Stim?

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So, I just learned about AS pretty recently. I'm pretty sure I'm an aspie, but I'm not sure yet (I plan to see if I can get a DX this summer). So, on to my question.
Well, I'm still confused about some things, and one of those things is what exactly stims are/can be. But I was going back through my life in my head and noticed something I did until I was nine or ten. See, I used to have this doll I called Baba. And it was a soft baby doll, not a sheep. And I simply had to have it. So far, it sounds like a normal "favorite blankie" type thing, and I'm pretty sure my parents let it lie at that. But it seems like it could have been more like me stimming, since it wasn't the doll that I liked. You know how most plush toys have those little tags? Well, I was obsessed with the tag on mine. You know, one of those tags hanging off the side saying where it was from? It used to feel like that sort of shiny stuff, but I used to rub it against my index finger all the time. It's hard to describe, but I'm pretty sure nobody else I knew did this. I did this so much that the tag got almost 100% worn away (first it became cloth-like, then I wore holes into it until it had almost dissapeared!)
And, I guess what I'm trying to ask is if that was probably just one of those things kids do, or could it be a stim (because I still don't quite get what they are/can be) or what. Any opinions on this? Or, probably even more helpful, what is the real definition of a stim?

On an unrelated note, what's the normal age to outgrow an imaginary friend/world? I got mine a little late, probably around seven, but I still haven't outgrown them (as in, there are five of them with distinct personalities and their own little world and history and everything.) And I'm starting to get a little worried because I'm in 8th grade (year 9) and everyone else is worrying about boys and popularity and I'm talking to my imaginary friends (luckily not aloud, so nobody notices). Of course, this probably fits more into my issues adjusting to school (which I should probably post somewhere else, since I have enough of them, but just out of curiosity, in your opinion, when does having multiple imaginary friends, whom you probably spend more time talking to than your classmates, become a problem?

To tell you the truth I have a somewhat imaginary audience of friends, based on my real life acquaintances following me around non-stop. I could assume this has been going on since about 8th grade, and I'm now in 12th(US).I have a major problem with this, which is that I would rather think of something other than this imaginary audience of people and I'll tell you it's pretty god damn annoying. Regardless of how unusual it may be, this is not stimming. Stims are usually only visible in people with Autism are are typically things such as waving hands or constantly tapping desks when they sit down. I do display some of this behavior, such as tapping desks, spinning in chairs, rocking back and forth, and have talked to myself out loud since I was about 5 years old.

There's not a lot I can offer as advice but I generally wouldn't worry about it if no one sees it. I'm in my room right now and gain a huge boost to relaxation and concentration if I rock back and forth in my awesome spinney office chair. Just because I'm almost 18 doesn't really effect me caring if someone comes in and sees, nor should I care about what they think at all if they were to judge based off surface level traits like that. When it comes to school I have encountered major issues which only resulted in me being aware of my surroundings before I do anything; honestly this doesn't matter in the long run, and I say this because I'm the same way now, just more aware of other people.

To answer your original question I'm not sure if it ever becomes a problem. They are pieces of your imagination so it only pertains to you directly. My problem just involves how annoyed I am by my imagination, and I guess it just takes time to push this out of my head. In retrospect I'm actually glad that I moved away from that god forsaken ghetto because it would have been detrimental to have stayed there, still knowing the douche bags that I went to middle school with. Overall you have to judge whether or not what's going on at school in regards to socialization even matters. For me it sure as hell didn't.

I'd guess it is stimming... it stimulates the tactile sense. One of the ways to tell is how it makes you feel when you do it... I think there are a couple of different experiences, based on my brother (profoundly autistic) and myself (mildly AS)... a stereotypic movement associated with excitement: my brother flaps and laughs, clearly enjoying himself. I tend to rock side to side on my feet... I am usually standing when I'm excited.

When my brother is just off in his own world, thinking/daydreaming, he rocks in his chair, rubbing the back of his head on the chair (a recliner). He's even reshaped his head from the rocking. I stroke my upper lip with the 2nd knuckle of my first finger... and I get a nice little endorphin release, relaxation response. I've checked with my therapist and this lip rub is indeed a stim, not a nervous twitch or release.

I think the rubbing of my upper lip is much like your rubbing of the tag... so now what are you rubbing with your fingers? A penny in your pocket? The seam on your jeans? I'll bet there's something.

As for imaginary friends... A) Aspies mature more slowly than NTs, so this may be all it is and as you grow you will also out grow them, and B) it's not a problem as long as you're aware of them being generated from your own mind, aspects of yourself. In other words, as long as you can tell the difference between imaginary and real, and behave appropriately in the presence of the real. If that begins to slip, and you're not sure who's real and who's not, time to seek help.

Aspies have active and vivid imaginations... but we know they're ours, and not thoughts being beamed into our heads by space aliens. HUGE difference.

When I was a child, I would rock...well more like bounce, in a chair. I still catch myself rocking a little when I'm concentrating or reading.

Now, I find myself picking the skin on this one spot on the back of my head (gross huh?). I'm not in a situation where I'm anxious, I just find myself doing this when I'm deep in thought. I don't tell people this because they wont understand so I just tell them that it's from anxiety. That, for whatever reason, seems more acceptable to them.

If I get extremely emotionally distressed. Especcially after having an argument, I tend to rock back and forth and listen to extremely heavy music. Just came to mind. That's kind of a stim, right? Also, certain smells are so wonderful that I can just sit and smell for an hour straight. Some are peculiar, and gives me sort of a rush. A really good feeling. Is that too stimming?

I've read that smells can be a stim (the case mentioned being a client's own BO, socially difficult). So as you get the pleasant rush and do it for an extended period of time, I'd say it is a stim. Hope it's something socially OK.

I use to rock on my chair (not too much but enough), tap my left legs (a lot) and when I'm pretty nervous I "knock" my hands (I don't know how to tell it in english but it's basically the kind of gesture you do when you want to smash someone and you do that gesture with your hands making your finger joints "pop").

My sister said to me recently I always tend to smell things. Like when I get a book, I'll always smell it, also whenever I take clean clothes out of the closet, I smell them, I like the smell of the washing powder. I also smell my guitar, I like the smell of the wood.

And I don't rock on normal chairs, but since I moved, I have a rocking chair, I like rocking in it, I think it's a nice chair for ASD people