What types of stims do you folks use?

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I think I have *mild* synesthesia, but it's a bit different than that. I've perseverated on art since I was around 2, so I probably labeled that stim coloring because I felt I was "coloring" things with my fingers onto my brain. It's more like trying to imprint an exact replica of my environment onto my brain or place my thoughts and perceptions into my long-term memory for easy retrieval. Not that I have a photographic memory or anything, but it tends to be very good when I'm really focused (which often is when I'm coloring). It drives my mother nuts!

I shake my legs, twirl my wrists, crack my wrists, pace, and aimlessly wander around when I'm bored.

Edited to say: Just read Unico's post. I do the same thing with drawing/doodles. I get in trouble for doing it during classes/in school notebooks but I can't avoid it becuase a.) it is fun and b.) it's a stim for the hands

I love to pace everywhere. It tends to annoy people quite often, but then I give them the "bite me" look and then they just let me do it. I also like to arch my back and roll my shoulders alot. I stretch my neck also. One thing that I never thought of as a stim, but I guess would be is to listen to the same song over and over again. For some reason if I hear a song that peeks my interest I'll find some recording of it and just play it until I get sick of listening to it. Which is usually a few months from when I first heard it. Rubbing my hands, pinching my finger-tips, squeezing my face with my left hand, slapping my legs, and balancing on objects are all the other things I do.

At first this thread was a little disturbing. But then I realized I like stiming my self too.

I Love the feeling I get when I am riding my bike (though I haven't had a bike for a while now)

Oh, and caffeine.

My stims are:
Humming, Whistling, Chewing my Nails, Flapping one Hand or Both, Shaking one Leg or Both, Pulling my Hair (at the nape of my neck), Drumming to Tapping on tables or hard surfaces, pacing or walking, Rocking. Never All at the same time, though

When I'm very stressed I Wring my hands, Pinch myself, or take the heal of my hand and hit my chin (sometimes bruising it) at the time, I don't feel the pain.

When I was very young, I used to rock and bump my head on objects, walk on my toes, play music over and over....I had a little wind-up music box I loved. I chewed on my hair (when it was long) and licked my hands or chewed on bits of string (swallowing it and drawing it back up again) and lying upside down for hours. I also liked poking holes in things - Anything vinyl was my favorite thing to poke holes in.

I have never told anyone about my stims before. I have always tried to hide them but I know those close to me have seen a few.

- Patti -

I always flip some inanmiate object in my hand like a lighter or remote control.. hehe, I've broken so many remotes that way

Sometimes I'll sit in my computer chair and stare at the wall flipping something while lost in a daydream.. I can't seem to follow a train of thought without doing something with my hands.

I also shake my legs alot, sometimes enough to cause noise downstairs.

I remember I was sitting on this girls bed before and my shaking was moving the whole bed... heh, she should of been paying me for the ride

Rocking, hand-flapping, head-rubbing (rubbing my hands on my head -- very short hair -- or rubbing my head on objects), finger-flicking, finger-wiggling, ear-clicking, rhythmic ear-covering, pacing, gyrating, various hand movements that would be hard to describe, sniffing everything, bodyslamming walls, shoulder-thumping, face-rubbing, chewing on things, head-rocking, head-banging, twisting, various things that include large parts of my body, various things involving my feet that are hard to describe, chin-tapping, getting up really close and staring at objects, waving objects in front of my face, rhythmic humming, moving head back and forth, rubbing fingers over mouth, jumping up and down, crawling under heavy objects or into tight spaces, various other stuff. Has increased with age the amount of time I spend doing these things.

My strangest stim is this weird compulsion to make paper crames through origami. If I'm stressed or approaching an overload, I tear up anything papery (candywrappers, cardboard) and start making paper cranes.

My other stims include humming one note over and over again, rubbing my fingers together.... I do that one weird. I spread my fingers apart and then move my hands back and forth quickly, hitting all my fingertips together.

I also rock, bounce up and down while sitting on my hands, blink my eyes in weird patterns, jiggle my legs.... all of which annoy my mother to death.

I know there are others, but it's after 1 am here and my brain is tired.

Yes, I like this too, with a clip (snap clip or caribeener) they make nice rythmnic clicking sounds.

Yes, I like this too, with a clip (snap clip or caribeener) they make nice rythmnic clicking sounds.

I can relate to all these:
Yes. I cannot sleep without my blanket. It has a ribbon edging that I feel with fingers and upper lip. I have had a blanket like this ever since I can remember....I am on my third right now and in my thirties.

