New to This and Feeling a bit Silly :)

Imy said:

Is there anyone else out there who is high-functioning with really severe sensory processing and lots of stims?

Yep! I've always done it, and I was only diagnosed almost three years ago. Even before I knew about autism, and stims, I just did it. The drawbacks of not doing it outweighed the drawbacks of doing it. I was called "weird" all my life, but I couldn't really give a ***. When I was diagnosed and found out why, I gave even less of a ***.

I hum, sing and talk under my breath, tic, squeeze the top of my head (hard!), and push my hands (mainly my knuckles) into things. As for sensory processing, I wear sunglasses, bucket hats, and often headphones. I even wear a gumshield, it's discreet, but it's there. I have synaesthesia too, so a sound or a colour can kind of draw me in and make me fixate on it, so I'll just phase out. I also get sensory agnosia where my mind more or less shuts off completely due to my senses, heat and light cause it most.

A lot of people have seen much stranger behaviour. You have a reason for it, and can rationalise why you do.

We can't help it, and if we try to that's where, in my experience, problems arise.

Worry about yourself, and not other people. It's nothing offensive, or harmful to others, so no harm done. If people want to judge you, just remember, it's their standard, and not yours. You know what you need to do to cope. People just gave up on me, and stopped caring, because they knew I was apathetic. They were pissing in the wind.

Relax, and do you.

I have a massive amount of sensory issues. I tend to shutdown instead. On average every 4hrs.

Educate them. Tell them it’s a spectrum condition.  Point them to this website.

Failing that, when being judged, I say “ do you want me to have a meltdown?” You’re going the right way about it.”

That works.

It’s the judgement that’s the hardest. There’s quite a few autistic people in my family who are quite severe and the stim a lot so I’m always being compared to them and told that I’m doing it on purpose. 

That’s definitely what makes me feel like I can’t do it. 

I stim everyday.  Going out shopping leaves me with massive sensory problems.  Though I’ve started wearing sunglasses and going to get some noise cancelling headphones.  

Dont worry about having the exact same symptoms as everybody.  Remember it’s a spectrum condition.  We aren’t all the same.