Published on 12, July, 2020
I do this in my house. Pacing from kitchen to living room, my wife is thinking of putting me in a looney bin, she understands a little why I do it. I do it to soothe me from anxiety and it is a bit ocd for me as I have to reach a certain amount of steps, which then becomes a little annoying. I suppose it keeps me fit. And also in my back garden I do it.
My teenage son does this every day. It annoys my wife a great deal as she's concerned that the continual back and forth over the same part of the upstairs will wear down the carpets (we've just had new ones fitted) and leads to tension. While I don't want the carpets damaging, I understand that this pacing is a necessary part of his condition to keep from sensory overload. If he's told to stop he gets upset and thumps his bed or other furniture in his room.
He's had this behaviour for a long time but now he's practically an adult is when it's becoming more of a problem and I'm wanting to see if there's any compropmise. I certainly don't want to restrict him from stimming or any other behaviour that helps him deal with how he's feeling, and I'm wondering if I can persuade him to do it downstairs in the kitchen / utility room (which is tiled).
For those of you who pace like this, have you had similar issues with other members of your family asking you to stop, and were you able to make any changes? What would be a good way to apporach the subject?Also, can anyone provide links to good resources regarding pacing and other stimming that explains it's importance and neccessity to people who might not understand why autistic people need to do this? I've seen the page on this site that covers it, but any other materials are also welcome.Thank you.
AutisticDad said:will wear down the carpets
This is the only concern? Really?
How much carpet would have to be replaced when it does? Can a join be put in either side of the area that gets worn (so only a little bit has to be replaced)?
We had carpet tiles when I was growing up - easy to replace the sections we (frequently) damaged!
I'm just looking for advice from people who stim / know people who stim this way to see if they have had similar situations where the activity might have been disruptive and how they dealt with it. My own concern for the carpets is pretty low in the big picture, but I'd prefer to find a compromise that allows my son to stim while minimising disruption if possible. It might not be possible, but it doesn't hurt to ask about other people's experiences hopefully.
Sorry - I didn't mean to come across harshly.
I find trying to suppress my stimming increases my anxiety/overload.
I mostly stim when anxious or overloaded.
I usually don't feel able to stim fully when masked and out in public.
If I couldn't stim freely in my own home I would be a wreck.
Hence my suggestion to try and mitigate the effect of the stimming rather than force a change.