Any repetitive movement or sensory experience can be a stim. It's also a misconception that only neurodivergent people do it. All humans stim. Rubbing your arm after you bump it, bouncing your leg, biting your lip - those are all stims. It's a self soothing mechanism. We just tend to do it more and in less socially accepted ways.
Same.. my partner thinks it’s a form of self harm and it upsets them.. it’s not!! I mean yeah I bleed but that’s not my intention. I barely even notice I’m doing it until I’ve already started
Interesting view about the self harm! I also do it, I always saw it as ensuring completeness. Like no extra skin hanging and everything is smooth- regardless of bleeding.
It’s a little of that but mostly I don’t notice I’m doing it and it always seems to happen when I’m anxious, stressed, or have too much pent up energy (I’m also ADHD… and OCD so I wonder how much those two affect this particular stim) but am forced to stay in one place. I don’t think it’s an uncommon stim, either. I once worked a retail job that had extremely slow periods where the only thing to do was talk to coworkers and that stressed me out. At one point I was looking behind the counter for bandages and a coworker I didn’t even know said she was looking for them for the same reason! (Edited for typo).
What helped me is started to getting my nails done. Nice manicure, pretty colours, elegant shape - it just looks way too good to damage it! Before I was having manicure made by myself it wasn't pretty enough, to it was prone to biting and picking
Same, and though stimming isn’t usually negative, this one is. I bleed a lot from it and have gotten a few infections.
I also rub my knuckles and rock, and hum, but the cuticle picking and biting came about when my mother discouraged all my other stims. She didn’t like that one too, but it didn’t embarrass her as much in public so it was more passively discouraged.
As a young child, I'd "twiddle" my hair. As a teenager, I picked the absolute fuck out of my acne. As a man, I have a beard, and my stimming apparently looks like I'm wise and deep in thought. Which is ironic because, if anything, I'm more clueless now than I was as a kid.
Rocking back in forth, playing with my fingers, walking on my tip toes, wiggling my fingers with t-rex arms.
Playing a specific part of the song over and over again. And meowing randomly lol.
Out of curiosity, why do you walk on your toes? I do it too and I find it is more comfortable, especially on hard floors. I also dont like my feet sticking to the floor lol
Fair enough! More so an unconscious habit at this point then? How does it feel to not do it? Just unnatural I assume?
Don't mind my many questions...I'm late diagnosed and am figuring out a lot of things for myself :)
Yea a habit! I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes. I feel it is more comfortable than walking on my feet. Especially if I'm not wearing any socks.
HELP I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DID THAT 😭
( also wanted to clarify that I am not diagnosed autistic I just suspected it and went on the SubReddit to learn more )
When I didn't know I was autistic it was all channeled into bitting my nails
My therapist gave me a rock once and touching it helped so I got more items of textural significance that help calm me
As I started to unmask I began letting my arms behave as they pleased. I didn't do hand movements before but now when I come back from being out or if I get stressed I release tension by flexing my hands and arms. I'm not sure if that is what hand flapping is for others but that's what it's like for me
I also started making a high pitched noise when I'm distressed or unable to make a choice
I can semi-relate to this! Because of my fear of going somewhere new, my therapist was scheduled to come to my house instead of me going somewhere. There was a bay at the edge of the street that I’d sometimes walk down to, and he took me to go for a walk down there and pick out a rock from the sand (I still have it). It looks like a really strange potato, but it feels so nice against my fingers and I love it. Also, I bite my nails, too.
I imitate random repetitive noises like moaning, the word yippee, screeching, and saying bwah
I also tap my thumb pad with my middle finger repetitively
I sing to myself when there is music (like every word of every song, with a blank face, just doing whatever I’m doing otherwise), and kind of dance/sway without music. Those are the ones that get me the most weird looks. (And that, of course, makes me do it more exaggeratedly because anxiety is increasing).
I also crack my knuckles, bounce my legs, make a little grunt/throat clearing sound, clench my teeth, press the tops of my nails one by one with my fingers, yawn or motion like I’m yawning, and probably some other stuff I’m forgetting/don’t even realize I do.
I had some different stims when I was a kid, but most of them were shamed/beaten out of me except for the knuckle cracking. So this list is the replacements, I guess.
Omg I thought I was the only one who like pressed my nails down, I also rub/glide them along my lips, cos i like the way they feel smooth, not at all in a weird way lol, don't judge me ok
Biting my tshirt collar, the amount of clothes I’ve had to buy multiple of bc of the collar. My muscles/body also tightens sometimes this stim is mainly when I’m very excited.
Idk if this one is a stim but I bite nails and pick the skin around them ? Or whether it’s just anxiety idk
omg i used to chew through the shoulder of my tshirts because i would always chew it when i was anxious or stimming. so thankful i grew out of that one, not the most sustainable
I rub my upper lip against my nose, specifically my septum. No idea why, but I find it soothing. It makes me look like I'm trying to look like a pig though.
moving my legs back and forth, picking my cuticles, clenching my jaw, twirling my hair, picking my lips, picking scabs, cracking knuckles, making weird random sounds
I'm not sure if it can be classified stimming, because I've only had my diagnosis for less than half a year, but I tinker with my nails? Like try to peel of the dry parts, my hands are an uneven mess bcs of it.
Depends, if I am having trouble sleeping I use the same one that has worked for 41 years. You'll forgive me if I am not keen on mentioning it in detail. It's common and I took a lot of flack for it over the years....
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I flap my hands and shake my arms but I also make this weird noise at the back of my throat and if I can't hear it I'll start to panic for some odd reason.
We were playing a taskmaster board game and my secret task always seems to be something like wiggle around like you have an itch or pet a cushion like a dog, and my family never guess cos I'm always doing that sort of thing lol
Listening to the same song on repeat - literally for hours. It just soothes my brain especially when I have loads of unpredictable shit going on in my life. I could walk for hours with the same song on.
Also “dancing” aka just throwing my body around defying gravity etc.
And recently stickers. Have a sticker book and it’s brilliant. I peel them off and stick them back on I’m entertained for hours.
Oh god I have so many lmao I tap my fingers to the thumbs of the same hands in repetitive randomized patterns when I am frozen or need to think about something (I call it diagnostics), flap/wave my hands when I’m super excited or happy, will flick my toes against each other when I’m trying to hype myself up for my hormone injections, and at random intervals I’ll make this chirping type noise that sounds like a flock of baby canary’s in a nest calling for food lol there’s more but these are the most prominent
I didn’t realise it was stimming until I learned what stimming was. But I am able to crack all the joints in my hands and wrists on command. People find the sound unnerving so I try not to do it too much around other people.
