Stimming: skin-picking VS nose-picking

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I know this is a sensitive matter, since picking your nose is considered taboo for adults in most societies. So I will make a little poll here, and I encourage every adult person with Asperger's(self-diagnosed or official), who has a stimming problem, to vote. Since I am only interested in adult with Asperger's, I hope everyone else will choose the last option to not skew the results.

I do pick my nose, I would rather not, but I can't stop it. If I do not, it itches like crazy. I pick my skin if there are some irregularities, I pick on spots if I get them, on insect bites, if I get a sunburn and my skin starts peeling, I can't help myself, I need to pick. I have scars to prove it, but I wish I didn't. If I see ants, I start to itch, which in turn can lead to more skin-picking.

Since it might be hard to admit you pick your nose as an adult, I suggest you vote anonymously, and rather comment below on skin-picking vs nose-picking, and if there is a connection between the two. And also perhaps if you think picking your nose actually is a stim, or is it just a bad habit?

I do both, I can't hold back and once I start I can't stop. Sometimes I end up picking the skin on my nose until it bleeds because I've run out of snot.

I pick my nails to the point of ripping the nail out of the nailbed completely and end up bleeding all over the place.

Voted.

Interesting questions, I'd never thought of these things as stimming (but I'm newly diagnosed). I don't nose pick but do have the urge to pick my skin. I manage to get on top of it at times, but at others I make myself red and sore; I've even caused small scars and enlarged pores in places. I'm quite relieved to hear that other people do it – it seems such an irrational thing for a grown adult to do!

Interesting questions, I'd never thought of these things as stimming (but I'm newly diagnosed). I don't nose pick but do have the urge to pick my skin. I manage to get on top of it at times, but at others I make myself red and sore; I've even caused small scars and enlarged pores in places. I'm quite relieved to hear that other people do it – it seems such an irrational thing for a grown adult to do!

Preliminary results show that 66% of skin-pickers also pick their nose (10 of 15). I know from experience that this topic is too embarrassing to even tell my own psykologist, perhaps thats why I have not read as much about it on the internet. Keep voting people, I love statistics!

I don't pick my nose compulsively, but I do pick the skin around my thumbs, which drives my hubby insane!

I never thought of picking at skin as stimming. Hmm... I guess I am more inclined to stimming than I thought.

My wife hates when she sees me doing it. It doesn't help that my skin has always been very dry. Keratosis pilaris doesn't help the situation either. Does anyone else here have it (small bumps that look like "goose bumps" on the back of the upper arms)? A dermatologist told me it is genetic (he also told me it is correlated with high intelligence, but I think he was just joking).

I've got the nose-picking mostly under control. When it itches like mad, pinch it and rub. It helps (or anyway it helps me).

I can manage not to pick at scabs in public. Most of the time.

I have to wear socks at other people's houses to keep from picking my toenails.

I keep my nails really, really short. It helps with nose-picking and fingernail-picking.

I chew my cuticles compulsively. I've given up trying to do anything about it. I figure, it beats the hell out of sucking my thumb.

I don't pick my nose or skin to stim. I do pull my hair out, bounce my foot, and flap my hands. This (hair pulling) started when I was in elementary school. I didn't know why I was doing it at the time, and I wanted it to stop. I'd gone through so many meds it wasn't even funny. In most cases, they made the hair pulling worse. It had gotten so bad I'd gotten bald spots (even made fun of). As a result, I'd hang out with very few of my classmates and at "inside recess" would hang out with the class pets instead.

I have always twisted my hair,it's one of my earliest memories.I never knew anyone else who did this.I like to read and do it.I don't really have the urge to pick my nose unless there is something that needs picking.But I do pick the skin on my feet,if there is any dry skin I'm gonna pull it or pick it.I have done this to where it was painful and almost bleeding.At least shoes cover this up.I also pick at scabs and bite the corners of my fingers.When I was young and at school I would bite my fingernails to the quick,it was the most socially accepted way of dealing with stress.It's most likely the reason I always had a sore throat ,all those germs.