Is this even stimming?

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Whenever I've "stimmed" and been told or asked by shrinks that I do it to calm down, this confuses me. The purpose of any atypical behaviors that I have has always been to awaken creative thought and induce fantasy. For example, I might clap not to calm me down, but because clapping helps me think of what the words to my next poem should be; or I might jump up and down so that I can envision myself achieving my goals. Anyone else do this? None of my doctors have ever understood me.

I would still define that as stimming- Doctors don't understand a lot of things, as long as they're not trying to force you to stop or it's stopping you from getting something like benefits, don't worry about what they think.

I find that swaying from side to side helps me think sometimes. I use it to help me come up with creative ideas. Not sure if that is stimming or not.

Other than that I rub a silky piece of material but that is because I like how it feels, even though people tend to think it is because I am stressed. It's not, I rub it because I like the sensation more than anything. However I've no idea if that is stimming either.

I've stimmed since a child. But I only recently (in the last week) realized it was stimming. I rub the index and middle finger of my hand (either left, right, or both) together very fast. It isn't very noticable.

I never knew exactly why, but I explained it this way: I have too much energy built up, this helps me spend it while still staying calm.

It sounds like you use the movements to induce a trance state.

That feeling you get when you stim, whether you call it that or not, is what other people on the spectrum also feel when they do it. It allows the blocking out of other stimuli so you can better access your own interiority. You as an artistic person find creative ideas in that mental state, but it can also be a means of self-calming.

What you described sounds like stimming to me...I've always stimmed myself, mostly through repetitive movement (swaying from side to side when nervous) stroking things (stroking my Calico Critters cat or a plushie) or just looking at my favorite things (pictures/screencaps of my favorite animated/movie characters)...I believe that some of my first stimming experiences were staring at the pictures in a Winnie the Pooh coloring book all during a drive to my grandparents' farm when I was a year old, and when I got a Snow White sleeping bag for Christmas a year or two later that had graphics of Dopey and Sneezy dancing with Snow White on it, I just lay on my stomach staring at the graphics of the dancing dwarves and princess...my parents and grandparents probably just thought I was testing it out to make sure it was comfortable.

I'd say that as long as it's not hurting you or anyone else (and it doesn't sounds like your stims are) then just go ahead and do them if you feel like it.

I've had several over the years, as a chid I used to suck my thumb and rub a silky ribbon on my top lip, if anyone asked why I would say it was because I liked the feel, but I think I felt it was calming. I've developed two new ones lately, one is running a piece of hair through each hand alternately, it helps me focus when I'm speaking to someone and I'm stressed and the other is rubbing my thumb on my first two fingers on both hands, I seem to do that if I'm walking somewhere and I'm stressed.