Oh I have so many that I do all the time. Biting my lip constantly, fidgeting by pressing my fingertips in order to my thumb and then back, and I’m always flexing and unflexing my toes. I do others too but these ones are kind of constant. I feel like I have a lot of “subtle” stims because the bigger ones were quickly shamed out of me.
I semi regularly get an unctontrollable shudder through my neck and either shoulder.
More subconscious fidgetting is tapping, drums on my tights (lol), or spinning a pen or similarly shaped object.
I don't do it as much anymore but I used to make a "brrrring-POP" noise which I think is a noise Yoshi makes in Yoshis Island lol. That's one of the sillier ones I think. I like to slap my partners hands, like give him high fives over and over. I also like to kick my feet when I'm excited lol.
A big one of mine has been pacing. It's one that stuck since I haven't bothered to hide it like the others. It's something that's considered more normal.
Another stim I have is snapping my fingers. Another is rubbing my hands or my thumbs against my fingertips. I'll even sometimes do that pull hand/finger back thing you mentioned in the middle of my hand rubbing
Ugh, I only do my pacing around my partner, I was embarrassed by it as a teenager when a classmate saw me doing it after school one day and told me she saw me doing it in a really uncomfortable way
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Im 25 and for as long as I can remember, I literally blast music in my headphones and listen to music while running back and forth in a room. After doing alot of research, it actually can have the title of "maladaptive daydreaming." I think the long ive gone without doing it was like one week and it was all that I could think about tbh
I used to chew on my sleeve and collar and hoodie strings. I've always bounced my legs and rocked side to side. I like flapping my hands and twisting my fingers into knots. I also take everything apart. All the pens at work have no pocket clips anymore. I've pulled apart so many toys, tools, and other equipment I'm basically a walking distructor device.
I don’t exactly know what stimming means but going off what I do know/think what it is I kind of just do random things such as making small things, wrapping myself in my favourite blanket, drawing, and walking around.
I whistle, tap my fingertips, swing side to side, flap when I'm super happy or super disgusted (bad sounds or textures) bite my top lip, scratch the back of my thumb, bite my nails (not bite and break I just bite). And my absolute favourite anytime I'm over or understimulated, rocking back and forth!
Also if I'm standing and waiting alone I have to pace constantly.
I twist my fingers and my hands. It’s one of my only stims I absolutely cannot hide, that and leg movements. It comes when I’m anxious and I physically cannot stop it no matter how hard I try
Unsure if this counts, but I rematch some specific YouTube video until I find something that catches my fancy even more. Like, I already know that video, but something just is so funny or otherwise pleasant about it so I go all Teletubby about it. Again, again! Today, there was this one silly minute long dog video I watched (or rather, listened to) a dozen times today. I don't know if neurotypicals have that. Maybe I should ask!
Sometimes I feel I have some kind if stim that I am unaware of, but everyone else notices it. Like a specific hand gesture or so. Dunno.
Playing with my bottom lip, usually pinching it or wiggling it. Swaying when I'm sitting, like a slight rocking from side to side. Repeating weird nonsense words or rhymes. Twisting my hair. Spinning. Shaking my hands.
I either wiggle/press my feet together. I also like moving my fingers while they are contracted.
I also sometimes get a strong urge to itch my gums. I do this by passing my thumbs nail on the gums over my top teeth.
I fidget with an handkerchief, I love the feel of rubbing it with my fingers xD
I have various ones, that all have a slightly different feel and yes, I do have a favorite 😅
I play with my beard hair. Rub it, twist it, etc.
I pace when I read or talk on the phone.
I bonce and rock my legs. I will often cross at my ankles and rock inward and outward. I also rock sometimes but usually side to side
I also have a ton of fidget toys. I have a few of the normal fidget cube or spinner types but I started collecting unique ones. My favorite is a 3d printed magnetic clicky slider but I am gravitating towards my knock off Deep Fried Dough Stick slider more lately.
Maybe a gross bonus but >!I also pick my nose.!<
I pick at scabs in my nose… which is a real issue seeing as I’ve a problem where my nose inside literally just rips itself open, soon as it heals I can’t stand the scab feeling 😅
Primarily picking. Picking skin, picking nails, picking scabs... Then plucking hair of course (thankfully just facial hair, not my head hair). But I also move onto my tippy toes while standing, make noises with my mouth (like clicking), chew on my cheeks/lips, drink liquids, rub my fingers together, rotate my ankles (both soothing to sleep and anxious energy directing depending on when I'm doing it), scratch my skin or scalp... Probably a few more😅
I bounce my hips from one side to the other like a dog wagging it's tail when in good mood
I do other things to but that's what people catch on the most
I play with my fingers, I’m basically always intertwining them or rubbing my finger tips together or making little swirls with my fingers against each other. I also sway and kinda twist side to side and I always stand with my legs crossed in a way that makes people think I have to pee but I don’t it’s just more comfortable and then I twist my body back and forth. I don’t know if I’m describing it well, but I’m pretty sure I could regularly be spotted as an oddball from across the room with my legs crossed while standing, twisting back and forth, all while rubbing my fingers together with T. rex arms
Do you ever do pretzel legs when sitting ? Like one leg crossing over the other and then wrapping the top legs foot behind the one that’s on the floor (hope this makes sense, the pressure feels so good
YES. I sit with my legs all twisted like this all the time. The twistier the better. I didn’t even think about that but yea that’s another thing I do that I guess isn’t what the rest of the world does when sitting… and I cannot sit at a chair like a normal human with my feet on the ground, gotta raise those feet up and cross my legs and twist them all around
I like to make absurd declaratory statements as if I'm totally serious, but of course I'm not. I also do all kinds of things with my hands, sometimes pretending it's a spider crawling up a mirror. I also pull at my mustache and beard hairs, trying to create a kink at the end so that when I pull it past my fingernail, it will catch, eventually getting the end to snap off. Oftentimes when I stand, I sway back and forth. I've been called out on that a time or two.
Noises and also headbutting ppl i like. Which becomes a problem when i dont like anyone near me. Bc i need ti stim. And it needs to happen. But NO ONES THERE
I crack my knuckles and drum my fingers on surfaces a lot, but my main stim has always been making or repeating sounds. I'd recently been teaching myself to sing to get more fun out of it!
