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Not been on here for a little while as things were going quite well, but the last 2 weeks have brought some issues that have stressed me, and today a letter arrived that, although not a major issue in it's self, has tipped me over the edge a bit.

 

I have a habit of making sort of humming noises to accompany what I'm doing.....not a tune.... just a a sort of emphasis of each movement...... a bit like the guy on police academy who imitates things.....but I don't imitate, just make noises that reflect my mood and the action..... I find it comforting and it helps me chill out, along with hand flapping and finger flicking on the left mainly, plus hand clapping. It is mostly when I have something on my mind, as I do now.

It doesn't worry me at all.....quite happy with it, although it annoys my partner........can any one else tell me if they notice these things,.... in adults in particular.....especially the vocal tics?

Thanks,

 

Sami.

 

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Hi Sami,

 

When I'm happy, I have noticed that I tend to repeat film quotes and imitate character voices, behaviours, noises etc... People get v.annoyed with me for this because when I'm hyper-happy I don't know when to stop. There are also times when I don't realise that I'm doing it. I tend to use certain film quotes in conversation too, especially when I don't know what I'm supposed to say and my mind thinks it is logical to mimic a confident character ('cause if it worked for them in the film, it would work for me in real life right?).

 

I have nervous tics and stims when I'm stressed - coughing can be quite bad - I've given myself panic attacks from coughing so much that I couldn't breath. This is one of the reasons that I dropped out of Uni the first-time. I wanted to be accepted so much, that I was constantly on edge to be the best that I could be at fitting in (I no longer try to fit in :) ).

 

Clearing my throat, tongue clicking, nail biting, rocking, finger tapping, humming, whistling, walking around in circles...you name it, I do it (probably) - these are things that other people have pointed out to me, because up until recently (a year ago -ish), I was blissfully unaware of anything I did - because although it may appear weird to other people, it was natural for me.

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My son makes a continual sort of hmmm, hmmm noise. He does it more when he eats and it's also noticeable when he's watching telly or is washing up or something. It's a fairly recent noise, he used to make a lot of noises when younger. I find it very irritating and I worry that kids at college will start to notice too and find it a bit odd. I've been meaning to speak to him about it to see if he is aware that he is making it but haven't wanted to embarrass him, I'll mention it soon though.

 

~ Mel ~

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I find humming very calming too. I started setting aside time for chanting the Gayatri mantra or just Aum during meditations. Humming is a very naturally calming thing to do I think. I don't find it easy to hide nerves either. That's one of the reasons why I found getting a diagnosis so liberating. It allows me to be odd because now I have a reason for it, whereas before, I had to try very hard to hide my difficulties. When I'm stressed, I find that tunes get stuck in my head and go round and round over and over.......and I tend to start singing them a lot which is annoying to myself and others. Oh and grinding my teeth, which people hate! :)

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You know why the Sufis whirl? They are aiming to achieve what children naturally feel when engrossed in twirling or free-flowing movement of any kind. It doesn't matter whether the movement is physical or aural. It is all expression. Maybe not conscious expression, but a physical manifestation of the body or mind's own natural rhythms, or of the energies which it comes into contact with. Personally, I feel that when the body is moving in a repetitive manner, the mind becomes more still. It brings a meditative state. Peace. I believe stimming happens in those who are more sensitive to their own energies and the energies of the world around them. By expressing what we sense energetically, in a physical manner, repetitively, the mind can stop feeling so reactive. It's like releasing the pressure. For me, it's as though my body is reacting to the stresses around me so that my mind doesn't have to.

 

............like being rocked........or feeling the motion of the sea. Very calming. X

Edited by Merry

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Hmmm, interesting. This all fits with my experiences in some way or another, and I agree that it is a sort of calming/coping mechanism. I find it helps me if I'm thinking something complex through, and I tend to think better when busy doing something menial.......cooking, washing up etc.

Regarding teeth grinding, that is something I do at night sometimes when under a lot of stress, but I have noticed that any stimulants like caffeine or nicotine will cause it even when I'm not stressed, so anyone finding that a particular problem may want to try forgoing caffeine etc to see if that helps.....it's not good for our teeth and I always end up with bruised gums from clenching in my sleep too.

 

Sami.

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These posts are really interesting. I didn't know that: grinding teeth...was another stim. I have been doing this since childhood (every night).