I didn't realize this was a stim! I just started doing this and do it a lot...at work, wherever. It doesn't seem to attract any undue attention. Also, finger waving/wiggling, when I am trying to remember something or searching for a word. I OFTEN have to make a gesture for an item before I can verbally articulate its word. People look at me oddly but often the gesture prompts the word in the other person before I say it.

And- spinning: lately I find myslef inclined/driven to spin slowly first once or twice counter clockwise, then the other way, then counterclockwise again. It makes my brain feel as though it is gently floating. I find that I want to do this only in certain places, such as the parking lot right in front of my workplace, as I'm leaving (and that work is with developmentally disabled people, including autistic and AS people... whom I feel far more comfortable with than most NT's...that was my first clue that I probably was an aspie. )

Scratching my head- I have done this to the point of having my scalp covered with sores and scabs, when I was severely stressed. Usually it is just one scab that I pick at.

Wow. This is amazing!

Pacing. Anymore, while listenning to music. Listenning to the same part over and over again.

Twirling hair. I do this while my tongure sticks half-way out and one of my eyes goes crossed. I can do all kinds of different things with my hair (usually one little twig, my grandma calls it lol).

Acheles tendon. I have an obsession with that tendon.

Masuagging and popping tendons. Every tendon I can think of.

Rubbing finger down from other finger, to wrist, and to elbow.

Tickling my big toe.

I'm curious about this "rocking" thing. I do most of that other stuff, though sadly I haven't ever managed to achieve synesthaesia But I never really felt the need to rock back and forth. When I am distressed I curl up, but don't feel any impetus to move. Besides that though, hair tugging, head tapping, desk tapping, noisemaking, knee bouncing, skin pinching, tearing up any paper I get my hands on when I'm idle. It's kind of annoying sometimes, but I don't sit still well when I am not calm.

I used to rock a lot when growing up, but not so much now, although probably have been doing it slightly since doing it quite a bit more the years gone by.

I bang my head when I half asleep or half awake. I thought I did it more growing up, when I had things on my mind the night before school; but that might not necessarily be the case.

some stims I have:
-hairpulling
-manipulating something w/ my hands.
-breathing in through my mouth then "chewing" on my tongue (not biting it)
-shaking my legs
-listening to a song I like over and over again.
-pacing

Well, all of the above ! Except for the head. I don't do nothing with my head. But all and every other things that were mention in this thread, i do them. One more: put something (anything!) under my nails. More often it is other part of my body (lips, hair, eyebrows, other nails, skin ...).

I have one that is very special, i don't even know if i will be able to explain it well, but i give it a try:

I feel there is some kind of fluid on a surface. I can feel that it is flowing in one direction and i have to stop it. So i put a part of my body in the path of it, blocking it. Then i bring it back. But some of it can escape and i have to redo the movement again, beginning it a bit farther cause the fluid had time to get further. Its a long explanation for a simple set of movement that i do with all part of my body, against all kind of surfaces including my own body. I do that all the times and some poeple have noticed it in the past. I'm more discret now but its still very present.

When I was very young (and I don't remember this) my parents told me I would bang my head so hard on the linoleum floor that I got indentations from the pattern in my forehead. That would freak me out if my kids did that.

I do lots of swaying, lots of leg shaking and tapping. I really like to have a finger near my lips, just to touch them, feels comforting.

No hand flapping (I like firm wrists) or hair pulling for me (I have long hair, it hurts to pull it.)

My biggest thing, was ever since I was about 7, when I learned to play the flute, I "play" the flute on the table or steering wheel or whatever I'm touching. I'll move my fingers either to the song that's playing or the song in my head -- there's always one or the other going on. Since I've been doing this constantly for about 24 years now, I'm very quick at it. I've even developed a one-handed version of the two handed flute fingerings, so that I can "play" the song and still have one hand free. Or I'll use two hands and play different melodies simultaneously.

I've gotten very quick at it, and it's helped my finger dexterity quite a bit. In fact, I'm now a very fast flute player, typist, and 10-keyer. Anything involving pushing specific buttons in patterns with my fingers I'm the best at. When my husband sees me balancing the checkbook, he calls it 'magic fingers'.

I can still control it, but the bad news is that I've been told a lot that I was doing it and I never even knew it. And if I ever am nervous, and have to stop for whatever social reason, it has to be immediately replaced by some other movement or I want to go crazy. Stims are very important to us.