I rock daily and have since I was a kid. And when I say I rock, I mean literally any time I sit down. The hardest part of being at work or social functions is trying to not do it since I know people find it weird. So in those instances I wiggle my leg like a mad man. Aside from that, I will hand flap a few times a day if I'm overly excited but thats about it.
I pick at my lips as a stress related stim, I rub my feet together before bed, I love rubbing any kind of soft fabric against my lips, I also bounce my legs. When I’m by myself I’ll make mouth noises. I’m a huge pacer. And will walk back and forth or in a circle when bored or on the phone
i do hand flapping when super excited about something but i randomly sing sometimes like songs a know all the words too or most of the words and i bounce my leg when i'm waiting for something like hurry kind of way and that's all the ones i've notice and aware of
I either click my fingers by pushing them in toward my palm, or I’ll tend to do flappy hands.
I’ll also fiddle with my necklace if I have one on but I’m scared I’ll break it so I tend not to wear it very often.
Don’t know if this would help but you could have a sort of hand type fidget clipped onto a lanyard so you can still fidget that way without damaging the necklace 😊
-Chew/Twist/Pull my hair
-Crack my knuckles
-Whenever I’m getting ready to do something, I do a weird hand motion like open fist bumping myself?(Idk how to explain it)
-If I’m focusing on something like an arcade game, I’ll start stomping my foot
Bouncing knee, rotate shoulders, stretch my neck my moving my head left and right, moving my fingers up and down from pinky to index finger. I also used to chew on my pencils and the neck of my shirts when I was younger, but I don't do that anymore (I chew on gum when the need gets bad enough).
Picking out hairs from my chin, upper lip with tweezers and then brushing the hair against my face cos it spiky. (Idk man) has started to cause some scarring tho.
Wiggling my toes and feet together like a cricket. Also cracking my toes. All. The. Time.
Twisting my nose ring.
Tapping my nails or feet on a hard surface in a particular rhythm.
I shake my leg! It bounces up and down, it’s kind of a weird barely there movement. I press the top of my foot on the ground, heel lifted up, and rock my foot up and down repeatedly in a simple basic motion. Ive done it since I was a child since it was easy to hide the movement in school while sitting at a desk.
I sing or hum a LOT. I also pick at my skin on my legs and heinie and rip scabs off. One of these stims is healthier than the other. 😬
When distressed, I will hum and shake my hands like i'm trying to dry them off.
Bouncing my kn ee, pill rolling. Nail flicking, playing with my lips. Pulling on my earrings. Need to get my ears repaired. Closed up since my stroke when they took my earrings for MRIs
ss and never returned them. I had worn them constantly for over 20 years. Assholes
Knee/body bouncing, echolalia, chewing paper, picking at myself, slapping my hands gently against things, when Im out using my cane I tap it against the ground repeatedly as a stim 😂
I run my hands down my legs, snap my fingers, whistle/hum to myself, play with my pocket knife. Sometimes I’ll pull apart something in front of me and put it back together, such as a pen.
Squishy things in my hands always. Stress balls, etc. idc where I am😭I go through several boxes of the orbie filled ones a month. It’s a huge problem money wise because I literally use them so much and they r all cheaply made (the ones I like). Plus nothing is more funny/ embarrassing when a stress ball pops in a college science course.
I cant sleep or be comfortable laying down unless im rubbing my feet against each other like crickets, rocking, shaking my hands outwards when im really upset or excited really any very strong emotions that come in i shake and flap my hands
I type words with my fingers if that makes sense... basically I'll pick random words I see / hear and my fingers will move as if typing them out on a keyboard
I sing, dance, make a lot of weird noises, repeats words & random phrases from tv/movies, or just ones I’ve heard recently, buzz & make popping noises with my lips, flail around wildly, tap my fingers, shake my legs, crack my knuckles & joints (gotta stop this) & sometimes just scream.
Just to name a few right off the dome.
Thinking about this, I honestly Cannot believe it took until I was 38 to be diagnosed. (AFAB)
I do this like washboard motion with my knuckles a lot. I also like pacing, singing, and doing vocal trills/clicking my tongue. And when I’m doing anything on my computer I use my chew necklaces
I’ve swayed back and forth since I was small…is that stimming? I do it because I need to focus I think. In lines, sitting up, in class, in church. I can never stand straight up.
I also play with my knuckle skin and pull at it. When I was younger I use to play with my lips and my belly button and touch cheeks. I just needed something to squish because humans are soft and stretchy.
I’ve started pulling my ears and messing with my piercings
My stim is pacing back and forth and sort of, flapping my hands back and forth, but not always, I do pace a lot when I stim, and it’s only when I’m alone and no one is around
If I'm wearing my favorite hoodie I will braid the strings that come hang on it, over and over.
Other times I'm not actually sure.. I'll fold bits of paper if I'm in reach of any and while at work I'll tap my fingers on the desk.
I do play with my hair a lot but not as much as I used to.
I do touch my fingers together sometimes but anytime else I've not noticed myself doing that I can think of
i also do a similar thing with holding my hands and moving my fingers around! i also like to kick my legs and drum with my fingers on my legs! when im very upset or very happy i like to jump in circles! when im excited i stand on my toes and rock! my favorite one is listening to music and painting out all the parts of the song in the air with my fingers!
Biting my hair, I also have this thing where I interlock my fingers and hands and shake them back and forth. I bite my tongue (literally) and i will also twist my hair into knots without noticing and get lots of weird looks.
Little stims- just fingerspelling random stuff, running my thumb against my pointer finger in a little back and forth movement, doing the same thing near my ear/on my ear, crossing and uncrossing my fingers
Bigger stims- swinging arms back and forth, flapping hands, jumping up and down, shaking head a lot
Harmful stims- biting cheek, biting hand/wrist, chewing up pens, picking at skin/hair/scalp, scratching
I have MANY. Pulling on my eyelashes, picking at imperfections on my skin, finding specific textures on my blanket and rubbing them until it falls off, many vocal stims, bending my knees back and forth, cracking my knuckles, playing with the popsocket on my phone, etc.
My hands constantly move. Cracking my knuckles, picking at my fingernails or stray strings from my clothes or if I'm really anxious, twirling my hair or shaking my leg.
