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I don't stim, but maybe I should start

Nessie

I've read a lot about how stimming is a common—almost universal—autistic behaviour, but it's not something I've ever done (to my knowledge). Depending on the situation, either I get quite OCD about cleaning and tidying everything around me (it has to be absolutely spotless and aligned perfectly parallel), or I self-harm, but I don't stim in the traditional sense (or maybe I'm misunderstanding the term).

Given that my education, career and general life keeps getting interrupted with stress-induced illnesses, I'm wondering if I need to find a suitable stim to help me cope in daily situations rather than holding everything in until I meltdown, shutdown or completely burnout.

  • Can you remember a time when you didn't stim? If so, when did you start and how did you settle on the stim you now use?
  • Or, have your stims changed over time? If so, why did you choose one in preference to another?

Any insights and advice welcome. Thanks.

Parents Reply Children
  • in reply to I'm done with Christmas Cards

    Ah, okay. As a child, I bit my fingernails a lot, but my mum forced me to stop. After that, I started scratching/picking at the skin to sides of my fingernails, which I've done ever since. I definitely find myself doing this when I'm stressed and anxious, but also when I'm bored. It's as if I find mental boredom really stressful and need to relieve it somehow, and the repetitive scratching/picking seems to achieve this. It does sting quite a lot or bleed afterwards, and look a bit unsightly. Thinking about it, at uni, I would get so overloaded I would lock myself in my room for easily an hour or more tweezering the stubble on my legs, and have been left with tiny scars all down my lower legs from where I would dig and pick to get rid of every last hair because i couldn't stand the texture of the stubble on my skin. I just thought I was a freak.

    Clearly, I've been labouring under the incorrect assumption that stims are either quite physical (flapping, spinning etc.) or involve some kind of toy. Didn't realise that the more surreptitious and self-injurious behaviours were stims too. I guess when you grow up without a diagnosis, certain behaviours are labelled as 'bad habits' and it's only in hindsight that we develop the correct vocabulary. Thank you for clarifying, I really appreciate it.