exercises I have to do with my leg every day since surgery certainly feel like stimming.

 

[Kivvi_Kindi]

At home (or in the car) my main stim is noises and words, also known as echolalia. I will shout out random words, phrases or noises, I tend to get stuck on certain words and phrases and say them over and over again all day. Currently I shout out Gay, coffee & car alot those have been common ones for years but I've been saying them more lately. Sometimes I will say a whole sentence that seems unrelated to what I'm doing or talking about, such as a few nights ago I blurted out "We'll let you know then", no idea where that came from.

I realize this is a really old post, but I do this and I had no idea anyone else did. xD I just get the urge to say random sentences when I'm alone that have nothing to do with anything. Sometimes I also wake up with a sentence in my head (possibly from a dream?) and can't get it out until I say it. It's so bizarre.
I also have pretty much every tactile/kinetic stim in the book, particularly tapping my feet or fingers, bouncing my leg, rocking back and forth when I'm nervous or excited, and things like that.
I've also had one pretty much my whole life that I've never heard of from anyone else: since I was about three I've been rustling or wrinkling the pages of books as I read them. It's really destructive but it helps me focus. x_x

 

[Spiller]

I wear jackets etc with large pockets so I can do my hand patterns

I tap my fingers and thumbs in my pockets so no-one can see!

lip chewing

Had to try really hard to stop this cos my lips were always cracked & bleeding!

bounce my leg up and down when sitting

All the time!

would you like to make love to me?

NEVER tried this, has it ever worked?
I have a looong list of stims, stopped many over the years, keep starting new ones too. My latest is clenching my ears, my most necessary is rocking - I feel more stressed if unable to rock for a few days; if I'm having a bad time I'll zone out and rock for 5-6 hours straight.

 

[dandelion]

I had a funny one today, my little girl has had some very specific stims lately and one of them is throwing herself backwards on the bed and pushing her butt and legs high in the air. Today she kept doing it over and over again on our bed whilst we watched horrible histories and I asked her if it was fun and she said yes, I thought it looked like fun so I had a go. It was so great, I used to do it as a kid too but I'd forgotten how relaxing it is,you should have seen the two of us doing it over and over again for about 20 minutes.

I do it too!!!!! But I balance my legs like walking or opening and closing or with both my legs to front or back or sides and get up with a back "somersault". Dont know how much it takes... but didnt know it was a stim too. Hahaha!

(lip, mouth, fingertips, necklace pendant, ring, ear, earrings, blanket, hair, face, scratching the head, scratching the skin, ... hm.... I think that is all...)

 

[DogwoodTree]

I realize this is a really old post, but I do this [saying random words] and I had no idea anyone else did. xD I just get the urge to say random sentences when I'm alone that have nothing to do with anything. Sometimes I also wake up with a sentence in my head (possibly from a dream?) and can't get it out until I say it. It's so bizarre.

Wow, I didn't realize this was considered stimming, either. I don't usually say these things out loud, but there are some "sounds", words or phrases I say over and over and over in my head. Huh, interesting.

I also squeeze my fingernails into my hand or thumbnails into my fingertips, flick my fingers, bounce my legs, chew my lip, tense my toes, create tapping rhythms with my fingers or hands or feet or just in my head, squeeze my hands together, and several others. I sometimes wonder if I'm burning any significant number of calories with all of this activity!

 

[anne.bc]

Today I am stimming like crazy. Tapping my toes rapidly like a drummer hitting double pedals in a metal band! Lol!

Also pacing a lot, and my voice is elevating in volume. Crap. I am very excited. XD

 

[dandelion]

Someone know why we change stimmings????? I'm handflapping now ... or maybe i never realize it before... well.. I was reeeeeally tired yesterday...

 

[mg81]

It sounds like some people here relish in the fact that they stim...

It's not a positive trait and it's something you should try your best to get control of. I stim plenty though I do not want to share it here atm. Stimming clouds your mind from things that you should be focusing on, that's a fact! It distracts you from thinking or feeling at a moment when that's exactly what you should be doing. Talking so nonchalantly about stimming tells me that some of you guys are almost proud of your stimming.

Sorry if I'm way off base here but that's just how I see it, reading these posts.

 

[zurb]

I've also had one pretty much my whole life that I've never heard of from anyone else: since I was about three I've been rustling or wrinkling the pages of books as I read them. It's really destructive but it helps me focus.

My older son continuously flicks the corner of the page as he reads as well as other not-so-friendly-to-paper-books stims. Our books get a really hard life, and look quite tatty when he's finished. For this reason I'm wary of borrowing books from people. Kindles have been better, but the screens are so fragile (at least in my son's hands)!

 

[EmmaJC]

It sounds like some people here relish in the fact that they stim...

It's not a positive trait and it's something you should try your best to get control of. I stim plenty though I do not want to share it here atm. Stimming clouds your mind from things that you should be focusing on, that's a fact! It distracts you from thinking or feeling at a moment when that's exactly what you should be doing. Talking so nonchalantly about stimming tells me that some of you guys are almost proud of your stimming.

Sorry if I'm way off base here but that's just how I see it, reading these posts.

Neurotypical people stim also as a way of calming nerves (smoking, pacing etc) but because that is considered a social norm no one picks up on it.

Autistic people, or people 'on the spectrum' have, in general, a lot more anxiety. Mainly due to their social surroundings and have stims that do not fall into the 'norm' category.

If you noticed that people are proud, I'm assuming it's intentional, as they have nothing to be ashamed of. There are different kinds of stimming. Productive and non-productive. Of all the stims I have scanned through on here I see only productive to lower personal anxiety that allows whoever is doing them to focus on what they are doing and deal with the sensory stimuli around them.

I see you are ashamed of your stims, I was too once. Then I realised it wasn't me who was ashamed, it was the people around me. Don't judge people too harshly for taking ownership over something they can't avoid.

 

[dandelion]

It sounds like some people here relish in the fact that they stim...

It's not a positive trait and it's something you should try your best to get control of. I stim plenty though I do not want to share it here atm. Stimming clouds your mind from things that you should be focusing on, that's a fact! It distracts you from thinking or feeling at a moment when that's exactly what you should be doing. Talking so nonchalantly about stimming tells me that some of you guys are almost proud of your stimming.

Sorry if I'm way off base here but that's just how I see it, reading these posts.

It distracts you from thinking or feeling ???? What are you talking about????

 

[Harrison]

It sounds like some people here relish in the fact that they stim...

It's not a positive trait and it's something you should try your best to get control of. I stim plenty though I do not want to share it here atm. Stimming clouds your mind from things that you should be focusing on, that's a fact! It distracts you from thinking or feeling at a moment when that's exactly what you should be doing. Talking so nonchalantly about stimming tells me that some of you guys are almost proud of your stimming.

Sorry if I'm way off base here but that's just how I see it, reading these posts.

Yep, you are.

I'd like to see the 'fact', so a link would be appreciated, cheers.

I'm not proud of my stimming, however, I do accept it as part of who I am, as my 'norm'.