The Mystery Behind Why and What Causes us to Stim?

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I was thinking about the various different stims that we do.

What is the cause of the various different stims, medical as well as physical?

There must be something natural about how and why we stim? This is questions that I have on my mind.

Some stims are instinctually therapeutic such as rocking back and forth. Babies are soothed that way. I think most humans are soothed by rocking as evidenced by the age old invention of the rocking chair.

When I extend my fingers and move them in a repeated undulating "sine wave" motion with my hands at my sides, it helps me think when I have to figure something out.

Check out examples on youtube of children in India who are first taught math on an abacus and then get so good at computing that way that they don't need the physical abacus any longer. They'll work the problems out at lighting fast speed with their fingers outstretched before them on an imaginary abacus. Granted, they're making those finger motions as a substitute for an actual abacus rather than "stimming" to think, but I find the similarity interesting.

I think it's self-soothing.

I mostly stim when uncomfortable, stressed, anxious or overwhelmed... which is a lot. Less often, I do it when I'm bored. I try to be very subtle when in the company of others but don't bother when it's just me.

Honestly I'm not sure how much it helps but I do it anyway. It's compulsive.

I think it is instinctive.

All people stim, not just autistic people. Autistic people just do it more intensely. Neurotypicals will twirl their hair, tap their fingers, etc. I think it has many reasons behind it: sensory seeking, to sooth anxiety, to get out energy, etc.