Bracelet I found that I decided would be good for stealthy stimming. Hard, heavy, plastic beads with a matt texture on a stretchy string. Unfortunately, there was no stealthy colour option – the choice was hot pink, hot orange or hot yellow. Cost: $3.
Tag: autism
LOLO,LOL she just thoughfully piped up saying I should eat lowcarb and less sugar and stuff and I’m like, ‘Bitch, I been gluten free for eight years, eat very little refined sugar, lost 15kg in the last two years, get plenty of exercise, tried yoga, tried talking therapy, been medicated since I was sixteen, the meds control the depression but not the anxiety so all I can do is live with it’ and walked out. She said ‘well, good luck with it all,“ and I said ‘thanks’ because I can’t help being polite, and then I walked in circles in the kitchen for a few mintues because it’s that or scream.
Why do people seem to think I’m not trying? I mentioned at least twice that I was in burnout, that all I could do right now was manage my stress and get through it. I explained that trying further education had left me housebound multiple times in the past. I told her I’d lost jobs because of my disability, because my exec function impeded my ability to work at the speed and accuracy of others.
But obviously, I’m just sitting on my arse and not trying because I’m choosing to safeguard my health. I’m fighting the urge to scream and meltdown every time I leave the house. I’m shaking my Tangle in the shops, on my treadmill at the gym, because the sensory assault and the stress of being around people makes me want to hide.
But I’m not trying, because leaving the house isn’t an achievement to them.
Wasn’t feeling too bad when I got up this morning until a (non-autistic) friend of my mum’s who’s here brainstorming schoolwork stuff with her felt the need to tell me that my executive function/anxiety/etc was ‘exactly like hers’ and how she was able to get through uni and a career by asking god for help and I’m just…..
So now I’m reading my tumblr and stimming like mad with my Tangle and trying not to cry.
Stimming!
What is stimming?
In it’s most simple form, stimming is a repetitive body movement that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner.
What types of stims are there?
- Visual Stims
- Flapping hands, blinking and/or moving fingers in front of eyes, staring repetitively at a light, pressing on closed eyes to create visual effect [pressure phosphene], …
- Auditory Stims
- Snapping fingers, tapping on objects, listening to the same song on a loop, rolling Rs, “cat noises”, repeating words, putting hands over ears, singing, clicking tongue, humming…
- Tactile Stims
- Scratching, rubbing the skin with one’s hands or with an external object, pinching the skin, putting thumb inside fist, sucking thumb, rubbing hands/feet together, petting preferred textures, tying knots/twirling string, twirling/stroking hair…
- Vestibular Stims
- Moving body in rhythmic motion, rocking front and back or side-to-side, spinning, pacing, walking in circles, walking on tip-toes, jumping up and down…
- Taste Stims
- Licking body parts, licking an object…
- Smell Stims
- Smelling objects or hands, smelling other people…
- Rhythmic Stims
- Tapping on surfaces/objects/self, clicking fingers, making repetitive vocal sounds, bouncing legs, foot tapping, hand flapping, clicking pens, …
There are a lot of other stims as well that don’t necessarily fall under the category of “repetitive” such as pressure stimming, which are still just as valid. Basically if what you do serves the purpose of the stim, you can call it a stim.
Why do people stim?
People stim for all different kinds of reasons. They may stim when they are happy or excited, when they are stressed, as a part of their normal body language, as a way of communication, as a punishment, as a response to something internal or external, as a compulsion, to focus, to self soothe, etc. Stimming can be a coping mechanism, but it can also be so much more! No matter what reason someone has for stimming though, it’s important to remember that all stims are natural and normal.
Who stims?
Anyone that finds stimming useful, whether consciously or subconsciously, can stim. This includes neurotypicals, but mainly stimming is seen as something that neurodivergent people do and it occurs most frequently in:
- the autism spectrum
- sensory processing disorder (SPD)
- Tourette’s
- schizophrenia
- OCD
- people that experience mania/hypomania
- people with ADHD/ADD
- people with anxiety
- etc
Where can I find stim toys/jewelry?
Also my shop, FabulousFidgets.etsy.com
They are designed and made by me, an autistic.
Thanks, @fabulousfidgets, we are reblogging again to add you to the post! 🙂
Is it possible to become “more autistic”? Why is my child suddenly having more meltdowns? What is autistic burnout? What causes it, and what does it look like in Autistic children and adults? What can you do about it? Answers to all these questions and more in this episode of Ask an Autistic!
In case anyone doesn’t know or wants to know more about autistic burnout, since I have mentioned it a couple of times in the last few days, re: state of myself right now.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
#BlackPride #YouSmart #BlackExcellence
Just piping up to correct info re: Stephen Wiltshire. Stephen is best known for his extensive accurate CITYSCAPES, not portraits. If you look at the picture, in the post, you can tell that’s what he’s drawing. (Or, you know, do a basic Google search.)
Also, please don’t erase that Stephen is an AUTISTIC black man. Yes, he is considered a savant, but his talent for drawing is not the totality of his neurotype, nor his identity. People of colour suffer erasure, for DISABLED people of colour, this is doubly so, so please honour Stephen’s achievements by acknowledging this.
How To Get Yourself Through Autistic Burnout Whilst Poor
I went to the dollar store and Target today, and for SEVEN DOLLARS I kitted myself out with a stim kit.
From Target, I got two puzzles ($1 each), a squishy rubbery ball in a cloth cover to squeeze ($1), and scored a freebie – a rattle/chew that had been dropped by a customer that suited me. (Disclaimer – I looked for a customer with a baby, didn’t find them, the store DID NOT STOCK the item in question, and, having worked for Target, I knew handing it in would land it straight in the bin.)
From the dollar store, I got a pumpkin/witch thing that was leftover from Halloween and the closest I could find to a Koosh in texture ($2), and six tiny eggs of synthetic stone (3 for $1).
The bag at the back was a gift from my mother that she bought in the Pacific Islands whilst on a cruise, so it cost me nothing, PLUS it is a stim toy in itself – the entire thing unzips to a long strand of zip and rezips up to bag shape.
A stim kit that’s gonna save my life, and it cost me $7.
Happy hand flapping to Parachute, a Leverage fanvid. I love the vid itself, but the song is just as pleasurable to me.
Stimming with my only remaining intact Tangle – the new Therapy I just got out of the box the other day. New purchases will have to wait – I’m probably going to put an order in for a range of new ones in two to three months. For now, I’ve got this one and I’m going to do a dollar shop/toy shop/office supply shop run to find a collection of things I can fit in my pocket for under $5. Wish me luck!
Reblogging my own post to try and get the crosspost working.
Happy hand flapping to Parachute, a Leverage fanvid. I love the vid itself, but the song is just as pleasurable to me.
Stimming with my only remaining intact Tangle – the new Therapy I just got out of the box the other day. New purchases will have to wait – I’m probably going to put an order in for a range of new ones in two to three months. For now, I’ve got this one and I’m going to do a dollar shop/toy shop/office supply shop run to find a collection of things I can fit in my pocket for under $5. Wish me luck!
I’m not the only one who finds themselves listening to the same song over and over again because it’s perfect auditory stim, right?
Absolutely. And Hot Chip’s Over and Over is probably the ultimate stim song for me. Also, Teardrop by Massive Attack. I was stimming listening to songs on repeat before I knew what stimming was, before I knew I was autistic.
knitting in the dark 