Stimming

Do other autistic people ever stim more when they're happy than when they're upset or stressed? For me, I tend to rock or bounce when I'm excited or in high spirits, and even hum or sing a lot. I don't really stim when I'm anxious or upset though, except maybe finger tapping or rubbing clothing with satisfying textures. I also tend to unconsciously chew on things with nice textures, and pick at my skin.

I think that my main stim is singing though, because I'll sing or make constant noise at times. It's mostly when I'm happy, but it can happen when I'm stressed and trying to calm down from an anxiety attack. It probably appears happy to others though.

A lot of the time when I'm reading about how others stim, I won't really identify with it. I don't do flapping, or pacing, or anything like the """usual""" stimming, but I guess every autistic person has their own way of stimming. It is always nice when I see others talking about their stimming, and it's just like mine. It makes me feel less alone and unusual :)

What kinds of stimming do any of you guys do? I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.

Aside from stimming and other such things, today I made a big step: registering to vote! Well, I filled out the form anyway and I just need to mail it in. Being an adult is confusing! I had to ask my parents for help. But it's all fixed now I just need a stamp so I can send it. The only problem then is who to vote for.......