A new stim? An dnot a nice one, either

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Yesterday I started scratching my arm vigourously, and have been continuing to do so on and off for the last 24 hours. I have got the point now where it does not matter that it is sore, or that blood vessels have started to show, I cannot stop. It is more noticeable that I am scratching than say, clicking my fingers and humming, due to the fact people think that I am weird anyway.

This is the first time that I have stimmed (I guess it is a stim) in a way that causes physical damage to myself. I was wondering if this has happened to others and if there is some underlying reason as to why it has suddenly started.

I think the pain's cathartic, to a degree, it also makes the stim a far more effective focus - you're not only focussing on what you're doing, but the almost tangible effect that it has on your body. You can feel it. I've only ever done this in extremely high-stress or unpleasant times in my life, literally only a couple of times ever, and not for the sort of extended period you seem to be doing. When I got past the triggering event or had a chance to stop and think about it, process what had happened, I stopped on my own.

I do that occasionally

GET SOME BEADS - i GOT SOME WOODEN BEADS USE THEM TO STIM THRU MY FIGNERS, DONT USE YOUR BODY.

OH folk think your weird - who cares mate - your your own person, enjoy being you!

Hmmmm. At times I've had a stim of picking at a certain spot on my forehead, like picking at the skin until it's all raw and scabby and then picking at the scab. Why? Who knows? And what more obvious spot than a big oozing scabby thing that I am picking at wherever, whenever.
That, and pulling out the hair near this area on my forehead, and scratching my scalp right there too- again, wherever and whenever. Rubbing the ball of my left foot on the carpet till it was raw- felt so good and so necessary.
Both of these occurred during times of (lasting) high stress. When the stressful time was over, they were no longer necessary. May recur again though...
Exercising helps immensely. I recommend something really mindless and rhythmic, like walking or running or something similar (ice skating if you are up for that is great too). It's sort of like a stim, but more constructive and I find it puts my mind back in order.

Yeah... quite often actually. I never thought of it as stimming before though, just because I've always done it.

Sometimes I get an itchy spot on my arm. I feel an urge to scratch like on that commercial where the person scratches vigorously to the accompaniment of a noise that sounds like a jackhammer going through cement. Sometimes I draw blood.

I just usually pick at my skin and bite my cuticles until they bleed. I agree that the pain is cathartic. It does pose as a kind of release. My big thing is to flip the end of my hair between my thumb and forefinger repeatedly. If its smooth, its really soothing. Cant explain it. I also like the thumping sound it makes. Maybe you could do that.

Thanks for all your help here guys, I really get the feeling it is stress of something that is causing it, but there are few things racing around my head, and I do not know which one it is. I think diverting it into something less harmful may be the way to go.

Um. Sounds like you're basically piercing your flesh in some kind of ritualistic self-harm mode dude. Stim shmim. You're cutting.

I say - before you post, make sure you're sure about what you post. That said -

"Methods of injury

A common form of self-injury involves making cuts in the skin of the arms, legs, abdomen, inner thighs, etc. This is colloquially referred to as "cutting"; a person who routinely does this may be colloquially called a "cutter".[8] The number of self-injury methods are only limited to an individual's creativity. The bodily locations of self-injury are often areas that are easily hidden and concealed from the detection of others.[9]

Examples of self-injury other than cutting include:
Punching, hitting and scratching
Choking, constricting of the airway
Self-biting of hands, limbs, tongue, lips, or arms
Picking at or re-opening wounds (dermatillomania), ulceration, or sutures
Hair-pulling (trichotillomania)
Burning, including cigarette burns, and self-incendiarism (as well as eraser burns, chemical burns [example; salt and ice burns])
Stabbing self with wire, pins, needles, nails, staples, pens, or hair accessories
Pinching or clamping, as with clothes pins, paper clips, etc.
Ingesting corrosive chemicals, batteries, or pins[10]
Self-poisoning; for example by over-dosing on medication and/or alcohol, without suicidal intent[4]
Self-injury among individuals with developmental disabilites often involves relatively simple actions, such as banging one's head against a hard surface, punching hard surfaces, biting oneself (usually hands or arms), or picking wounds. It may also include pica, the swallowing of nonfood items, which can be extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal.


The whole low-down on SELF INJURY -with psychiatric resources galore - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-harm

I am not really sure that it is routine, and it is not for attention or anything like that (nothing I do is for attention), I have never self-harmed before, either. I believe it is something subconsciously getting to me, I just have to figure out what.

I tend to pick and scratch at things that convey non smoothness. So that does extend to skin. It's more of an unconscious compulsion my husband says. I guess it really is. I don't realise that I'm doing it. It's like my brain is using it for white noise while it works on something else.