Stimming

I've always twiddled my ears and only recently recognised this as stimming. It is intensely comforting, but probably looks a bit odd.

I think I probably do talk to myself but as I live alone I'm not sure!

The most worrying one was when my daughters told me I 'spinny-whizzed' - when I walked into a room I would literally spin round on the spot before going to sit down. I had NO idea I did this but caught myself after they told me. I dread to think about whether I've done this in professional meetings. I simply have no idea! It's not exactly a stim but in my head it would sit with flapping.

Dawn, I speak French, German and Italian if you run out of verbs to conjugate! 

That made me laugh!

Hi, I just found this post as I was curious about stimming- I suspect I may be autistic and waiting for an assessment. I used to stim in a noticable way as a child and adolescent (this weird rocking while sitting on a chair in a particular way). I initially did it at kindergarten and school as well as at home, but I learnt not to do it in public and I eventually also made myself stop at home (as it was making me sore). I think I did this when feeling anxious or stressed and possibly when trying to concentrate. I had no idea that this kind of behaviour is "stimming". I just thought of it as this weird, anti-social thing that I used to do... 

I have also had phases of using sounds to stim (saying brrrrrrr in this really bright way to relieve nervous/ anticipatory stress- my mum actually joined in with this one and I had forgotten about it but it always felt so good and got rid of some of the stress). 

However, I am unsure if I am still stimming now and I was wondering if all autistic people stim- hence my interest in this post which addresses that question. Now that I am more aware of what stimming is, I am starting to think that I do still stim but just in more subtle ways - is tearing/ripping/rolling a bit of paper in a repetitive way a form of stimming? Also is it possible to stim with food? I have some quite weird habbits (like running my finger over smooth glossy chocolate butter and then tasting bits in a repeated manner- sorry I know this is super weird...). Is it usual to stim in more subtle ways as adults? 

Also, it is weird but now that I know about stimming I have caught myself trying out different forms of it (like shaking my hands etc) and I think it helps relieve stress and makes me feel better- has anyone else experienced an increase in stimming after finding out that you might be autistic? (Also I have been off work for a month now - due to complete burnout, so I also now have the privacy to stim without being judged). 

Sorry for all the questions- I am just feeling super curious and want to understand more about this- also I am a little excited because I feel like I have (re)discovered a potential tool to relieve some of my constant stress and anxiety and to let go of some of my feelings.  

I always carry a fidget spinner, but when I can't use that I play with labels on clothes or fold material into a point and run it under my finger nail.

Do you like horses?

I do not think stimming is a compulsory part of being autistic. I have never rocked or flapped my hands, which are archetypal types of stimming. When I came across the concept of stimming I thought, "but I don't do that". However, on reflection, I realised that as a child I used to spin on the spot or run around in tight circles. Even today, I fiddle with mechanical things (small objects that open and close or click) to the extent that my wife fairly often takes them off me. I also jiggle my legs and feet. Whether these behaviours are self-regulatory or not is a grey area with me, because I tend to do them when happy or in a neutral mood. When I am anxious or negatively over-stimulated, I just become still and internalise everything, unless I am pushed into a meltdown, when I explode with rage. Thankfully, meltdowns are very rare.

Indeed, knitting and crochet are wonderful stress relievers.  Yes, it's the repetitive nature that is soothing, I love the even flow of stitches, particularly with self phasing yarns.  The hands move over and over in the same movement, whilst the colour gently changes.

It also gets a bit obsessive.  I went through an intense phase of making crochet socks to my own designs - just socks, nothing else for the best part of a year.  They came everywhere with me; on the bus, in front of the Telly, in waiting rooms, round to tea at my mother's. I have a vast collection of sock yarns - and finished socks -and EVERYBODY got socks, dozens of pairs of socks.

I never thought anything of it until I went through the developmental questionnaire with my mother, who drew just short of telling me I was boring about my socks. She was grateful for the ones I'd made her though, lol. 

I wouldn't have said so either, but I've always had a bouncy foot when I'm stressed or anxious which I've never given any thought to.

How do you talk to yourself? If that's repetitive and perhaps unconnected to anything going on for you, it might also be.  I find myself conjugating verbs alone in the bathroom for I know not what reason.

I always fidget with my hands and scratch my hair.

One man I know said that I also neigh like a horse. 

Hi Michelle,

I'm just thinking.... could the  knitting itself be a form stimming? My late mother (who I'm sure was  ASD, undiagnosed or maybe 'closet') knitted for the sake of it, she very often knitted items and gave them away. It  was clearly repetative and comforting, and I would say she needed to do it. Do you count when you knit - rows or stiches - knit one pearl one etc?

Just a thought,

Ben

I thought I didn't "stim" as such because I didnt see myself as doing anything particularly unconventional. Turns out I'm always swaying or wriggling my legs, and actually I mainly do it when I'm relaxed and concentrating on something rather than always doing it because I'm stressed. I love knitting and I can't keep my legs still when I'm doing it. It drives my husband insane, but it's like I'm at my happiest and my legs just want to jiggle haha.

It's entirely possible - but are you sure you don't stim?       No leg-jiggling when stressed?     Tugging hair?  The scratching could be linked - the stress triggers the tingle that triggers the scratch.......