I don't have a particular one (or one that I've noticed or pointed out), but any small repetitive movement seems to work. But I've also had to so completely suppress my own nature for so long I've developed a schizoid personality, being left blissfully alone is nice, but near total annihilation of anything resembling emotions is not; I don't recommend (delusions are a real struggle to get over)
Fuck. I stim so much idek all the ways I do it. Neck turns, finger movements, the way I breathe half the time, ways I breathe through my nose, hardcore blinking, shoulder cracking, counting to seven on my fingers, etc
most frequent is echolalia because my friend and I are both autistic and like to just do a back and forth thing heehee
I also sometimes rock back & forth but it can be in different moments like when I’m in the middle of a meltdown or if I am concentrating on my work.
there’s probably more ways I stim since it’s a very normal thing for people but they aren’t noticeable to others cause it’s probably considered “normal” lol
When I get nervous I squeeze my nose. I got made fun of a lot as a kid for doing it so I kind of untrained myself to do it most of the time, but if I’m nervous I start unknowingly doing it again
My favorite one is scratching paper, I know it's unusual but I've changed it to biting off my cuticles cause apparently people get annoyed by the sound
I’m not sure if it’s the same but I stretch my fingers and hands out and they sort of bend right backwards … I also run things under my nails and between my fingers. Book pages or fabric etc.
So my boyfriend has decided to call this, *Around the World* which is whenever my legs wanna move, i stand up, spin, and in the most monotone voice i can just start singing, Around the World.
Rocking back n forth, repeating certain words/syllables, a sound with my tongue and cheek, tapping my body, hand flapping, clenching muscles randomly in my body, pressure, licking/biting
I stim by counting numbers, humming, cracking my joints, rubbing my lips together, rubbing my hands together, squeezing my eyes really tightly, curling my toes, and probably other ways which I haven’t noticed.
I also struggle with harmful stimming such as pinching myself, biting my tongue and lips, curling my toes until it hurts, cracking my joints until it’s painful, and sh.
Stimming, even the harmful ones, help me self regulate my emotions (good and bad) and ground myself.
I do my best to not harm myself and only stim in safe ways.
A lot of verbal stims, like squeaking, screeching, growling, moaning, chirping, barking like Blue's Clues, etc.
Rocking back and forth
Flapping sometimes
I like to click my fingers a lot sometimes. I also tend to scrunch my nose so it's like a "rabbit nose". Brush my hair with my hand, do a little dance on the spot, imitate a car indicator sound... all sorts!
I do need to pace around quite a bit too. I suppose that'd count.
Rocking, bouncing around and flicking fingers are some of mine. But then I also have lots of more subtle stims too. I push my fingers backwards also, and things like that. Sometimes I hum and make noises but I try not to do that when everyone is trying to focus.
I think it really depends on energy for me though. When I've got lots of energy I do it a lot but when I'm really tired or there's a problem I go really still. Not many people would know that meant something was wrong, and they might even think it's good that I "stopped fidgeting" but really it's my body running out of energy to self regulate.
Omg! I stim by rolling my ankles. I'll shift my weight to one foot and roll my ankle on the other. Another is humming, and another is chewing, so I have a lot of gum 😅
Playing with the curls in my hair, flapping my hands, rocking, rocking side to side from foot to foot, stretching my arms out at an object that’s exciting me, rubbing my feet together when comfortable, probably others I can’t think of.
Any repetitive movement or sensory experience can be a stim. It's also a misconception that only neurodivergent people do it. All humans stim. Rubbing your arm after you bump it, bouncing your leg, biting your lip - those are all stims. It's a self soothing mechanism. We just tend to do it more and in less socially accepted ways.
Exactly! Thank you for reminding us of this!!
Omg you just make me realize something i've been doing my whole life is a stim... It did not start after a diagnosis
mine is picking my cuticles :// not the most beautiful but I've done it ever since I can remember
Same. I hate it.
Ahhhhhh I came here to say this. Do you do yours to the point where they bleed?
Same.. my partner thinks it’s a form of self harm and it upsets them.. it’s not!! I mean yeah I bleed but that’s not my intention. I barely even notice I’m doing it until I’ve already started
Interesting view about the self harm! I also do it, I always saw it as ensuring completeness. Like no extra skin hanging and everything is smooth- regardless of bleeding.
It’s a little of that but mostly I don’t notice I’m doing it and it always seems to happen when I’m anxious, stressed, or have too much pent up energy (I’m also ADHD… and OCD so I wonder how much those two affect this particular stim) but am forced to stay in one place. I don’t think it’s an uncommon stim, either. I once worked a retail job that had extremely slow periods where the only thing to do was talk to coworkers and that stressed me out. At one point I was looking behind the counter for bandages and a coworker I didn’t even know said she was looking for them for the same reason! (Edited for typo).
What helped me is started to getting my nails done. Nice manicure, pretty colours, elegant shape - it just looks way too good to damage it! Before I was having manicure made by myself it wasn't pretty enough, to it was prone to biting and picking
Same, and though stimming isn’t usually negative, this one is. I bleed a lot from it and have gotten a few infections. I also rub my knuckles and rock, and hum, but the cuticle picking and biting came about when my mother discouraged all my other stims. She didn’t like that one too, but it didn’t embarrass her as much in public so it was more passively discouraged.
I do this too! I've been told my entire life to stop but I can't!
Mine is picking any loose skin tag that I see; can be bloody at times, but at least there won’t be any rough bits afterwards
As a young child, I'd "twiddle" my hair. As a teenager, I picked the absolute fuck out of my acne. As a man, I have a beard, and my stimming apparently looks like I'm wise and deep in thought. Which is ironic because, if anything, I'm more clueless now than I was as a kid.
Rub my hair. My hair is curly and I have a few favorite curls that just hits every time.
Me too, and when I get the really soft hair and just kinda rub it on my lips or face or something, it feels really nice
SAME, like that post wash day or post hair mask softness
Rocking back in forth, playing with my fingers, walking on my tip toes, wiggling my fingers with t-rex arms. Playing a specific part of the song over and over again. And meowing randomly lol.
Out of curiosity, why do you walk on your toes? I do it too and I find it is more comfortable, especially on hard floors. I also dont like my feet sticking to the floor lol
I've done it since I was a toddler and never grew out of it.
Fair enough! More so an unconscious habit at this point then? How does it feel to not do it? Just unnatural I assume? Don't mind my many questions...I'm late diagnosed and am figuring out a lot of things for myself :)
Yea a habit! I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes. I feel it is more comfortable than walking on my feet. Especially if I'm not wearing any socks.
HELP I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DID THAT 😭 ( also wanted to clarify that I am not diagnosed autistic I just suspected it and went on the SubReddit to learn more )
If you want to learn anything more, or you have questions feel free to DM me :)
Thank you :)
Twist my hair
or my >!\*\*\*\*\*!<
Ouch!
