How would you describe what stimming feels like to an NT?

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Ok, funny question, i told my nt bf i'm having a very stimmy day today, and out of the blue he goes "what does stimming feel like?" I was like it helps me calm down and relax, keeps me happy. Then he goes "What is the sensation you get from stimming?" Wow, I thought what a good question... I told him, to an NT its like somebody giving you a nice back massage after a long day of work, feels like heaven, and afterwards you feel so much better, or its like funny gas, the gas you get while your at the dentist, sometimes it feels like I'm floating, feels so much better when I'm doing it. I told him, if i didn't stim, i would be a nervous wreck, as if he couldn't be able to do the things that relax him, Hes a nervous wreck as well. He was like "Oh, is it like that for everybody on the spectrum or is it different for each person, because theres no autistic alike?" So this is the question I couldn't answer, thats why i'm bringing it to wrongplanet, so in your own words, How would you describe what stimming feels like to an NT?

Well, it works about like Valium, only without the dopey, sleepy feeling - it's just plain calming. Think of it as free Xanax.

lol that is an excellant discription haha

Like a massage chair.

It's kind of like meditation.

Like a release.

tell him to do someting what really relaxses his all muscles and calms him down

NTs stim too so it should be pretty easy to describe.

just say it's the technical term for fidgeting or tapping your foot or something

What a good question!

Yeah, it's rather like shaking out all the tension and then a rhythmic, almost hypnotic soothing (at least that's how it feels to me when I get so over stimulated that I automatically start shaking my hands, then I rock my body)

That's what I was going to say.

I was in the middle of writing an email yesterday and I wasn't quite sure how to describe something, so I grabbed the floam that I keep nearby and squished it in my hands for a long time as the idea solidified in my mind. It was relaxing but also put me in a state of mind where I was more able to think clearly. That's not the only situation in which I stim, by far, but it is one example. Another thing that I do frequently is snap my fingers repeatedly and pace (or jump on my bed ) as I process an idea that I find exciting and interesting. That has the same effect.

I'm usually not aware that I'm doing it. I guess it feels kind of like what others have said. It's just a release of some sort.

For me, most of my stimming allows me to achieve "deep thought" and withdraw into my mind, because I get so mentally overstimulated and excited, that there's nowhere for the energy to go. It's a release of pentup excitement and energy in my case - not emotional excitement, but mental excitement.

Stimming is like celebrating to me. It also clearly releases endorphins in the brain.

I would describe it as something similar to a nervous habit. A lot of NTs have a nervous habit they can't control. It could be something such as adjusting one's tie, playing with one's necklace, constantly checking pockets to make sure the wallet is still there, etc. So the analogy will sound very understandable, even to a hardcore NT.

Or knee jiggling.

For me, it's the release of tension that either comes from stress, pain, or excess happiness.

It's like breathing after holding your breath for a minute.

with me it is just calming. I don't really think much about it.