Stimming and RBFB
Isabella
Citizen
This topic is in conjunction with Amity's discussion about Hyper / Hypo sensitivities.
Stimming is a form of sensation-seeking behaviour used to regulate input to our limbic system.
RBFBs are Repetitive Body-Focussed Behaviours related to the dysregulation of impulse control.
Use this space to share your experience with stimming, BFRBs, Tics, or any other low-order, repetitive
sensory behaviours.
How do they help you? How do they hurt you? (if applicable)
Has your stim or BFRB been accepted by others?
Do you have any suggestions for sensory regulation, sensory diets, or self-soothing behaviours?
Info on Stimming:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/repetitive-behaviors-and-stimming-in-autism-explained/
Comments
I have various stims, had some tics when I was younger, and have an RBFB (I think hair pulling is one?).
Stim wise, the one I do the most and have probably done the longest is rocking, and also swaying from side to side. I do that without noticing a lot of the time and feel the most calm when I'm able to do it. Not being able to do it makes my entire body feel restless which eventually overwhelms me, and if I'm already overwhelmed doing that helps distract me from other senses that are annoying me.
I don't really remember all of the tics I had, but when I was a kid and young adolescent I had a few different ones. They were all really embarrassing because they were done pretty frequently.
The longest and most noticeable tic was this shoulder shrugging-esque thing I did for a few years, probably starting in the 3rd/4th grade. I also used to do this really hard, repetitive blinking thing and this throat clearing/grunting noise all the time as a younger teenager, which I still get the urge to do if I don't take my ADHD med for quite a while. Otherwise I have no tics that I notice now.
The hair pulling I've done for as long as I can remember. I just get the occasional urge to pull strands of hair out. It's really irritating, but is hard to ignore and not do, since the urge just gets worse the more I ignore it. Family members have also asked me if it hurts to do that before, but thankfully it doesn't.
These things haven't really been accepted by people, but no one really actively made fun of me for the tics unless they were distracting.
I find it a kind of stress relief to do impersonations of people I know, for my amusement, when I'm alone. I sometimes pull faces in my mirror for the same reason. Rocking back and forth is also a big one, sometimes hugging a cushion as I do it.
I've never felt so stressed out that I had to do these things in public, though, so it's not quite so disabling.
I tried replying to this last night, but it didn't go through; trying again. My stims: I bang my head repeatedly on the pillow in order to help relax and fall asleep at night (it doesn't hurt, so not a hindrance, and my beloved isn't bothered by it since he understands why I do it). I also love to rub the upper part of my fingers (just above the knuckles) against cold, hard surfaces, like walls and the undersides of tables; this is another relaxing stim. I also like to shake my left leg (never my right); this, too, is oddly relaxing. Finally, I tend to chew/nibble the insides of my mouth. This is the one stim my beloved wishes I didn't do, because it's self-injurious.
^ If you quoted Isabella, the link would have been included in your response and that would stop it going through.
My relaxing/night time one is with my feet, crossed at ankles, the sole of one moving back and forth on top of foot below, alternating left side right side and then switch position of feet, repeat actions and I could do this for hours.
Relaxes me big time especially when I'm barefoot against Egyptian cotton bedding.
Something I've noticed recently after being around three dogs is that I stim a lot by messing with their fur, petting and patting them, etc. At least it's a stim where both parties benefit from it and is more socially acceptable. lol
Behaviour: Hand flapping.
Reason: Usually stress or discomfort. Occasionally excitement but more often than not for negative emotions.
How does it help? : Hand flapping is fairly subconscious for me. I don't always realise I'm doing it since it's just sort of second-nature. Can be a calming thing which I don't pay much mind unless it's brought up.
How does it hurt? If done frequently it can cause pain in the wrists.
Public / Private? Both. People that know me tend to ask why I'm stressed if they see me hand flap.
Behaviour: Rocking.
Reason: Sheer panic / high level of stress and anxious. Overloaded. If you see me rocking, then I'm full on freaking out.
How does it help? : Familiarity. It's a rhythmic motion that can help me to collect my thoughts that are most likely spinning in all different directions zipping about wildly.
How does it hurt? Tiring. People can give concerned or judgemental looks.
Public / Private? More likely to occur in private but has happened in public before. If it does occur in public, then that means I've reached a level of stress where it just shows. Likely to be followed by some sort of private outburst such as lying on the floor and crying, away from prying eyes. Mainly just out of mental exhaustion at that point.