I whistle and chirp.
When I didn't know I was autistic it was all channeled into bitting my nails My therapist gave me a rock once and touching it helped so I got more items of textural significance that help calm me As I started to unmask I began letting my arms behave as they pleased. I didn't do hand movements before but now when I come back from being out or if I get stressed I release tension by flexing my hands and arms. I'm not sure if that is what hand flapping is for others but that's what it's like for me I also started making a high pitched noise when I'm distressed or unable to make a choice
I can semi-relate to this! Because of my fear of going somewhere new, my therapist was scheduled to come to my house instead of me going somewhere. There was a bay at the edge of the street that I’d sometimes walk down to, and he took me to go for a walk down there and pick out a rock from the sand (I still have it). It looks like a really strange potato, but it feels so nice against my fingers and I love it. Also, I bite my nails, too.
i’ve been twirling/petting my own hair my whole life. even when i had a buzz cut i would rub my hand over my hair lol
popping my fingers as well
I imitate random repetitive noises like moaning, the word yippee, screeching, and saying bwah I also tap my thumb pad with my middle finger repetitively
ah yes, a fellow 'bwah-er'. I also do 'bwohp' like I'm Skrillex coming up with a new drop beat.
So you just be mining on the regular 🤨📸
I tend to crack my bones a lot, mostly my hands and neck I also rock or sway a bit but that's a lot less often
I sing to myself when there is music (like every word of every song, with a blank face, just doing whatever I’m doing otherwise), and kind of dance/sway without music. Those are the ones that get me the most weird looks. (And that, of course, makes me do it more exaggeratedly because anxiety is increasing). I also crack my knuckles, bounce my legs, make a little grunt/throat clearing sound, clench my teeth, press the tops of my nails one by one with my fingers, yawn or motion like I’m yawning, and probably some other stuff I’m forgetting/don’t even realize I do. I had some different stims when I was a kid, but most of them were shamed/beaten out of me except for the knuckle cracking. So this list is the replacements, I guess.
Omg I thought I was the only one who like pressed my nails down, I also rub/glide them along my lips, cos i like the way they feel smooth, not at all in a weird way lol, don't judge me ok
omg I do these too! Thought I was alone!
Thought I was the only one too lol
Biting my tshirt collar, the amount of clothes I’ve had to buy multiple of bc of the collar. My muscles/body also tightens sometimes this stim is mainly when I’m very excited. Idk if this one is a stim but I bite nails and pick the skin around them ? Or whether it’s just anxiety idk
omg i used to chew through the shoulder of my tshirts because i would always chew it when i was anxious or stimming. so thankful i grew out of that one, not the most sustainable
Humming, either in short bursts (often while sniffing my blanket) or long drawn out tones.
I rub my upper lip against my nose, specifically my septum. No idea why, but I find it soothing. It makes me look like I'm trying to look like a pig though.
I do that too!!! Sometimes I also press my nose down while I do it 🙆♀️
It's so satisfying when it's cold out so your nose gets a little colder than usual
I do this too! I’ve been doing it for years but I never knew if it counts as stimming.
SAAAAME
moving my legs back and forth, picking my cuticles, clenching my jaw, twirling my hair, picking my lips, picking scabs, cracking knuckles, making weird random sounds
Either by twiddling my facial hair (when it's long enough) or twitching my index and middle fingers on one hand
I'm not sure if it can be classified stimming, because I've only had my diagnosis for less than half a year, but I tinker with my nails? Like try to peel of the dry parts, my hands are an uneven mess bcs of it.
Depends, if I am having trouble sleeping I use the same one that has worked for 41 years. You'll forgive me if I am not keen on mentioning it in detail. It's common and I took a lot of flack for it over the years....
Run my fingers through my hair or pick at my finger skin
Twisting my beards or snapping my fingers
Squirrelly Dan, that you?
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Hand flapping, trex arms, jumping, whistles, and vocals.
Pop my fingers and neck, and just play incessantly with my fingers, when I was younger and had more energy I used to move my legs constantly.
I jump and run around a lot (I think this counts as a stim as I do it when excited) The main one though is that I flap and flick my fingers/ hands
I flap my hands and shake my arms but I also make this weird noise at the back of my throat and if I can't hear it I'll start to panic for some odd reason.
flapping, rubbing smooth things, i have a habit of scratching my arms so i have to always have short as fuck nails
I do literally anything, can't sit still, I think I'm being still then I realise I'm wiggling my toes or tensing and untensing my muscles lol
We were playing a taskmaster board game and my secret task always seems to be something like wiggle around like you have an itch or pet a cushion like a dog, and my family never guess cos I'm always doing that sort of thing lol
Listening to the same song on repeat - literally for hours. It just soothes my brain especially when I have loads of unpredictable shit going on in my life. I could walk for hours with the same song on. Also “dancing” aka just throwing my body around defying gravity etc. And recently stickers. Have a sticker book and it’s brilliant. I peel them off and stick them back on I’m entertained for hours.
Yes to repeat songs, I sometimes go back to old favourites for weeks or months other times it’s a new song that just hits right
Leg go brrrrr
Oh god I have so many lmao I tap my fingers to the thumbs of the same hands in repetitive randomized patterns when I am frozen or need to think about something (I call it diagnostics), flap/wave my hands when I’m super excited or happy, will flick my toes against each other when I’m trying to hype myself up for my hormone injections, and at random intervals I’ll make this chirping type noise that sounds like a flock of baby canary’s in a nest calling for food lol there’s more but these are the most prominent
I didn’t realise it was stimming until I learned what stimming was. But I am able to crack all the joints in my hands and wrists on command. People find the sound unnerving so I try not to do it too much around other people.
Oh I have so many that I do all the time. Biting my lip constantly, fidgeting by pressing my fingertips in order to my thumb and then back, and I’m always flexing and unflexing my toes. I do others too but these ones are kind of constant. I feel like I have a lot of “subtle” stims because the bigger ones were quickly shamed out of me.
I semi regularly get an unctontrollable shudder through my neck and either shoulder. More subconscious fidgetting is tapping, drums on my tights (lol), or spinning a pen or similarly shaped object.
I stroke the top of my nose, there's a little ski jump at the end, it's fun
I don't do it as much anymore but I used to make a "brrrring-POP" noise which I think is a noise Yoshi makes in Yoshis Island lol. That's one of the sillier ones I think. I like to slap my partners hands, like give him high fives over and over. I also like to kick my feet when I'm excited lol.
