Things I Didn’t Know Were Autistic Stims #autisticadult

I currently do all of these things and also did them as a kid! A lot of times women do these things covertly so they don't upset or annoy anyone and come across as more socially acceptable. Have you been stimming like me this whole time?

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[whitneymason]

I do many of those! It's so important for people to realize that stimming isn't just the stereotypical ones like hand flapping or spinning. It can be more subtle.

[TheHcjfctc]

Oh the times I've been asked, "You know you just tied your hair into a knot, right?" Yes, I'm aware. I do it all the time. LOL

[AshMaTashNYC]

Pick my lips, bite the inside of my cheeks, curl or dig my toes inside my shoes, sing in my head, check my cuticles, so many covert stims 🙃

[elysebuehrer]

Since my ADHD diagnosis, I catch myself stimming constantly. It’s a funny experience.

[That_ZestyBlueTwink]

Remember: none of you need to feel ashamed for stimming

[juniperpocaid]

I am learning so much about my daughter, myself, and my mom through content creators like you!

[amesonward]

When you tied the knot I felt so so seen. The little things are the big things. Thank you. Keep going. ❤

[ranmakuro]

Good to see this. I realize a moment when I had to wait in front of a laptop to do a certain task and it went sooo slowly, I just started to move a little. My teacher came by and asked in laughter if I was doing kind of rain dance to make the laptop magically work faster.
I just moved to feel comfortable, but didn't know it could be stimming.

It's a little shock to see all those details I did in the past from another perspective.

[skittlepuff]

My personal favorite, that is activated without me realizing it, every time I sit down, is bouncing my left leg up and down

[sld]

tiny braids and twirling my hair (I used to chew on it as a kid), picking my lips and cuticles, chewing my cheeks, curling my toes under my feet (this is how I sit almost all day), and i LOVE to dance! Despite the noise and crowds at concerts, I have realized why I love them so much - there is no other place I can release so much energy and not stand out. I can only handle 1 or 2 per year but man, what a catharsis!

[sciencenotsrigma]

The blinking! And dancing! And I used to look for split ends forever! ❤

[tamaradavis]

Apparently just talking to yourself is one; I thought everyone talked to themselves.

[spreadthejoy]

I'm so impressed with the amount of information I've already learned from just a few of your videos.

[VortexKiller]

I bite my nails when I'm bored, wring my hands a lot when I feel nervous or anxious, and crack my knuckles a lot when I'm either stressed, sad or angry, the drumming I do any time, some times when I feel stressed, bored or tense.

[SpicyTomatoTingles]

I was an instructor in higher education for 17 years and worked all of my autistic traits into every class. One of the most fascinating things as a late diagnosed female is to see all of the things I amplified, now in the public eye of awareness. Hand regard is a common theme amongst autistic persons. Fascinated by hand and arm movements and using them as stims was an area I emphasized in cognitive development. ❤

[emmalestrangeart]

My poor lips and cheeks need a holiday from me stimming on them all the time 😅

[Moon-ciev]

the rapid blinking! I do too much, I thought it was my eyes being very dry. When I was a kid I used to cut my curls and play with them lmao

[jackchamberlain]

Yeah, I do many of these things. I'm a gifted adult, and suspect I may be autistic, maybe also ADHD. I have many of the signs. One of those people who would find all of these things out later on in life as an adult. Would definitely explain A LOT about my childhood experiences, which then carried into adulthood, and why something has always felt off. I've also been one of those people who have always had to try extra hard to make myself look "normal".

[CrystallineSoll]

Yeah, there are many "weird" stims I found recently thinking back. When I was young I used to for example rhythmically activate and release muscles in my thighs and butt when listening to music, without any movement of the legs, just as that. At school I often did that even without any music, for example when focused on something :D .
What I love to do recent years is pressing my nail-rims into middle of my chin, middle of the palm or/and center of the last finger-parts, the opposite of the nails... I dunno why but there must be some important points of nerves, cause it just feels good/calming :D
I also used to pull my hair on specific places, such as on the corners of forehead, without pulling the hair out completely. Just the sense of it feels good.... Also letting curls of hair going through fingers is awesome... the touch and sense of the "shape" on the skin just feels good :D
Could those be also stims? I think they are...
Btw, biting lips makes similar good sense as the nail in middle of chin etc...
Yeah, I really relate, thanks 😄❤

[random-online-guy]

Me who developed trichotillomania as a result of my autistic stims