What do you do in terms of stimming?

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I'm trying to figure out if I stim, I think I might, just maybe I don't realise that this is what it is.
I'm basing my idea of stimming on this - http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-is-stimming-and-what-does-it-feel.html

I do things like rearrange/straighten clothing a lot, compulsive grooming, stretch or clasp my hands, bite my nails/fingers or touch my lips when stressed, upset or in social situations - I do have an oral fixation, nothing to do with taste but more to do with touch of my lips. In school I used to suck my thumb a lot when upset, later in school and at work I used to stroke my arms or legs sometimes with a finger or pen...I might still do that come to think of it. I'm also prone to making funny noises - squeaking when excited or whining when upset. I have to really think about this to come up with possible examples - although the clothe straightening and finger stretching/clasping are both common. I believe I have sensory issues relating to touch, so maybe that could tie-in with some of these examples.

Am I right in thinking these are possible examples of stimming?

When do you do it, and what sort of things do you do?

I'll put it this way. If there's a pen in front of me, good luck preventing me from picking it up and moving it around. Also I tend to tap my fingers on things all the time, or rub my hand on my chin as I remind myself I need to shave. Other times (usually when I have caffeine) I can't stop twitching my foot when I sit down. That's about it, or at least what I'm aware of.

Sometimes I wonder if my "stimming" might just be byproducts of my OCD. However, there are some stims that I partake in, such as squealing out of excitement, rocking, and flapping my hands. Some other things I do that could count as stimming are playing with the seams of my pants, biting/licking my lips, and pacing back and forth.

I am not sure if I "stim" or if I just have habits. I mean...what is the difference between someone with an ASD "stimming" and someone without and ASD bouncing a leg or tapping or twirling his/her hair, etc etc?

In any case:

I wring my hands and have done so for at least 10 years.

I tap the fingers of my left hand in a particular pattern (thumb, middle finger, index finger, ring finger, middle, pinkey, rinse and repeat). Sometimes for hours at a time.

I have been known to rock in the privacy of my own room.

I like to spin. Is that stimming?

I won't say that I "flap" my hands persay, but I am prone to shaking then under certain cirumstances.

I pace...a lot. Does that count?

I have been known to make noises repetatively (like meowing).

I rub my eyebrows a lot. I only know this because I noticed that they were....kind of...not full a few months ago. Now I am actively keeping myself from rubbing them. They've grown back, but I still catch myself rubbing them when I am nervous.

I rub my lips a lot.

I fiddle with a string or something of the same feel in front of my face...........I used to spin and flapped my hands occasionally as a child but don't do these anymore. I rock when I'm very upset or anxious....but otherwise I don't.............Also I repeat words and hum sometimes but I'm not sure if that counts.................

I do a lot of these things too but so does pretty muh every one I know so I don't really understand what is specific about stimming in comparison to anyones fidgety or stress controlled habits.

I tend to squirm a lot, or shake my legs back and forth if sitting. In fact, I recall how back in high school, one of the girls who'd sometimes make fun of me said loud enough for everyone to hear that I didn't sit still.
If angry, I find myself biting my hand.
If laughing, I slap my hand on the chair or table I'm at, if sitting. I know NTs can do this, but with me, I do it much more noticeably and loudly as I laugh out loud.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

I stuck my thumb and stroke a blanket when I'm alone, in public iv been told I simply figdget alot.

I stim with my fingers a lot, it's hard to explain but it's my main stim. I also pace around in a circle a lot (while stimming with my fingers) and rock back and forth a little less. A little hand flapping now and then, and I didn't know any of this was related to autism until about 6 months ago.

I pace around. I use to rock when I was little but my 2nd grade teacher broke me of it.

I make noises, 'bounce' isolated muscles (calf muscles being the most common), pace, tap, 'finger dance', rock... I do that eye tracing thing sometimes and chew and smell things... I have so many things I do that could be classified as stimming, I could not sit and list them all without taking up a lot of time and space here...

I also suck my thumb since I was born(I was not sure if this could considered a stimming behaviour)...I dont stroke a blanket however I do pace in circles.
I bob my leg up and down rapidly while sitting, I drill my fingers on a table/desk making a tune...
If extremely upset I rock while holding my arms crossed over on my chest.
I fidget alot.
I near constantly draw/doodle in school preventing me from paying appropriate attention.

I'm still not sure what counts myself. But I think my main ones are "counting" on my fingers (I'm not actually counting. That's just what it looks like), flicking my fingers, scratching my arms, and pulling out hair on my chin and neck. I do a lot of other stuff too, but they're more like things that everyone does. Although I've embarrassed myself plenty of times in meetings because I had a pen in my hand and ended up flipping it across the room while playing with it. XD

I do pretty much every imaginable thing, but I don't know what's stimming and what's normal fidgeting. Many people fidget with their hands or feet, some bite their lips or doodle, and so forth.

So looking at patterns counts as stimming? I love parking halls and the big stenciled letters. The bigger, the better. As a child, I used to watch the cord going from one street light to another. Bump bump bump... The more I thought of it, the more it started to feel like a compulsion. I also had some compulsive thoughts. I ate the yellow candies first because a yellow face could mean liver damage, greens next because green means poisoning, and reds last because a face could turn red for no particular reason. By eating the red ones last, I cancelled the other effects. This was around age 6-8. I've thought it's similar to OCD. At the time I also had some compulsive tic-like movements like blinking.

At one point, I looked at my nails all the time. People noticed it, so I made myself stop. Generally speaking, I think people pay more attention to it if you have to look at what you're doing because they follow your gaze.

walking in circles

jumping up and down

rocking

hand movements - flapping, wringing,

moving things in front of my eyes

biting, putting things in my mouth

hitting or tapping my mouth (i've no idea why I do this but i've done this for as long as I can remember)

general hitting self (not like punching), I will grab anything and hit it against some part of me or use my fists. I especially hit my fists against my thighs a lot and they're all bruised.

adjusting volume of music over and over

laying on the floor and tapping feet

Those are the ones I do a lot but I do a lot of this, or try to, in my room only or when otherwise alone. As a kid it was mostly chewing and moving things in front of my eyes.

I consider it stimming when it's something I'm doing to focus my brain in a situation that's giving me too much sensory input. For instance, sitting in the waiting room at the county hospital, too much noise with people yelling names, doors slamming, people talking, too bright, too many smells, too much physical pain...then I find myself doing some very repetitive stuff that just helps me ignore the overloads. And there are times I stim when I'm by myself when I know it's for comfort. I consider something I do a habit if it doesn't carry a neurological/emotional weight. If that makes any sense.