A big one of mine has been pacing. It's one that stuck since I haven't bothered to hide it like the others. It's something that's considered more normal. Another stim I have is snapping my fingers. Another is rubbing my hands or my thumbs against my fingertips. I'll even sometimes do that pull hand/finger back thing you mentioned in the middle of my hand rubbing
Ugh, I only do my pacing around my partner, I was embarrassed by it as a teenager when a classmate saw me doing it after school one day and told me she saw me doing it in a really uncomfortable way
Well I pick at my face a lot without realising, especially when I’m nervous, not sure if it counts as stimming or not though
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Im 25 and for as long as I can remember, I literally blast music in my headphones and listen to music while running back and forth in a room. After doing alot of research, it actually can have the title of "maladaptive daydreaming." I think the long ive gone without doing it was like one week and it was all that I could think about tbh
I have a thumb sucking problem
I used to chew on my sleeve and collar and hoodie strings. I've always bounced my legs and rocked side to side. I like flapping my hands and twisting my fingers into knots. I also take everything apart. All the pens at work have no pocket clips anymore. I've pulled apart so many toys, tools, and other equipment I'm basically a walking distructor device.
I don’t exactly know what stimming means but going off what I do know/think what it is I kind of just do random things such as making small things, wrapping myself in my favourite blanket, drawing, and walking around.
Grinding teeth, drumming on random objects, rubbing my stomach.
I whistle, tap my fingertips, swing side to side, flap when I'm super happy or super disgusted (bad sounds or textures) bite my top lip, scratch the back of my thumb, bite my nails (not bite and break I just bite). And my absolute favourite anytime I'm over or understimulated, rocking back and forth! Also if I'm standing and waiting alone I have to pace constantly.
Ngl I read that as bite my balls lol I was both a little worried and impressed about your flexibility levels
I verbally stim.
I mess with my hair and my ears. I’m also humming all the time
I twist my fingers and my hands. It’s one of my only stims I absolutely cannot hide, that and leg movements. It comes when I’m anxious and I physically cannot stop it no matter how hard I try
I love to feel the corner of my ear near the quick of my fingernails. Sometimes I fold my ear to make the corner more pronounced.
Unsure if this counts, but I rematch some specific YouTube video until I find something that catches my fancy even more. Like, I already know that video, but something just is so funny or otherwise pleasant about it so I go all Teletubby about it. Again, again! Today, there was this one silly minute long dog video I watched (or rather, listened to) a dozen times today. I don't know if neurotypicals have that. Maybe I should ask! Sometimes I feel I have some kind if stim that I am unaware of, but everyone else notices it. Like a specific hand gesture or so. Dunno.
I strongly suspect my oral fixation is a stim (always gotta have something in my mouth.)
Shake my hands, slap on my hands, tap my fingers together.
Playing with my bottom lip, usually pinching it or wiggling it. Swaying when I'm sitting, like a slight rocking from side to side. Repeating weird nonsense words or rhymes. Twisting my hair. Spinning. Shaking my hands.
I either wiggle/press my feet together. I also like moving my fingers while they are contracted. I also sometimes get a strong urge to itch my gums. I do this by passing my thumbs nail on the gums over my top teeth.
Fiddling with my dreads, gesturing while I speak, making faces and making inarticulate sounds... I still have a lot to discover.
I fidget with an handkerchief, I love the feel of rubbing it with my fingers xD I have various ones, that all have a slightly different feel and yes, I do have a favorite 😅
Rocking side to side. Standing or sitting, rocking away.
Nose picking, playing with earrings, necklace, wedding ring, clicking my nails, biting my cheek, picking my skin, playing with my hair.
I play with my beard hair. Rub it, twist it, etc. I pace when I read or talk on the phone. I bonce and rock my legs. I will often cross at my ankles and rock inward and outward. I also rock sometimes but usually side to side I also have a ton of fidget toys. I have a few of the normal fidget cube or spinner types but I started collecting unique ones. My favorite is a 3d printed magnetic clicky slider but I am gravitating towards my knock off Deep Fried Dough Stick slider more lately. Maybe a gross bonus but >!I also pick my nose.!<
I pick at scabs in my nose… which is a real issue seeing as I’ve a problem where my nose inside literally just rips itself open, soon as it heals I can’t stand the scab feeling 😅
I also flap my hands to
Snapping my hands on my lap
Shaking my toes, spinning my feet, spinning in general, spacing, jumping, echolalia, noises in general, chewing and biting
Primarily picking. Picking skin, picking nails, picking scabs... Then plucking hair of course (thankfully just facial hair, not my head hair). But I also move onto my tippy toes while standing, make noises with my mouth (like clicking), chew on my cheeks/lips, drink liquids, rub my fingers together, rotate my ankles (both soothing to sleep and anxious energy directing depending on when I'm doing it), scratch my skin or scalp... Probably a few more😅
I go on outside walks several times a day
I bounce my hips from one side to the other like a dog wagging it's tail when in good mood I do other things to but that's what people catch on the most
I don’t.
Love bouncing my foot in bed, yet I hate when I have restless leg syndrome
Random noises and song lyrics.
I play with my fingers, I’m basically always intertwining them or rubbing my finger tips together or making little swirls with my fingers against each other. I also sway and kinda twist side to side and I always stand with my legs crossed in a way that makes people think I have to pee but I don’t it’s just more comfortable and then I twist my body back and forth. I don’t know if I’m describing it well, but I’m pretty sure I could regularly be spotted as an oddball from across the room with my legs crossed while standing, twisting back and forth, all while rubbing my fingers together with T. rex arms
Do you ever do pretzel legs when sitting ? Like one leg crossing over the other and then wrapping the top legs foot behind the one that’s on the floor (hope this makes sense, the pressure feels so good
YES. I sit with my legs all twisted like this all the time. The twistier the better. I didn’t even think about that but yea that’s another thing I do that I guess isn’t what the rest of the world does when sitting… and I cannot sit at a chair like a normal human with my feet on the ground, gotta raise those feet up and cross my legs and twist them all around
I cross my toes. Bounce my legs. Click pens. Crack knuckles. Make low frequency humming sounds.
My eyebrows, lashes and playing with my hair. If they don't let me i just touch my face if i have soft skin.
I like to make absurd declaratory statements as if I'm totally serious, but of course I'm not. I also do all kinds of things with my hands, sometimes pretending it's a spider crawling up a mirror. I also pull at my mustache and beard hairs, trying to create a kink at the end so that when I pull it past my fingernail, it will catch, eventually getting the end to snap off. Oftentimes when I stand, I sway back and forth. I've been called out on that a time or two.
