Anxiety stims are repetitive self-soothing actions like nail-biting, hair-twirling, foot-tapping, pen-clicking, pacing, humming, rocking, fidgeting, or skin-scratching, used to manage stress, overwhelm, or boredom by providing sensory input or distraction, common across neurotypes but often more pronounced with conditions like ADHD or Autism.
Stims in response to anxiety are often fairly harmless, including:
A: Yes, anxiety can lead to stimming behaviors as a way to self-soothe or cope with overwhelming emotions. Stimming can provide comfort and help manage the heightened stress levels associated with anxiety.
One common misconception is that stimming is solely associated with autism. However, stimming can occur in individuals without autism as well. It is a natural expression of self-regulation and can serve various purposes, such as managing emotions, releasing energy, or promoting concentration.
Around 90% of autism cases are attributed to genetic factors, meaning autism is highly heritable, with many different genes contributing, rather than a single cause, often interacting with environmental influences during early brain development, though specific environmental factors don't cause it but can increase risk. Twin studies show strong genetic links, with concordance rates between 60-90% in identical twins, and research points to complex interactions of many genes and prenatal/perinatal factors.
The "6-second rule" for autism is a communication strategy where a speaker pauses for about six seconds after asking a question or giving information, giving the autistic person extra time to process it without feeling rushed, which helps reduce anxiety and allows for a more thoughtful response, reducing frustration for both parties. Instead of repeating or rephrasing, which can be confusing, you wait, and if needed, repeat the exact same words after the pause.
Hidden stimming refers to regulatory behaviours that fly under the radar, these are often subtle, socially acceptable, or deliberately concealed. These are the stims many children use when they don't feel safe to be visibly autistic.
A frequent question from parents of autistic children and teenagers is what to do about unhealthy stimming. Examples include head banging against walls/floor, finger biting, or even self-harming.
Happy stims are behaviors exhibited in response to joy, excitement, or contentment. They might include energetic hand flapping, jumping, or spinning in circles. These actions reflect the individual's positive emotions or heightened interest in something.
Seek Professional Help and Treatment
ADHD medications can help you manage your ADHD symptoms and improve your focus, reducing the need to stim. You can also try therapy sessions to help you recognize disruptive or harmful behaviors and replace them with healthier ones.
Some symptoms of anxiety overlap with symptoms of autism. This can make anxiety more difficult to identify in a person with autism. A person experiencing anxiety may lose their appetite or eat more than normal. They may struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Defining high-functioning anxiety
They often are successful in careers or other roles, yet internally struggle with persistent feelings of stress, self-doubt and the fear of not measuring up. They feel extremely uncomfortable inside and struggle with significant self-criticism.
Difficult social situations and sensory environments can increase stress and increase anxiety for autistic people. Another significant cause of anxiety is a sense of being misunderstood and/or not accepted by non-autistic people. To 'fit in' and not be seen as different, autistic people might mask or camouflage.
Hyperstimulation anxiety is a result of an overactive stress response that never gets the chance to wind down. This "fight or flight" state can wreck havoc on our health as communication between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands break down.
Repetitive movements (like rocking) or sounds (like humming), nail biting, teeth grinding, and more — stimming is believed to be an unconscious way for people with ADHD to soothe themselves.
While stimming behaviors are often associated with autism, it's important to recognize that they are not exclusive to individuals on the spectrum. Neurotypical individuals, including infants, young children, and adults, may also exhibit stimming behaviors.
Common stimming examples include hand flapping, rocking, humming, or pacing. Most stimming is harmless, but there are some stims that can be dangerous. Head-banging, hitting, and biting are forms of stimming that usually come from feelings of extreme overwhelm, anger, and frustration.
Stimming Behaviours in Neurodivergent Individuals
These behaviours are commonly associated with neurodivergent differences such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD), among others.
Many people, both autistic and not, engage in self-stimulating behaviors from time to time. Often, these behaviors occur when someone is bored, anxious, overwhelmed, in pain, or experiencing another strong emotion; in these cases, the behavior is usually short-lived or can be stopped with a small amount of effort.
Billie Eilish has openly spoken about living with Tourette's syndrome, a neurological condition that causes involuntary tics, which she was diagnosed with in childhood.
People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms.
Chinning is a form of repetitive self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) that you may notice in children or adults with autism. It involves pressing, rubbing, or holding the chin against objects, surfaces, or even hands to gain sensory input or comfort.
"Looping" in autism refers to getting "stuck" in repetitive mental cycles, replaying thoughts, questions, worries, or phrases endlessly, often triggered by stress, sensory overload, or uncertainty, and linked to challenges with executive function and attention. It's a non-clinical term for perseveration or rumination, where an autistic individual's brain struggles to shift focus from an internal loop, which can be mentally exhausting but sometimes also comforting.
Children with autism may exhibit rigidity, inflexibility and certain types of repetitive behavior such as: Insistence on following a specific routine. Having difficulty accepting changes in the schedule. A strong preoccupation with a particular interest.