Magnus_Rex wrote:
Yesterday, I was watching an orchestra performing live. Baroque music is one of my favorite genres and the concert was free, so I decided to go.
As I listened to the music, I would move my head back and forth at the same rate of the music's tempo, with my feet accompanying and my hands imitating the maestro's. After a few minutes doing that, self-awareness kicked in and I looked around to see if anyone in the audience reacted as enthusiastically to the music as me. Unsurprisingly, I was the only one.
I found it rather amusing, to be honest. In fact, I kept doing it, because it feels as if I am part of the orchestra (yeah, I know it is strange, but I do not care). I actually do it while listening to any song I like, even while walking on the streets with my headphones on.
Anyway, the point is: do you think that counts as stimming or hyperactivity? Do you react the same way to music?
Occasionally I've rocked backwards and forwards in my seat a little at concerts but not usually aware of it until I get "the look" from someone.
Now, having been made aware of it rather too often, I try to surreptitiously "play along" instead with some complicated fingering.
I do this with music anywhere and often deliberately; it just doesn't feel
right unless I can get physically involved in some way with the sound, and I'd call it stimming more than hyperactivity - generally my stims tend to be of the focused, reinforcing "add something to the experience" type as opposed to a "calms me down" type or a tic.
(BTW:
great to know of another Baroque enthusiast - I tend to specialise in the organ music.)
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Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.