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Can we change our stims?

Mantra

Hi, I've noticed that when I'm trying to focus hard on work or when I'm stressed... I scratch my skin. I've done this since I was a child. When either the work or stress (or both) get really intense, the scratching can intensify until I'm bleeding. I'd really like to scratch something other than myself to stop hurting myself, but I think the scratching sensation really helps drown out other background senses.

Is it possible to channel this destructive scratching into something, anything, else? Has anyone ever managed that?

Or.... what stims help you focus AND drown out background distractions?

(Tempted to wear gloves haha!! It's not that bad yet, though!)

Thank you in advance :-) 

Parents

  • I think you can change your stims. When I was a little boy I had various stims on my face which looked very weird to others (but I hadn't realised). The kids at school made fun of me and did impressions of them, which was how I found out that I was doing it, and afterwards I stopped because I didn't want to be made fun of.

    Over the years I have had different stims. The one that has always stuck by me has been repetitively touching certain places on both sides of my body, usually on the fingers or hands or near the wrist. I used to do it on my face as well (particularly around my nose) but I realised it must have looked weird and managed to stop that now. I also used to rub each eyebrow, which is a nice sensation - again I have to do it the same on both.

    I used to do loads of skin picking/peeling. The sensation of the skin peeling away is so satisfying and takes the attention away from whatever else is going on. I started doing it really really badly in lockdown whenever I was on video calls for work.I would do it until my heels bled.

    Thankfully I have managed to almost completely stop that now since developing a new stim - a kind of rhythmic back and forth twisting of my hand at the wrist. I find it is like a super stim - more effective than the others and what I do when very agitated or overwhelmed. It's like I'm turning down the volume on everything by focusing on it. And I can do it under the desk so people on the video call can't see.

Reply

  • I think you can change your stims. When I was a little boy I had various stims on my face which looked very weird to others (but I hadn't realised). The kids at school made fun of me and did impressions of them, which was how I found out that I was doing it, and afterwards I stopped because I didn't want to be made fun of.

    Over the years I have had different stims. The one that has always stuck by me has been repetitively touching certain places on both sides of my body, usually on the fingers or hands or near the wrist. I used to do it on my face as well (particularly around my nose) but I realised it must have looked weird and managed to stop that now. I also used to rub each eyebrow, which is a nice sensation - again I have to do it the same on both.

    I used to do loads of skin picking/peeling. The sensation of the skin peeling away is so satisfying and takes the attention away from whatever else is going on. I started doing it really really badly in lockdown whenever I was on video calls for work.I would do it until my heels bled.

    Thankfully I have managed to almost completely stop that now since developing a new stim - a kind of rhythmic back and forth twisting of my hand at the wrist. I find it is like a super stim - more effective than the others and what I do when very agitated or overwhelmed. It's like I'm turning down the volume on everything by focusing on it. And I can do it under the desk so people on the video call can't see.

Children