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:D

Hi Sami,

 

When I'm happy, I have noticed that I tend to repeat film quotes and imitate character voices, behaviours, noises etc... People get v.annoyed with me for this because when I'm hyper-happy I don't know when to stop. There are also times when I don't realise that I'm doing it. I tend to use certain film quotes in conversation too, especially when I don't know what I'm supposed to say and my mind thinks it is logical to mimic a confident character ('cause if it worked for them in the film, it would work for me in real life right?).

 

I have nervous tics and stims when I'm stressed - coughing can be quite bad - I've given myself panic attacks from coughing so much that I couldn't breath. This is one of the reasons that I dropped out of Uni the first-time. I wanted to be accepted so much, that I was constantly on edge to be the best that I could be at fitting in (I no longer try to fit in :) ).

 

Clearing my throat, tongue clicking, nail biting, rocking, finger tapping, humming, whistling, walking around in circles...you name it, I do it (probably) - these are things that other people have pointed out to me, because up until recently (a year ago -ish), I was blissfully unaware of anything I did - because although it may appear weird to other people, it was natural for me.

 

OMG! I do the movie quote thing too and the voices!, kinda like Bumblebee in the Transformers film or the robotty thing in Flight of the Navigator. Generally I can keep it together but will often come out with favourite phrases to myself from time to time, they make me happy :D - I used to be able to quote entire films when I was younger but I haven't done that for a long time... I'm guessing that's a good thing really :)

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I used to have a growl. Every time i breathed out I growled. Not loudly,,, just a quiet kitty type grrrr. It bugged my missus and I don't like to think I am upsetting people so I did some self stud; It was the noise. it relaxed me. so I spent some time (3 weeks) training myself out of it. Now nothing good comes without something bad. I trained myself by concentrating on my internal voice. The only problem now is when I get in stress situations I tend to actually say out loud what is in my head. It's not good if that thought is things like "can you leave my sh!t alone I hate you when you don't keep your grubby hands off!" or "you smell so nice I really want to lick you"

It might take a while but I'm sure I will find some way to stop this eventually.

 

So, in closing: I had a similar thing to your humming but now I don't p.s. I'm 33, does that make me enough of an adult for ya ;)

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:) I'm 33 too. I know what you mean about the internal voice! I do that too. When I was little, I used to repeat everything I said in a whisper after I said it. It was just to make a conscious/aware link with anything which appeared to happen automatically....

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OMG! I do the movie quote thing too and the voices!, kinda like Bumblebee in the Transformers film or the robotty thing in Flight of the Navigator. Generally I can keep it together but will often come out with favourite phrases to myself from time to time, they make me happy :D - I used to be able to quote entire films when I was younger but I haven't done that for a long time... I'm guessing that's a good thing really :)

I'm guilty of this too, but try not to do it around others. When on my own i hum tunes like the a team theme or superman loudly and animatedly. Sometimes i get them mixed up and don't know what I'm humming. i went through a phase for about a year of mimicking my house phone over again saying 'you have no messages'. I'd look in the mirror and pull all sorts of different faces and say it in as many different voices as i could.

 

i worry a lot about ever living with someone else (other than my daughter), because i won't feel as free then to act how i feel. i despise the thought of ever annoying somebody on a regular basis.

Edited by cookiemonster

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Just want to say as a Mom of a 13 year old ASD son, he does all of these things, and reading this has made me really happy to know its a good thing for him, and helps him relax or cope with situations. Thanks for the enlightenment folks.

 

Jo (Max's Mom).

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Just tuned in again and saw recent replies on this topic....thanks everyone, all interesting comments........Since I first wrote about this I have had to try and stop being so vocal as it was really getting to my partner and she eventually got cross. I have also stopped drinking alcohol which has helped.... I wasn't a big drinker, but liked to chill out when cooking the dinner with a glass or two, and I used to have the vocal tics more then. I have noticed though that I have started suddenly saying things out loud that are part of the conversations going on in my head. My shrink explained to me originally that this constant need to hold imaginary dialogue in my head is just my way of trying to understand other people's points of view and their potential reactions in any situation in which I might find myself. All very well, but it makes other people jump if I suddenly say something like "Really?......why?......no I doubt it"........in other words they hear part of a one-sided conversation.......really makes me look nutty! luckily my partner sees the funny side of it and just jokes about it when we are at home......not so funny in a cafe though, as sometimes happens!

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