The Unadulting Society

softskymarin [admin] — Feb 9, 2026, 04:27 PM

Rocking. I've done it my whole life. Sitting, standing, waiting in line — a subtle sway. My mom called it "the family wiggle." It's NOT a family wiggle, mom, it's a VESTIBULAR STIM and half our family is undiagnosed autistic.

lilpawz — Feb 9, 2026, 10:19 PM

picking at my cuticles until they bleed. thought it was anxiety, turns out it's a body-focused repetitive behavior that's really common in autism. knowing that made me feel less ashamed.

jellycatjamie — Feb 10, 2026, 03:30 AM

i bite my lip. constantly. to the point where it bleeds sometimes. never connected it to stimming until recently. also i rub soft fabric between my fingers — i've done it since i was a baby. my baby blanket has a specific satin edge that i rubbed so much it wore through.

overstimulatedowl — Feb 10, 2026, 08:35 AM

leg bouncing. "stop shaking the table." "stop shaking the car." "sit still." my leg has been bouncing since 1995 and it's not going to stop now.

tentativefern — Feb 14, 2026, 01:51 PM

Biting my nails, biting the skin around my nails, biting the inside of my cheeks, chewing on pen caps, chewing on straws, chewing on necklace chains. Basically if it's near my mouth, I'm chewing on it. Oral stimming. I'm 34 and just figured this out.

neuronnoodle — Feb 14, 2026, 03:38 PM

Echolalia. Repeating phrases from movies, books, conversations. I thought it was just a quirky sense of humor. Turns out repeating "inconceivable!" in Wallace Shawn's exact intonation for 20 years is a stim.

raccoonking — Feb 15, 2026, 06:11 AM

i trace patterns with my finger. on my palm, on my thigh, on tables. spirals, stars, infinity symbols. i've done it since i was a kid. a teacher once told me to "stop drawing on yourself." i wasn't drawing. i was regulating.

marzipandreams — Feb 15, 2026, 04:34 PM

I rub my feet together when I'm falling asleep. Like a cricket. My partner calls it "cricketing." It's a stim I've done literally my entire life and only learned the word for it this year.

crayoncryptid — Feb 17, 2026, 09:03 AM

@marzipan_dreams CRICKETING. i do this too!!! i had no idea anyone else did this. i feel so seen right now.

noodlearms — Feb 17, 2026, 09:51 AM

i sing the same song lyric over and over. not the whole song. one line. sometimes for days. "i'm still standing" by elton john was in my head for THREE WEEKS and i sang it constantly. it's a vocal stim but people just thought i really liked elton john. (i do, but that's not the point.)

plushieprotector — Feb 17, 2026, 12:18 PM (edited)

I stroke soft textures. Barnaby's ears are the perfect texture for this — they're slightly velvety. I stroke them when I'm anxious, when I'm thinking, when I'm watching TV. I thought it was just a comfort thing. It's a tactile stim.

seashelleyes — Feb 18, 2026, 07:35 PM

I sway. Standing in line, waiting for the microwave, brushing my teeth. A gentle side-to-side sway. My partner pointed it out — "you're always moving, even when you're standing still." I didn't realize it until he said it.

ghostedmyself — Feb 20, 2026, 02:40 PM

I pick at my scalp. It's a stim I'm not proud of because it can cause damage, but understanding it as a stim rather than a "gross habit" has helped me redirect it to less harmful stims. Now I have a textured fidget pad that gives similar sensory input.

latebloomerlydia — Feb 24, 2026, 03:28 AM (edited)

Oh my. I've been rubbing my thumb against my index finger when I'm thinking for as long as I can remember. My husband used to hold my hand to make me stop during church. I never knew it had a name. I'm 67 and learning I've been "stimming" my whole life. It's never too late to learn something about yourself. 🌊

zippytulippatch239 — Apr 1, 2026, 02:57 PM (edited)

picking at my cuticles until they bleed. thought it was anxiety, turns out it's a body-focused repetitive behavior that's really common in autism. knowing that made me feel less ashamed.

sparklyblanket5014 — Apr 3, 2026, 07:18 AM (edited)

Rocking. I've done it my whole life. Sitting, standing, waiting in line — a subtle sway. My mom called it "the family wiggle." It's NOT a family wiggle, mom, it's a VESTIBULAR STIM and half our family is undiagnosed autistic.

mossypotatoridge1368 — Apr 16, 2026, 05:05 AM (edited)

i bite my lip. constantly. to the point where it bleeds sometimes. never connected it to stimming until recently. also i rub soft fabric between my fingers — i've done it since i was a baby. my baby blanket has a specific satin edge that i rubbed so much it wore through.

sunnymoonstash2673 — Apr 17, 2026, 02:31 PM (edited)

leg bouncing. "stop shaking the table." "stop shaking the car." "sit still." my leg has been bouncing since 1995 and it's not going to stop now.

happybubble65920 — Apr 19, 2026, 07:48 AM

I crack my knuckles. Constantly. My wife hates it. I'm not even aware I'm doing it most of the time. It's a proprioceptive stim — the pressure and the sound. Now I know why I need it.

mossypillowvalley14625 — Apr 22, 2026, 06:37 AM (edited)

Echolalia. Repeating phrases from movies, books, conversations. I thought it was just a quirky sense of humor. Turns out repeating "inconceivable!" in Wallace Shawn's exact intonation for 20 years is a stim.

toastyhedgehog48730 — May 8, 2026, 02:54 PM (edited)

Biting my nails, biting the skin around my nails, biting the inside of my cheeks, chewing on pen caps, chewing on straws, chewing on necklace chains. Basically if it's near my mouth, I'm chewing on it. Oral stimming. I'm 34 and just figured this out.

quietfireflyden056 — May 19, 2026, 07:19 AM (edited)

i trace patterns with my finger. on my palm, on my thigh, on tables. spirals, stars, infinity symbols. i've done it since i was a kid. a teacher once told me to "stop drawing on yourself." i wasn't drawing. i was regulating.

tinysparrowpond8961 — Jun 13, 2026, 01:17 AM (edited)

i tap my fingers in patterns. pointer-middle-ring-pinky, then back. over and over. on my desk, on my leg, on the steering wheel. it's rhythmic and predictable and it helps me focus.

snackypeachcorner3661 — Jun 16, 2026, 01:07 PM (edited)

I stroke soft textures. Barnaby's ears are the perfect texture for this — they're slightly velvety. I stroke them when I'm anxious, when I'm thinking, when I'm watching TV. I thought it was just a comfort thing. It's a tactile stim.

wigglytoast9826 — Jun 19, 2026, 08:38 AM (edited)

I sway. Standing in line, waiting for the microwave, brushing my teeth. A gentle side-to-side sway. My partner pointed it out — "you're always moving, even when you're standing still." I didn't realize it until he said it.

jumpytulipbrook23644 — Jun 24, 2026, 10:10 PM (edited)

I pick at my scalp. It's a stim I'm not proud of because it can cause damage, but understanding it as a stim rather than a "gross habit" has helped me redirect it to less harmful stims. Now I have a textured fidget pad that gives similar sensory input.

The Unadulting Society

Things you didn't know were stims until you learned about stimming

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