Stimming! For as long as I can remember I've stimmed, of course until recently I did not know it was called stimming. The stimming behavior I display most is rocking or swaying, usually in a busy crowded environment for example waiting in the checkout line at the supermarket. Most of the time I don't realize I'm doing it until my fiancee whispers to me that I'm doing that rocking "thing" again. He does not tell me in a disparaging way, and I am grateful when he lets me know.
Another frequent stimming behavior is bouncing my knee up and down when I'm sitting at my desk. Maybe holding my breath, but I'm not sure that qualifies as text book stimming behavior.
95.5% of the time my stimming is connected to feelings of distress, real or imagined. Again, the supermarket is the best example, bright white florescent light, shiny floors, every color, texture, and shape one could imagine, not to mention the myriad of different sounds and smells. It's a one stop shop of cacophony, chaos and discordance for this aspie. I've learned to do my shopping much later in the evening if I must go it alone.
My stimming does not really bother me on an emotional level. I prefer not to do it in public, but stimming does serve it's purpose in calming me down. It's almost like a form of self hypnosis, I can't deny that it brings me comfort in times of distress. It's one of the Aspergers symptoms I can live well with. Dyspraxia on the other hand, I would gladly live without.
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