Mine are:
- Turning the spark wheel on a lighter in my pocket
- Biting a finger
I like to pull the corner of my phone case off and snap it back on
Yes. I do that too. Also clicking the latch on my wrist watch
Not exactly my favorite, but my most done is biting/peeling my lips.
Stretching is probably my favorite. Like those good ones after waking up
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It’s more just biting off already dry/dead skin, doesn’t seem like I’m doing any damage
Finding a soft lock of my hair and twirling it around my fingers. Both for the softness and the gentle tugging at my scalp. And as a bonus it’s fairly socially acceptable.
There’s been a song stuck in my head for as long as I can remember (decades) that only comes out of the recesses of my brain when I’m alone, and I hum it over and over. Usually this is during driving or focusing on coding. Kinda frustrating that I don’t even know if it’s a real song or just something my brain is doing for fun. (It sounds a bit like the civil war song, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, I guess?) I’m too self-conscious to do it around other people.
Have you tried using something like SoundHound? I’ve hummed songs using it and had pretty good success.
As an adult it is a mix of leg jiggling and rubbing my finger nails against my thumbs. As a child I used to tap out rhythms with my heels and toes, much to the chagrin of my teachers and classmates.
Toys. I have a speedcube and several Transformers by my computer at all times.
Probably shaking my leg slightly, or stretching
- jiggling pectoral or glute muscles (usually to music)
- opening and closing the lid of an inhaler
- grinding the folded tags in clothing
- stroking beard
- peeling top layer of skin off finger nails
- plucking overly long eyebrow hairs
Rotate left & right on my desk chair Pacing around my living room puffing on my nicotine vape & talking to myself Stroking my walrus mustace (I blame Jamie Hyneman lol)
When my feet are available for this, such as laying down or dangling, I like to push one down while pushing it up with the other foot, then switching feet.
Thumb to finger taps. I do this often, more when getting nervous. I tap teeth to each other, too, feeling like I’m tapping one top to one bottom at a time. Going all the way around to tap all my teeth. I realized I’m tapping multiple teeth each time, but it’s a tap for each pair of teeth.
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I do this too. I actually keep a pair of metal cuticle nippers nearby for just this purpose. Using those means that I get a cleaner cut and am less likely to bleed afterwards.
I also have some chain finger toys. It’s a small ring sized circle of bike chain with rubber on each section. You can put it on a fingertip and roll it around. It puts pressure on the cuticle area and gives a sensation which fills the need for stimulation in that area without ripping off skin.
I like putting pressure on the arch of my feet. (Or where my arch would be as I have extremely flat feet.)
I actually bought a small wooden foot massager for this. As I’m working, I can just put my feet on this and roll them back and forth. I get the sensory input that I’m craving without needing to stop working to find something to press my feet against.
Cat: We wiggle our knees in and out. Feels good.