What is stimming?
If you caught yourself or a loved one tapping fingers, bouncing a knee, or even humming to calm a racing mind, you might be familiar with stimming without even realizing it.
Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behavior, is any repetitive movement, sound, or activity that you do to self-soothe, release tension, or regulate emotions. While it’s especially common in those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may experience stimming in various forms, often without recognizing it as a coping tool.
Stimming can be as simple as bouncing a leg, tapping a pen, or humming to oneself, as mentioned above. For others, it can involve more pronounced repetitive movements or sounds.
Understanding what stimming is and why it occurs is critical to embracing these behaviors as part of managing daily life, sensory needs, and emotional health. This article uncovers stimming behaviors, their causes, and ways to embrace or manage them in a healthy way.
Why do you stim?
Stimming often occurs as a natural way to manage emotions and sensory input. You may stim for various reasons, usually because it helps you relax or focus. If you experience intense emotions—whether positive or negative—stimming can offer a safe way to let those feelings out. You might also find stimming to help manage the overwhelming stimuli of everyday life, allowing you to refocus your attention.
Common reasons you stim
- Sensory regulation: Stimming can help regulate sensory input in overwhelming or overstimulating environments.
- Emotional regulation: Stimming can help manage strong feelings like anxiety, excitement, or frustration by releasing built-up energy or tension.
- Focus and concentration: Some stimming behaviors, like finger-tapping or foot-bouncing, help you focus on tasks by creating a rhythm or routine.
- Self-expression: If you have an autism diagnosis, stimming is often a natural way of expressing yourself or coping with sensory information that feels hard to manage.
These reasons show why stimming is so common across different mental health conditions. Stimming can provide comfort and be a reliable way to ground yourself when things feel chaotic.
What mental health conditions involve stimming?
Stimming is most commonly associated with autism, where it’s a familiar and valuable coping tool. If you are on the autism spectrum, you may stim to handle sensory overload or communicate needs that might be hard to express verbally. Autism stimming may appear specifically as repetitive movements or vocalizations, offering a sense of stability and comfort.
Stimming isn’t exclusive to autism. It’s also found in individuals with ADHD, anxiety disorders, OCD, and Tourette syndrome. For instance:
- ADHD: If you experience ADHD, you may stim to release energy or maintain focus.
- Anxiety: If you experience anxiety, stimming can help release nervous energy and calm the body.
- OCD: Some stimming behaviors, such as repetitive hand movements, overlap with compulsions meant to reduce anxiety.
- Tourette syndrome: Involuntary repetitive movements or sounds, called tics, can resemble stimming, though they are neurologically different.
At Makin Wellness, our online therapy services can help you understand why you may engage in stimming and what kind of stimming helps you the most. We provide guidance on how to manage your coping techniques in a way that supports your mental health now and in the long term.
What causes stimming?
The root causes of stimming often go back to how the brain responds to sensory processing and emotional regulation. Your nervous systems may naturally produce more or less of certain chemicals that make you more sensitive to your environment. This sensitivity can trigger stimming as a way to respond to overwhelming stimuli.
Stimming helps by:
- Releasing built-up tension: Movements or repetitive behaviors can be a way to let go of stress, helping the body relax physically.
- Providing predictability: In chaotic environments, stimming offers a predictable action that feels grounding.
- Regulating sensory overload: If you are easily overwhelmed by sound, light, or touch, stimming can help distract or soothe the mind.
By offering a way to manage sensory information and emotions, stimming often serves as a tool to cope with daily life’s unpredictability. In certain situations, stimming can even bring about a sense of calm or joy.
Is stimming helpful or harmful?
Stimming can be helpful and harmful, depending on how it affects you and those around you. Healthy stimming can be an effective coping mechanism and help you regulate emotions.
For instance, gently tapping a finger, softly humming, or squeezing a stress ball can provide comfort without interfering with your daily life.
Signs stimming may be harmful
If stimming starts to interfere with your daily functioning or causes physical harm, it’s a good idea to address it. Harmful stimming might involve actions that hurt your body, such as hitting or scratching, or behaviors that disrupt relationships and tasks.
Signs that stimming could be problematic include:
- Pain or injury from repetitive actions
- Difficulty focusing on work or social interactions due to excessive stimming
- Negative impacts on relationships if stimming becomes distracting or worrisome to others
Makin Wellness’s online mental health services for children and adults can provide techniques and support to help you manage harmful stimming behaviors safely and compassionately.
Healthy ways to stim
Stimming doesn’t have to be something you eliminate from your life. You can find ways to stim safely and effectively, making it a healthy tool for managing sensory input and emotions. Here are a few healthy ways to incorporate healthy stimming into your life:
1. Explore non-harmful, relaxing stims
- Use a fidget spinner or stress ball to engage your hands in a safe, repetitive motion.
- Try gentle rocking, swaying, or foot tapping to release tension without overstimulating yourself.
2. Create a sensory toolkit
- Keep small, stim-friendly items on hand, like textured fabrics, smooth stones, or squishy toys, which can provide calming sensations.
- Use noise-canceling headphones if sounds are overwhelming or try soothing background music to regulate auditory stimuli.
- Experiment with different textures, weights, and smells to find what helps you the most.
3. Incorporate stimming into your daily routine
- Build brief stimming breaks into your day. A few minutes of gentle tapping, humming, or squeezing can provide a much-needed release.
- Give yourself permission to stim without feeling self-conscious, especially if it helps you process emotions or focus better.
4. Try relaxation exercises
- Deep breathing exercises can be grounding when you feel anxious or overstimulated.
- Use PMR (progressive muscle relaxation) to release built-up tension, one muscle group at a time.
- Engage in gentle physical activities like yoga, tai chi, or walking to provide a calming sensory experience.
Is it possible to live without stimming?
If you find stimming overwhelming or feel you’re stimming excessively, you may wonder if it’s possible to live without it. For many, stimming serves an important purpose, helping to regulate emotions and manage sensory input. Trying to eliminate stimming entirely might not be realistic, nor is it necessarily healthy.
Instead, focusing on healthy stimming behaviors and understanding why you stim can be empowering. Embracing this aspect of yourself and finding ways to stim that suit your lifestyle can allow you to live comfortably without feeling the need to stop completely.
Conclusion
Understanding what stimming is and why it happens can provide insight into how your brain processes emotions and sensory information. Stimming is a valuable tool for many people, offering comfort, grounding, and emotional regulation. By learning to manage stimming in healthy ways, you can embrace this part of yourself and use it as a resource in your daily life.
Whether you’re looking to reduce harmful stimming behaviors or gain insight into why you stim, remember that there’s no one “right” way to cope. Exploring tools that work for you, finding healthy ways to stim, and seeking support when needed can make a big difference.
If you feel that your stimming behaviors are becoming problematic or if you’d like guidance on how to manage them, Makin Wellness offers compassionate, professional mental health support online. Our experienced therapists can work with you to help you find ways to manage or embrace stimming in a way that enhances your life.
Call us at (833)-274-heal or start here to schedule an appointment with a compassionate online therapist who is here to help.