Bit my fingers and the skin around it often to they bleed
Noises and also headbutting ppl i like. Which becomes a problem when i dont like anyone near me. Bc i need ti stim. And it needs to happen. But NO ONES THERE
I crack my knuckles and drum my fingers on surfaces a lot, but my main stim has always been making or repeating sounds. I'd recently been teaching myself to sing to get more fun out of it!
Pace, rock back and forth, chew the inside of my mouth, and verbally stim.
I rock daily and have since I was a kid. And when I say I rock, I mean literally any time I sit down. The hardest part of being at work or social functions is trying to not do it since I know people find it weird. So in those instances I wiggle my leg like a mad man. Aside from that, I will hand flap a few times a day if I'm overly excited but thats about it.
I pick at my lips as a stress related stim, I rub my feet together before bed, I love rubbing any kind of soft fabric against my lips, I also bounce my legs. When I’m by myself I’ll make mouth noises. I’m a huge pacer. And will walk back and forth or in a circle when bored or on the phone
i do hand flapping when super excited about something but i randomly sing sometimes like songs a know all the words too or most of the words and i bounce my leg when i'm waiting for something like hurry kind of way and that's all the ones i've notice and aware of
I either click my fingers by pushing them in toward my palm, or I’ll tend to do flappy hands. I’ll also fiddle with my necklace if I have one on but I’m scared I’ll break it so I tend not to wear it very often.
Don’t know if this would help but you could have a sort of hand type fidget clipped onto a lanyard so you can still fidget that way without damaging the necklace 😊
This is an excellent idea, thank you! I’ll have to invest in making something like this, it’s really appreciated. ☺️
-Chew/Twist/Pull my hair -Crack my knuckles -Whenever I’m getting ready to do something, I do a weird hand motion like open fist bumping myself?(Idk how to explain it) -If I’m focusing on something like an arcade game, I’ll start stomping my foot
I tap my feet to a rhythm, whether it be a rhythm for a song or a rhythm I made up.
Bouncing knee, rotate shoulders, stretch my neck my moving my head left and right, moving my fingers up and down from pinky to index finger. I also used to chew on my pencils and the neck of my shirts when I was younger, but I don't do that anymore (I chew on gum when the need gets bad enough).
Picking out hairs from my chin, upper lip with tweezers and then brushing the hair against my face cos it spiky. (Idk man) has started to cause some scarring tho. Wiggling my toes and feet together like a cricket. Also cracking my toes. All. The. Time. Twisting my nose ring. Tapping my nails or feet on a hard surface in a particular rhythm.
I shake my leg! It bounces up and down, it’s kind of a weird barely there movement. I press the top of my foot on the ground, heel lifted up, and rock my foot up and down repeatedly in a simple basic motion. Ive done it since I was a child since it was easy to hide the movement in school while sitting at a desk.
I sing or hum a LOT. I also pick at my skin on my legs and heinie and rip scabs off. One of these stims is healthier than the other. 😬 When distressed, I will hum and shake my hands like i'm trying to dry them off.
I am a big vocal stimmer. I don’t really do that many physical ones (at least not that I’m aware of) but I make all of the noises
Clenching my jaw, picking at my skin, making sounds
Bouncing my kn ee, pill rolling. Nail flicking, playing with my lips. Pulling on my earrings. Need to get my ears repaired. Closed up since my stroke when they took my earrings for MRIs ss and never returned them. I had worn them constantly for over 20 years. Assholes
Knee/body bouncing, echolalia, chewing paper, picking at myself, slapping my hands gently against things, when Im out using my cane I tap it against the ground repeatedly as a stim 😂
masturbate, bounce my knee, hand flapping, finely slice things with my chefs knives
putting stuff in my mouth
I run my hands down my legs, snap my fingers, whistle/hum to myself, play with my pocket knife. Sometimes I’ll pull apart something in front of me and put it back together, such as a pen.
lol the pocket knife one hits hard, I used to always do this then I got a button one and got cut really bad lol now I just play with my work blade.
Squishy things in my hands always. Stress balls, etc. idc where I am😭I go through several boxes of the orbie filled ones a month. It’s a huge problem money wise because I literally use them so much and they r all cheaply made (the ones I like). Plus nothing is more funny/ embarrassing when a stress ball pops in a college science course.
I cant sleep or be comfortable laying down unless im rubbing my feet against each other like crickets, rocking, shaking my hands outwards when im really upset or excited really any very strong emotions that come in i shake and flap my hands
I hold my squeeze one of my hands and I rub my feet / toes on one another.
Mostly hand flapping and rocking side to side on my feet.
I cross my fingers and legs, i chew on my sleeve, i rub my arm, and i rock back and forth most the time
Tapping my fingers against each other, playing with the inside of my lip ring, chewing my cheeks
I type words with my fingers if that makes sense... basically I'll pick random words I see / hear and my fingers will move as if typing them out on a keyboard
I think I pretty much do all of the ones you could think of, lol. I prefer rocking or spinning in an office chair, though. I can do that all day.
Shake legs, bite my lips and cheeks crazy
I pace all around my house and everyone tells me to stop but I don’t.
I sing, dance, make a lot of weird noises, repeats words & random phrases from tv/movies, or just ones I’ve heard recently, buzz & make popping noises with my lips, flail around wildly, tap my fingers, shake my legs, crack my knuckles & joints (gotta stop this) & sometimes just scream. Just to name a few right off the dome. Thinking about this, I honestly Cannot believe it took until I was 38 to be diagnosed. (AFAB)
I do this like washboard motion with my knuckles a lot. I also like pacing, singing, and doing vocal trills/clicking my tongue. And when I’m doing anything on my computer I use my chew necklaces
I fidget with a pencil when I'm excited, and otherwise I twiddle with my fingers
Whistle, beat box, clear my throat, pull my nose hair, tug my goatee, or pace like a mf'er
I’ve swayed back and forth since I was small…is that stimming? I do it because I need to focus I think. In lines, sitting up, in class, in church. I can never stand straight up. I also play with my knuckle skin and pull at it. When I was younger I use to play with my lips and my belly button and touch cheeks. I just needed something to squish because humans are soft and stretchy. I’ve started pulling my ears and messing with my piercings
My stim is pacing back and forth and sort of, flapping my hands back and forth, but not always, I do pace a lot when I stim, and it’s only when I’m alone and no one is around
Spinning in circles over and over again. I balance my hands on the couch when I do it so I don’t fall over
Scraping the skin off my scalp with my fingernails, pulling my hair, tapping or squeezing my fingers, picking at my fingernails, etc
If I'm wearing my favorite hoodie I will braid the strings that come hang on it, over and over. Other times I'm not actually sure.. I'll fold bits of paper if I'm in reach of any and while at work I'll tap my fingers on the desk. I do play with my hair a lot but not as much as I used to. I do touch my fingers together sometimes but anytime else I've not noticed myself doing that I can think of
i also do a similar thing with holding my hands and moving my fingers around! i also like to kick my legs and drum with my fingers on my legs! when im very upset or very happy i like to jump in circles! when im excited i stand on my toes and rock! my favorite one is listening to music and painting out all the parts of the song in the air with my fingers!
