Stimming. What does it feel like to you?

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As natural and of course as breathing.

I'm not sure if these are stims, but I'll be as detailed as I can as I've been thinking about this for a while...

Picking my Lips: I pick my lips, not sure why, when I do it it feels relaxing (weird, I know), although sometimes I almost don't even notice I'm doing it (I can zone out).

Tap/drum with my hands: I've done this for as far back as I remember, it's like an impulse I have to do it and it gets energy out/relaxes me. I start doing it often without even noticing and if I'm in public I quickly stop.

Animal Noises: I make odd animal noises, I don't know when I started doing this, I seriously try to limit this to times when I'm at home... It's almost like an impulse and calms me down, it can be quite funny too. I did it in front of my friend once and he laughed, thankfully he just thinks I'm a humerous eccentric and likes me for me.

I also as a child used to love watching flowing water, this was really interesting to me, I used to put it in bottles and pierce holes in the bottles and watch the water flow out - I called it a fountain lol - It was relaxing, fun, interesting to me, I stopped this when I started realising this is not usual behaviour in my early teens.

I also used to stack furniture (small stuff: small nest tables, cushions, bins etc) this was when I was really young though and I was taught that I couldn't do this - I even done it in other peoples houses.

Is this stimming?

Also, any further questions, feel free to ask.

Stimming helps my body feel "right". It's a way for me to release something from my body that feels like has been collecting in my body over some time (minutes or hours) and causing it to feel uncomfortable.

When I stim I feel a sense of physical relief. If I try to suppress stims when I feel the need to stim then my body feels even more uncomfortable and I cannot concentrate on anything else than that strange feeling in my body.

When I get that physical relief from stimming, my mind becomes more at ease too and I'm no longer as distracted by the way my body feels.

As a Pagan, I understand it as a way to "ground" excess energy, or direct energy in a way that helps me focus and relax. I've learned to limit it mostly to being at home but there are still stims that I do without realizing it in public: rocking, swaying, tapping hands/feet.

I try to meditate regularly, but while most people meditate while perfectly still I feel better and calm my mind easier if I move, especially rocking/swaying.

I have never drank alcohol but people say it makes them feel good. Stimming makes me feel good so I suppose it is my way of drinking!

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

Stimming feels normal. Not stimming feels bad.

If I don't Stim, I get very agitated - like bugs crawling under my skin. Stimming keeps that feeling at bay.

Satisfying and relaxing. If I force myself not to stim, I get real agitated though. As a kid I slept with my granny cuz her fingernails were smooth and I could only get to sleep when I was rubbing her nails with my thumb. I tried sleeping with my mother but her fingernails just didn't have the same texture.

feels good. used to feel better when i was a kid.

Like dipping my hand into cold water - my favourite sensation.
Calming to both brain and body, finally feeling me, a safe secure haven.
Like my brain suddenly releases its own serotonin.

I don't stim all the time.....well actually yes, I do. I chew the inside of my lips and cheecks ALL the time except when talking. It doesn't always feel the same, as I can happen to be focused on something (a movie or reading) and I won't even know I'm doing it. But if I'm not focused enough to be completely oblivious, it feels relaxing and comfortable like....thumbsucking.
I do other stims I never knew were stims, like pressing my fingers (actually , pushing the tip against the fingernail) it's like needing some true feeling there because of the "fleety feeling" of....is it air between nail and skin?No idea, something that bothers me, I chase the feeling this way.
I've noticed I do the very stereotypical "autistic wrist shaking" thing when I need to go to the toilets badly lol....TMI I know. I never noticed before my son made fun of me for it recently and I probably have done it all my life...............

As someone else said here, it feels as natural as breathing. That makes so much sense to me---just as I need to breathe, I also need to stim. When I stim it is like tension releases. I find my stimming very relaxing and comforting.