Stim in public?

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Good point!

I used to try to hide my stims too. Very hard to do. In fact, since they often occur without realizing it---they aren't always hidden. Now, like you, I am saying so what? Stim in public---it makes me feel good---I'm doing it without worrying about it. I finger flap---have done that since I was a little child, and I do a thumb popping thing. I often find myself rocking a bit too when I am sitting. I have always tried to not do that, but I am thinking now, so what. If I rock, I rock.

I can control it, and will only stim openly in private (but then I make sure I spend a lot of time alone). I have purposely developed alternative ways of stimming in public, which people don't notice but which achieve the same effect for me. Having said that, when I was diagnosed, the psychologist pointed out a form of stimming I was doing which I wasn't even aware of. But I don't think it would be recognised by most NT people as a stim.

I hide it well - I usually only rock on the way home if listening to tunes or stressed out!

I chew the inside of my cheek, at home, in public, just a minute ago. I do it when I'm thinking, which is ALL the time, so the insides of my cheeks remain tender. I also pace like mad whenever I'm on the phone. Starts in the kitchen where I answered it, through the livingroom, down the hall & into my bedroom, over to the window then I turn around and do it all over again.

I do all sorts of stims, but most of them are unobservable, or at least not too obvious... clenching groups of muscles, tapping fingers, pens etc, used to chew the skin around my nails but that one's not too bad anymore. When I'm conversing and I'm excited about what I'm saying, I frequently stand up, then sit down over and over, throughout it.

I do that one too. We have cordless phones at my house, so if the call is for me, or I called someone, I pace back and forth from the living room to the dining room.

ditto. i do a pace out of the house to the front door ot front fence then back to front door, then through house and then out back door and down garden path to studio and pace in studio then go and do it all again.
it is more pronounced with people i do not know.

pretty much 24-7 for me - this stimming thing.

sometimes, but not a lot.

EDIT: well....yes.

Since I became aware of having AS I have no longer felt the need to hide the stims I previously hid. Some stims were not hidden anyway before hand. I quite happily kissed Bearsac or smelt his fur before I knew.
But sensory overload protection (not sure if count as stims) things like putting hands over ears and lalala-ing were kept hidden or disguised by resting my elbows on my lap and putting my head between my hands like when bored, and clicking or lalala-ing softtly with my mouth closed.

I will h and flap and do my fidgeting and everything in public. Usually I can quit after a short while. Mom doesnt like when I do but I told would you rather I freak. Whether she likes it or not she kinda has to accept it. I often bring up how many hand flap and shes like you're not like these people. I am! for cryign out loud.

I pace in front of people, yes. This is my main stim. I can sort of stop it looking quite so focused and deliberate and more like I'm just wandering around casually, but I can't not do it.

I don't know if I'm suceeding in making it look casual or if it's still noticeable and weird.

I don't flap in public but I do rock sometimes without noticing.

GAH! Didn't even THINK about that one. Never even occured to me that that was stimmy... fits my pattern of mandibular stimming though... touching my lips to things, running tongue around my teeth, chewing or moving odd shaped items (from buttons to cough drops) around my mouth. Not a common one for me, but it comes out when I'm suppressing the other, more visible ones... (or when I'm simultaneously trying to focus on not talking, and don't have a plastic BB to chew on)...

For me... which is all I can answer for... the need/drive/impulse/compulsion to stim is not voluntary...

The first one I remember, that I can track the progression of, was picking. During puberty I got paranoid about my skin, so I started checking got what I envisioned were ghastly enormous pimples. It was intentional, so I can say voluntary... but it was also not a stim at first. Somewhere along the line it became ritual and habitual. I would brush hand on each cheek, wipe nose, run fingers along eyebrows, temples, forehead, of my neck... all very nerve rich areas... pretty soon it was all habit and no thought... and it took me decades to reroute those urges to different actions...

I don't know... I can STOP any stimming activity... but I'm going to start again.