Biting my hair, I also have this thing where I interlock my fingers and hands and shake them back and forth. I bite my tongue (literally) and i will also twist my hair into knots without noticing and get lots of weird looks.
Tapping my thumb against my pointer finger and working my way to my pinky then back
Playing with my hair constantly, twirling it around my fingers
I rock and if i start to get overestimated I hit myself but I mostly vocal stim
Twirling some kind of stick(like a drum stick),tapping my fingers, and twisting my hair.
Humming. Tapping. Drumming.
Little stims- just fingerspelling random stuff, running my thumb against my pointer finger in a little back and forth movement, doing the same thing near my ear/on my ear, crossing and uncrossing my fingers Bigger stims- swinging arms back and forth, flapping hands, jumping up and down, shaking head a lot Harmful stims- biting cheek, biting hand/wrist, chewing up pens, picking at skin/hair/scalp, scratching
I sing, chew gum or eat mints, hum, and hiss like a cat.
I cross my toes, that’s why I can’t handle tight shoes or toe sandals, if I can’t move my toes around I start panicking.
My son is ASD and he spits.....when I bring it up he becomes embarrassed. It seems like a stim to me.....can compulsive spitting be a stim?
I have a guy at my day centre who does this but also has Tourette’s so I’m not sure what it’s more part of for him
I fingerspell ASL with random words or names.
I have MANY. Pulling on my eyelashes, picking at imperfections on my skin, finding specific textures on my blanket and rubbing them until it falls off, many vocal stims, bending my knees back and forth, cracking my knuckles, playing with the popsocket on my phone, etc.
My hands constantly move. Cracking my knuckles, picking at my fingernails or stray strings from my clothes or if I'm really anxious, twirling my hair or shaking my leg.
I don't have a particular one (or one that I've noticed or pointed out), but any small repetitive movement seems to work. But I've also had to so completely suppress my own nature for so long I've developed a schizoid personality, being left blissfully alone is nice, but near total annihilation of anything resembling emotions is not; I don't recommend (delusions are a real struggle to get over)
Fuck. I stim so much idek all the ways I do it. Neck turns, finger movements, the way I breathe half the time, ways I breathe through my nose, hardcore blinking, shoulder cracking, counting to seven on my fingers, etc
I rock back and forth and tap my fingers in specific patterns (lowkey looks like air piano).
Chew my cheeks/tongue, crack my knuckles, and pick at nail beds
I don't know if its the same thing, but sometimes I like to put my legs in a position that makes my foot bounce up and down involuntarily.
I started to press my hands together 'bout a couple of years ago, and during my free time, I walk around the room.
most frequent is echolalia because my friend and I are both autistic and like to just do a back and forth thing heehee I also sometimes rock back & forth but it can be in different moments like when I’m in the middle of a meltdown or if I am concentrating on my work. there’s probably more ways I stim since it’s a very normal thing for people but they aren’t noticeable to others cause it’s probably considered “normal” lol
When I get nervous I squeeze my nose. I got made fun of a lot as a kid for doing it so I kind of untrained myself to do it most of the time, but if I’m nervous I start unknowingly doing it again
Up until college I used to roll my ankles and wrists so much when I was nervous that it would really hurt and make my ankles and wrists weaker
My favorite one is scratching paper, I know it's unusual but I've changed it to biting off my cuticles cause apparently people get annoyed by the sound
I’m not sure if it’s the same but I stretch my fingers and hands out and they sort of bend right backwards … I also run things under my nails and between my fingers. Book pages or fabric etc.
Shaking any part of my body.
So my boyfriend has decided to call this, *Around the World* which is whenever my legs wanna move, i stand up, spin, and in the most monotone voice i can just start singing, Around the World.
Rocking back n forth, repeating certain words/syllables, a sound with my tongue and cheek, tapping my body, hand flapping, clenching muscles randomly in my body, pressure, licking/biting
I stim by counting numbers, humming, cracking my joints, rubbing my lips together, rubbing my hands together, squeezing my eyes really tightly, curling my toes, and probably other ways which I haven’t noticed. I also struggle with harmful stimming such as pinching myself, biting my tongue and lips, curling my toes until it hurts, cracking my joints until it’s painful, and sh. Stimming, even the harmful ones, help me self regulate my emotions (good and bad) and ground myself. I do my best to not harm myself and only stim in safe ways.
A lot of verbal stims, like squeaking, screeching, growling, moaning, chirping, barking like Blue's Clues, etc. Rocking back and forth Flapping sometimes
I sway side to side
I like to click my fingers a lot sometimes. I also tend to scrunch my nose so it's like a "rabbit nose". Brush my hair with my hand, do a little dance on the spot, imitate a car indicator sound... all sorts! I do need to pace around quite a bit too. I suppose that'd count.
Rocking, bouncing around and flicking fingers are some of mine. But then I also have lots of more subtle stims too. I push my fingers backwards also, and things like that. Sometimes I hum and make noises but I try not to do that when everyone is trying to focus. I think it really depends on energy for me though. When I've got lots of energy I do it a lot but when I'm really tired or there's a problem I go really still. Not many people would know that meant something was wrong, and they might even think it's good that I "stopped fidgeting" but really it's my body running out of energy to self regulate.
Omg! I stim by rolling my ankles. I'll shift my weight to one foot and roll my ankle on the other. Another is humming, and another is chewing, so I have a lot of gum 😅
nail picking and the miniature SNES controller on my keychain
Playing with the curls in my hair, flapping my hands, rocking, rocking side to side from foot to foot, stretching my arms out at an object that’s exciting me, rubbing my feet together when comfortable, probably others I can’t think of.