How do you stim / self soothe?

I pick at my fingers a lot, to the point  where they bleed and I regret doing it. Then do it again. Also fiddle with stuff on the desk while working, anything from pens to nail clippers, usually taking them apart and putting them together over and over.

One thing I'm thinking might be another stim (not just for me) is scrolling. I wonder if autists might find it more "addictive" as it's an outlet and an escape? I'm terrible for losing a lot of time if I start Looking at news, twitter, Facebook etc. So i try and consciously avoid them.

Fidgets are great and well worth getting some. If you’ve suppressed stimming for a long time, a small innocuous fidget can help you feel more comfortable with it at first. My favourite are marble meshes (almost silent, small, easy to carry around) but there’s a lot of different types out there. I also found ‘calming stickers’ (didn’t know they were a thing) but can provide an accessible source of olfactory stimulation. 

It sounds like you might also appreciate some form of taste/oral stimulation- I just got a ‘chew’ and I really like it, again there’s lots of different types out there. 

i also stim by lying on a large gym ball and rocking back and forth, or very discreet rocking in time with my heartbeat. As a lot of my stims require my whole body it’s a challenge to find something that I can do while typing/working!

To self sooth, I hum, I find the resonance comforting, and if i have a headache, I try to sing into the sound that feels like it reaches my head - unsure if that makes sense. e.g. when I sing a low sound it might sit in my belly and singing higher sooths my head. 

Also singing in general, I remember doing that a lot as a kid, but not realising until recently it could be a self-stimulatory behaviour.

Types of movement, yoga, small balances, tapping, wagging my foot. 

Hope you can 'follow your nose' to something that soothes.

There are also quite many fidgeting toys. But not every stim feels comforting. Some may even feel irritating. As a kid I used to do humming and was also bullied for that reason at school, so I finally stopped that. 

I find scents and smells work for me and always have since I was a child. Two medicinal products, particularly come to mind: Vicks and Germoline. Just a dab on a hanky or the back of my hand and I can take repeated sniffs.

Also biting fingernails - I think that's quite a common one.

Writing software. I've been working on a game for years which is designed to provide a problem solving, creative universe in which people can meet, chat, collaborate. I've found that the writing of the game is proving to be just a satisfying and calming as I hope the end result will be.

That’s a good idea. I’ll check out eBay and see if I can find one. Thank you. 

I’ll try the pacing thing, thank you. It definitely appeals and I love walking but never thought to do it at home. I’ll try fidgeting with my hands and see what works. Thanks again for the reply. 

How about a rocking chair?

Hi, I feel so sorry that you were stopped from stimming. It’s essential for us. I was also told to stop doing it, but I didn’t listen or I just couldn’t stop it. As a kid I had meltdowns anyway, so I can’t imagine how bad would that be if I have stopped stimming. So what I do- I pick my skin, fidget or twirl my fingers, fidget something in my fingers (spin a little plastic box), I also rock and my special thing that let myself do only when I’m alone - pace the room. It relaxes me a lot. 1-2 hour of pacing session recharges me for whole day and helps me regulate my emotions. Although those from my family who saw me doing it laughed and found it really weird, I never stopped. I need it and that’s it! I never knew why I need it so much until I accidentally realised I’m an aspie.