I discovered something new about one of my many inexplicable behaviours the other night. It was around 1am and I was doom-scrolling (bad, I know…) on Facebook and found a reel about vocal stimming. One such stim is sighing. A lot. For no apparent reason. Cue lightbulb moment 💡
Why didn’t I know about this before?!
Well, probably because I’m really bad at researching and even worse at retaining information when I do. It’s also possible that I assumed stimming was only related to Autism and not ADHD. I was wrong.
So, what is stimming?
The interweb directed me to The Mini ADHD Coach which has a lovely, easy to read article on ADHD and stimming if you’d like more in-depth information, but I’ll do my best to provide you with the main points below:
*Stimming, aka ‘self-stimulating behaviour’, is a repetitive movement or noise we might make for no apparent reason.
*Often done to relieve boredom or stress, it can also be triggered by sensory overload or under-stimulation.
*Stimming is basically our brains trying to calm themselves down when they’re overloaded.
*Stims are used to self-soothe when we’re unable to control our symptoms, when faced with stressful or unfamiliar situations or a need to focus. Some stimming behaviours, however, can be destructive and harmful if they’re done excessively.
There are many different kinds of stimming.
Verbal — Babbling, mumbling, stuttering, huffing/sighing.
The reason for this post. These are the stims I use most often, which I didn’t realise were symptoms of my ADHD.
I’m ALWAYS huffing or sighing when I’m concentrating on something, or in the middle of an argument/debate/discussion, which really doesn’t go down well with awesome housemate.
I understand his frustration. Who likes hearing someone sigh or huff after they’ve said something? Especially during a disagreement.
But now I know WHY. It’s not because I’m bored or disinterested (his assumption every time it happens, causing me to question myself, too…) I’m just trying to focus.
Huzzah! An explanation. An understanding.
Other stims include:
Oral — the most common stim, basically biting anything and everything you can fit in your mouth. Skin around the nails, hair, sleeves etc.
(That’ll be why the sides of my thumbs are often sore and bleeding a little…)
Visual — Arranging things perfectly symmetrically. Lining things up on shelves, folding and re-folding clothes.
(Made me wonder if this includes writing perfectly tidily? And re-writing if one mistake is made — a smudge, a scribble… I do this ALL the time…)
Auditory — Listening to music loudly (currently doing so!), repeating words or sounds, humming to yourself.
Vestibular — all about our balance and motor skills. Things like stepping on our tiptoes when walking, following lines on the floor, swinging our arms, spinning around in circles.
(I do this when queueing at gigs. I also bounce on my tiptoes and clap incessantly without warning. This stim, as you can probably guess, is linked to the hyperactive part of ADHD.)
Olfactory — Sniffing or smelling things, like your hands or clothes.
(I often find myself sniffing the top of my cats’ heads for no reason & feeling much better in myself afterwards.)
Tactile — Touching or stroking everything around us. Clothes, textured surfaces, skin, hair, pets…
(this may explain why I have so many cats, apart from the obvious: CATS!)
And there we have it. Another piece of the Kazzy puzzle completed! 🥳
Do you stim? Do you find that it helps?
Do you even realise you’re doing it?
Or is it something, like me, that you’ve always done and thought nothing more of, until triggered by something you’ve seen online, or someone else’s reaction to it/them, to find out more?
Let me know in the comments below 😊
Until next time,
KD x