How to stop stimming

Post Reply New Topic

When I eat/drink certain foods I seem to stim more and when I'm concentrating hard on something my stimming also seems to get out of control. I only do this in the privacy of my home and when i'm in public it just comes across as restlessness. In the last 5-6 years I've developed a stim which is a bit odd (it's kind of a stroking of my face thing) and my parents are forever telling me to stop it, but at certain times and after certain food it just kinda goes a bit crazy and i do it automatically without realising it.

so...

Does anyone eles stim alot after particular foods/in particular situations?

How do you stop stimming/or is there a substitute, less weird stim I could take up in place of this one?

Thanking you in anticipation of your responses.

I find it easier to obsessively go where no man should go at all when one of my basic needs is not met-- sleep, exercise, food, or if I eat the same thing too much or I eat too much refined sugar.

When I eat any thing by hand I have a habit of flicking my thumb over my other fingers, regardless if there are crumbs there or not. I've done it for probably 50 years.

So I don't think there is any way of breaking that habit. My wife and others over the years have pointed out that I'm doing it.
But my feeling was always, it's not destructive to me or anyone else, it isn't loud or intrusive...so just leave me alone.

Some foods actually cause brain allergies. I have a book by William H Philpot MD and Dwight K Kalita Ph.D. called Brain Allergies, The Psychonutrient Connection. Foods like wheat and dairy (cow's milk products) are known to affect the brains of people with autism (vaccine damage). Try to keep track of the times you feel that way, and the foods you just ate. Once you identify them, avoid them. Often, they are foods you crave.

Discredited theory, FYI. Autism and wheat/milk have no connection.

Stimming is not something you should be trying to stop. It's healthy and normal for everyone, not just autistic people; and we do it for many reasons, not least of which are that it helps us think more clearly, regulate sensory input, reduce stress, and compensate for dyspraxia/sensory hyposensitivity. OP, your parents probably don't know why you stim, and are only trying to make you stop because it is unusual.

If you want to stop a stim, you need to replace it with another that serves the same purpose. This is "redirecting" a stim, and it's a much better strategy than just trying to stop. You should try to replace one stim with another if it is something that hurts you or something that causes problems for other people, such as being very distracting in a classroom environment. There are other solutions than changing the stim, though; for example, if your rocking is distracting classmates and you can move to the back of the room, you may not have to change it.

Stopping is very difficult. You must be ever mindful. It's an excercise of willpower, similar to having the Chickenpox and not scratching. But it's not perfect. I still find myself sometimes rocking/swaying while standing in place. And other behaviors have been suppressed and replaced with less obvious stimming, such as bruxism.

Callista brings up an excellent point though. Stopping or suppressing these behaviors may not be healthy. I do it to appear more NT around others, which is what your parents seem to want of you. This should not be given a higher priority than your general comfort and health.

Stimming calms nerves, stops restless feelings and can help you concentrate. I find I'm more irritated if I don't stim. I don't think you should stop. It's up to you but personally I found it to be therapeutic. I remember once standing in line and everyone around me was getting hostile about no one serving them. i was just rocking, intently staring at a large painting and I found it quite funny that these people were getting so worked up around me when I was so calm.

I'm with Callista in saying change it for another stim. I have a stim that ends up hurting my teeth so I have to change that for another one.

My parents would smack me to keep me from rocking. I have not rocked since. Now I tap my feet or pace around the room. I use to walk laps at work durring breaks I told people I was walking to loose weight so they bought it and left me alone,