Have you ever twiddled your thumbs repetitively, hummed a tune over and over, or tapped your foot repetitively? That’s called stimming! This week, I want to talk about stimming and how it can affect neurodivergent people such as myself.
Stimming is defined as repetitive physical or vocal actions that are often done to help soothe neurodivergent people. (Dictionary, N.D). However, anyone can stim (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, n.d). Common stims include rocking, shaking your leg, and shaking your foot (Steward, 2015). It is important to de-stigmatize stimming because it is done as a way to self-regulate. One study (Steward, 2015) found that the most common reasons for stimming are reducing anxiety, calming down, and coping with overstimulation. I am going to list 5 of my most common stims and explain why I do them.
1: Repetitive songs
I listen to the same song over and over sometimes. It helps me to feel calm, and the repetition feels safe because I know what is coming next. I like listening to one song until I get so sick of it that I cannot listen to it anymore without becoming annoyed. I will say this is a stim I have to do alone because if I am with someone else, I am alone in enjoying the same song repeatedly. This stim is very specific to songs I like; most other music can be overstimulating if it is too loud and not something I enjoy.
2: Biting my nails
I bite/pick at my nails frequently. Having something to take my anxiety out on is helpful because it releases the energy that is otherwise stuck. I've had this habit for so long that it has become second nature where I do not realize I am doing it. However, my hands look horrible because of it. The only way I stop is if I have color on my nails, but I’m bad at painting them and going regularly gets expensive. I have thought about getting a stress ball of some kind, but then I have to remember it. This stim is probably the closest to something neurotypical people would regularly do and not think about as stimming because it is relatively socially acceptable to do in public.
3: Wiggling
When I am at home, sometimes I will slightly sway back and forth as a way to get my energy out. I usually do this quickly to get all the energy out of my system right before I have to do something. Bonus points if it’s something nerve-wracking or I don’t want to do it. One thing that people don't regularly hear about with autism is hyposensitivity. While sometimes I can be overstimulated, I can also get understimulated. In these cases, I need to move, jump, and squirm around to ground myself and release the energy building up. Wiggling is my more extreme version of this, and moving my feet back and forth is my stationary version.
4: Moving My Feet Back And Forth
This is a movement I do before I go to bed to calm down, as it is the more stationary version of wiggling. As with almost everything on this list, I do it to get comfortable and release energy. Going from moving to lying down at night is a transition I sometimes struggle with, especially if I’m not tired, but I know I need to go to bed. Having that movement helps me settle in. It is also the easiest to hide because I usually am under a blanket, so no one would know I am doing it. Bonus points because it also helps me deal with restless leg syndrome by finding a way to move my legs.
5: Pacing
Sometimes, I walk back and forth to help center myself without going on a long walk. This stim is the most tied to stress, but sometimes it has turned into me unintentionally following my family around because I have energy and don’t know what to do with myself. As with the benefits of moving my feet back and forth, pacing also can help with my restless leg and force me to move more regularly. Sometimes, my pacing looks more like wandering, but the repetitive behavior appears with the loops I make.
Stimming, at least for me, is a way for me to release excess energy in a way that promotes security. I hope that by talking about my experience with stimming, I can contribute to destigmatizing it. This list is also not an exhaustive list of stims, but they are the ones you can probably catch me doing if you hang out with me for a day.
Thank you for reading about stimming. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com.
I didn’t realize this type of behavior had a name or a purpose. I remember that both my aunt and mother would cross a leg and swing it back and forth. I like your hint number four. It sounds soothing and practical. I’m going to try it tonight!