What is Stimming?
"Stimming" is short for self-stimulatory behavior. It refers to repetitive movements, sounds, or actions that autistic people (and others) use to regulate their sensory experience, express emotions, or simply because it feels good.
Common stims include:
- Movement stims — Rocking, spinning, bouncing, pacing, hand-flapping
- Tactile stims — Rubbing textures, fidgeting with objects, skin-picking
- Auditory stims — Humming, repeating words or sounds, clicking
- Visual stims — Watching spinning objects, flickering lights, patterns
- Proprioceptive stims — Jumping, crashing into things, tight hugs, weighted blankets
Everyone stims
Tapping your foot, twirling your hair, biting your nails, clicking a pen—neurotypical people stim too. The difference is that autistic stimming is often more visible, more essential, and more stigmatized.
Why We Stim
Sensory regulation
Stimming helps manage sensory input. When overwhelmed, certain stims can block out excess stimulation or provide a predictable, controllable sensation to focus on. When understimulated, stims can provide the sensory input our nervous system is seeking.
Emotional expression
Happy flapping is real. Stimming isn't just about calming down—it's also how many of us express joy, excitement, anxiety, or any intense emotion. It's body language that's natural to us.
Focus and processing
Many autistic people think better while stimming. The movement or sensation can help process information, stay focused during conversations, or work through complex problems. Stopping the stim often means losing the thought.
It just feels good
Sometimes there's no deeper reason. Stimming can be pleasurable, comforting, or simply enjoyable. We don't need to justify every behavior with a functional explanation.
The Problem with Suppression
For decades, autism interventions focused on eliminating stimming—making autistic children "quiet hands" and still bodies. This approach causes real harm:
- Increased anxiety — Without this natural regulation tool, stress builds up with no release
- Reduced focus — Energy goes to suppression instead of the task at hand
- Shame and masking — Learning that your natural movements are "wrong" damages self-acceptance
- Replacement behaviors — Suppressed stims often get replaced with less visible but sometimes harmful alternatives
Stimming isn't the problem
If someone's stimming is hurting them (like severe self-injury), the goal should be finding safer alternatives that meet the same need—not eliminating the regulation strategy entirely. And if the stim isn't harmful? Then the only "problem" is other people's discomfort with difference.
Reclaiming Your Stims
Notice what you naturally do
Many late-diagnosed autistics have suppressed their stims so long they've forgotten what comes naturally. Pay attention to what your body wants to do when you're alone, relaxed, or deeply focused.
Build a stim toolkit
Different situations call for different stims. You might have big movement stims for home and subtle fidgets for meetings. Having options means you can always regulate.
Stim ideas by context
Let go of shame
Your natural movements aren't wrong, broken, or embarrassing. They're part of how you experience and interact with the world. The people who deserve to be in your life are the ones who accept all of you—stims included.
Tools That Help
Our Sensory Toolkit includes stim suggestions organized by what you're feeling and what kind of input you're seeking. It's a starting point for building your own regulation strategies.