#stimming positivity

[northlight14]

Any fellow neurodivergent who uses music to stim understands that certain songs have a specific volume they need to be played at that just hits right

[clownrecess]

I stim in public.

I flap my hands really hard, and verbally stim, and tip toe walk, and swing my arms, and roll my knuckles together, and more.

I have big stims, and I do those big stims wherever it feels right.

You deserve to stim anywhere and everywhere.

[madb0nes]

[collegestudentwithautism]

Stimming

I jsut realised I've been stimming since I was a child and didn't even notice, so sort of a backstory when I was little I sucked my thumb and always carried a special blanket with a tag around and I would rub it on my face and with my fingers because I like how soft it is and I still do that now if my clothes has a tag that is soft that I like so much then I will stim with it or I will rub my clothes between my fingers I'm 18 and I jsut realised this was an Autistic trait and I do it.

[bouncyalex]

💜XP5000 diaper and puffer jacket. Stimming as usual. 🛒

[dreamdropsystem]

just stimming - Niko

[electronicdreamerdreamer]

Stimming isn't enough. I need to fly and jump to the skies.

[the-collectors888]

I bought a pop-it today (4 actually)!!!!! I love it so much !!!!!!! Autism wins today /pos

ITS ALSO TINY AND HEART SHAPED AND IS A KEY CHAIN ON MY BAG

Footage my bag

Key chains say: moss and mushrooms + February and October

[skullkidstims]

Spirit Tracks Stimboard!! (ik the middle gif is low quality ;( ) Sources: 🚂 🚂 🚂 ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ 🍃 🍃 🍃

[webkinzcoolstims]

Can I have a Fennec Fox stimboard?

Webkinz Fennec fox stimboard!

[northlight14]

Making an auditory stimming playlist is single handedly one of the best things I’ve done. Getting restless while doing uni work rn so put my headphones and listening to that and it’s like giving my brain a free head massage while it works. It’s dope

[clownrecess]

(tw for an extremely brief mention of autistic meltdowns)

I want to talk about different ear defenders.

This post can also be used as a way to find what pair of ear defenders is best for you, because its informational and descriptive on all of them (All based on my experiences, of course.)

Sensory aids are a great way to help prevent overstimulation, aid the calm down from a meltdown, or just help you to feel safer (and more!). I first started using sensory aids when I was nine, which was when I developed an extremely severe sensitivity to sound. I got ear defenders, which was really helpful. I now have six or so different pairs! The first brand I got was Mpow, but specifically Mpow Kids. Mpow is sort of confusing for me because when you look up Mpow ear defenders it comes up as something completely different than what I'm talking about, same when searching Mpow Kids, so you do need to look around a little bit.

This is the exact pair I have. Something really good about this pair of ear defenders is that its flatter, which is good if you are worrying about bulkiness. It blocks extra sound quite well, but in a way you can still hear people talking to you. However, it doesnt do this perfectly (there is a brand I think does it perfectly in my opinion. Which I will talk about later.) and whilst I can hear people I'm talking to for the most part, I often have to ask them to repeat themself because it makes it hard to differentiate different mouth sounds, which is frustrating. The ear defenders also tend to create kind of an "under water" sound to every noise. It also causes a lot of pressure build up after wearing them for a while, resulting in a bad headache. I also would not reccomend wearing glasses with them. It IS possible, I've done it, but it is really uncomfortable. Despite it being marketed as a kids size I think that they could fit most people.

These are peltor ear defenders. I have two different pairs. The overall noise blocking is about the same as the Mpow Kids ear defenders, except it is a slightly easier to understand people, and the water noise is gone! These headphones are usually a lot bulkier than the Mpow ones. The pair in the photo aren't bulky generally, but are in comparison to Mpow. Most peltor ear defenders are extremely bulky though, so if you want one like the photo you'll need to look around a little bit. These headphones do create the pressure issue again, but it takes a lot longer to do so. You can also easily wear glasses with them, it still isnt extremely comfortable, but it's a lot more comfortable in comparison to other pairs.

These are my absolute favorite brand for ear defenses: Hear Tek. Hear Tek filters the noise near perfectly in my opinion. It blocks noises whilst still allowing me to hear what people are saying to me usually quite easily. The pressure does build up quicker than the Peltor ear defenders, but not as quick as Mpow Kids. It is uncomfortable to wear glasses with them. They are a little bit bulky. Hear Tek also comes it tons of cool colors and designs, as seen in the photo! I personally just have plain red ones with a black over head peice though.

These are Howard Leight ear defenders. They are the cheapest option, but with the cheap price also comes cheap quality. They block very little noise, and are extremely bulky. They have zero pressure build up though, and you can easily wear glasses with them.

Thank you for listening to my talk of ear defenders lol

[madb0nes]

[levymcgarden55]

It’s time for some happy stim appreciation!!!

Happy stims are a lot like normal stims, but ones you do when you’re happy and/or excited. It’s like you have so many positive emotions in your body that you just need to move & express them.

Picture it: you’re telling a bunch of kids they get season passes to a theme park. Do they sit still? No! They laugh and jump up and down, because they’re just so excited they couldn’t possibly sit still.

Did you know that humans are not the only ones that show happiness through their actions? Cats make biscuits, dogs wag their tails, and multiple animals do tippy taps! Personally, my go-to is wiggles.

If you’re thinking “but wait, I don’t stim when I’m excited,” it might be that you repressed the impulse, possibly as a masking measure. My partner w adhd & autism didn’t happy stim either, but then she saw me happy wiggling and it made her so happy that *she* started wiggling too. Now it’s just how she happy stims.

You might say “I’m probably neurotypical / don’t have a diagnosis / etc. Can I still happy stim?” The answer is YES, the more the merrier! I love seeing people when they’re excited and it’s just so much more fun when they flap their hands or jump up and down!!

I wanna celebrate all the different ways to happy stim, so,

[collegestudentwithautism]

Unmasking

So I was home alone on Monday because I didn't have class and everyone was at Work or school and of course this meant I could stim and be myself alone but whenever I did try and Stim I'd end up stopping and I stopped Unmasking fir the whole day literally I kept my mask up and didn't stim at all I didn't realise I had a mask up all the time even alone.

Done anyone know how to Unmask and to keep unmasked?

[the-collectors888]

A poem I wrote a while about removing shame from stimming / watching others stim