Your Ways Of Stemming?

Post Reply New Topic

I have had several ways of stimming in the past but now I use a 95cm Yoga ball and that alone take care of 90% of my stimming needs. All you have to do is learn to balance on it while bouncing on it and you're set. What makes doing this so great for stimming is you have to move/flap your hands and arms around rapidly to keep your balance.

Rocking (not much), leg bouncing, rubbing hands, sometimes rubbing skin, rubbing fingetips with thumb. Pacing must be a stim too. I talk a lot to myself, and especially energetic when in distress.

I've realized recently that I stim all the time, in all sorts of ways (talking to myself, brushing back my hair with my fingers, scratching, rubbing, stretching, moving around, playing with objects, messing with my clothing, picking nose & ears, occasional rocking and/or hand flapping if I'm really agitated, moving my eyes to make light trails into shapes, numbers, and letters, some less acceptable things I don't want to discuss here, etc.), and that I've learned to usually only do the less socially acceptable methods in private, except talking to myself, which I do all the time, even walking down the street, which I guess makes me look a little crazy, but whatever.
I try not to do it if there are other people around, but sometimes I'm so caught up in the conversation I'm having with myself that I don't notice and shut up until it's too late.
I always talk to myself and stim in other ways when I'm working, even if there are other people around.

Yay, stimming!

Hand flapping and head hitting for me.

i do the 'yay' hand wave when I am excited and jump up and down. which at my age is really not on but I can't seem to help it.

I was not really that aware of what a stim was till a few years ago.Ive always ran my fingers through my hair and twisted it,as long as I can remember.I liked to also pull the soft fringe on the couch through my fingers,I'd lay there and do this when I was a toddler.When I couldn't do this in school I tapped my fingers on the desk,wiggled my toes in my shoes,bit my finger nails,and became a compulsive doodler.When standing in line I'd sort of twist pack and forth and swing my arms from side to side,some times with a finger snapping and hitting my hands together.I never really thought about the fact that other kids didn't do this.One thing that helped was playing Cats cradle with string.It was kind of a fad,all the kids had strings around their necks.I crack my knuckles,fool with my fingernails,twirl pencils,bounce my leg,shake my foot,And if I get an extreme anxiety attack my hands do a side to side jerk.I suppose it is a type of flap.

I rock back and forth if I am engaged in some thought or activity and often don't notice how violently I am rocking until people are staring at me.

I also sometimes talk or hum to myself which makes me sound like a crazy person. It's like an intense inner dialogue goes on in my head and then I say something random out loud (hand gestures included) like "no you wouldn't do that why would you do that, that wouldn't make sense hahaha I get it now" Just really weird random things like that.

I still flap my hands and bounce around like pinkie pie.

Why do some people call it stemming?

Leg bouncing, a weird cross between actual whistling and blowing air out of my mouth and bouncing balls. Especially bouncing ballls, I love those

I'm not diagnosed, but I've noticed myself these alot, especially when I'm at work:

-Snapping when I'm walking. It just happens and I tend to do it in the rhythm of my footsteps.
-Bouncing my right leg up and down rapidly.
-Bouncing on my toes.
-Tapping my fingers.
-Drumming on objects.
-Clicking pens rapidly.
-Folding paper. I wasn't aware of my paper folding habit until an old friend pointed it out.
-Making shapes with my hands.
-Wiggling my fingers when I'm about to type and can't remember what I was going to type.

- I like to rock back and forth.

- I tend to bounce back and forth if I'm sitting down and see something I enjoy (I do this a lot when watching my favorite animated movies).

- I tend to pick at my nail cuticles a lot.

- I like having a small plushie/toy to hold in social situations or when I'm anxious.

- I like looking at pictures of my favorite characters.

- I like listening to the same song on repeat.

- I like rubbing this particular section of my stuffed dolphin's tail.

By order of preference:

1. Rocking slightly but rhythmically. Almost at any time I am sitting I am rocking.
2. Swaying. If I am standing, I sway.
3. Clenching muscles. When walking I usually have my hands clenching and releasing in firsts. I also have the T-Rex arm thing happen as a result of bicep clenching. I clench my calf muscles at night in bed to get to sleep by pressing my toes on the headboard.
4. Finger tapping. Just my right index finger and usually when trying to listen to someone while sitting at my desk. I hate it because they think I am in a hurry but I am actually using it to stay focused on what they are saying. Also do it if I am working out a trouble in my head.
5. Humming. I do this if I get too stressed and start to go into meltdown.
6. Teeth clenching.