pacing compulsively

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does anyone else pace for hours at a time? personaly i have a compulsion to do so, if i dont then i get anxiety. i dont know why but i need to pace for hours a day, every day. ive heard that if u have a compulsion that takes hours that it could be OCD but idk... the only compulsions i have is to pace and to keep a schedule. i simply walk back and forth in a circle while sometimes talking to myself or simply thinking; the longest ive ever went without doing it is about a week. sometimes i will drop what im doing just to full fill my compulsion to pace. so my main question is weither or not this is an OCD symptom or an AS symptom.

I started pacing behavior when I was about 14, or 15. I'm 67 now and I still do it, usually at night, in the dark, with a glass of brandy and some quiet music playing in the background. I use this time to think and do some mental work. These are my most creative periods, especially after midnight. I plan projects and contemplate life, the universe and everything. These periods are sort of a recharge time for me, both mentally and physically, as being around people is extremely draining for me. And yes, sometimes I do talk to myself. Where else can I find any intelligent conversation? If I am not able to do this for any extended period, say several weeks or more, then I find myself becoming very stressed out and hyper.

Is it AS and/or OCD? I neither know, nor care. I is what I is and won't be changing.

I pace a lot too,now I just think of it as exercise.

I do when I am extremely anxious, I've had two stays in a general psychiatric hospital and I was known as the girl who would walk up and down the hallways. I would do it for ages.
I spend a lot of time on my feet due to anxiety. I do find it helpful to actually go for a walk, even if it's just walking into town and back a couple of times to calm anxiety and I find going somewhere can often be more soothing because you have the space to get into a proper rhythm and it's more calming. The other thing I love is crosstrainers. Bilateral movement is soothing.

I pace many hours of the day. It's my best tool for helping me concentrate. I do it while reading out loud (or whispering the words to myself if other people are around). I too was known as someone who paced during my stays in psychiatric hospitals. It took me a long time to discover that pacing isn't in itself a bad thing; it's a part of who you are.

I spend hours pacing or running (if the weather permits), always to music. During this time I am completely immersed in my daydreams, enjoying the beautiful sights from my own imagination. The urge to pace is particularly strong when I watch a movie or show that I'm obsessed with, because seeing the characters makes me want to daydream about them. It has taken me several years to train myself to finish movies/shows in one sitting, as before I would get up and pace every 10 - 15 minutes and sometimes not even finish them.

I do this quite a bit; when I am bored, uneasy, or anxious.

If your pacing compulsion is bothering you, it could most likely be remedied by some vigorous exercise. I too, pace especially when under stress or am caught up in deep thought, or I'm not burning enough energy through exercise. You have to remember that we are dealing with basically the same bodies as our hunting and gathering ancestors and in today's modern world we do little of either so that energy will look for ways to expend itself.

I don't really make a point to pace...however if I am on the phone or conversing with someone and not sitting down I will find myself pacing around.

I pace all the time also. I do it because I have constant arousal inside my body and pacing burns off the energy. I quite like it because I also talk aloud to myself as well. And like the poster above I get to think about all kinds of stuff while I pace, you could say it doesn't get you anywhere when you pace but I've found many a solution.

Peace out.

I find myself pacing compulsively only when I've become stressed and overwhelmed by things like something unusual happening, too much social interaction, change of routine or anything else that has discombobulated me and caused me to feel overwhelmed. Along with the pacing I tend to also be talking out loud to myself, re-living a conversation I just had if it didn't go well, asking myself what I need to say differently next time, or just thinking out loud all my stressful thoughts.

I also pace when I talk on the phone.

In the normal course of things though, I don't pace if everything's okay with me. Just when stress is heightened by something. I don't feel a need to pace if all is relatively well, it's just that I find myself doing it when all is not well.