Stimming…and why I HATE the hairdressers.

This finger stim is one I do when I am relaxed

Hello my lovely bloggy friends,

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Just a quick post I’m busy cooking and some thoughts came into my head while chopping carrots. So I just thought I’d write it down before I forget. ABBA is blasting in my kitchen, I’m singing and dancing to Waterloo and just wasting time while the Chicken roasts.

So…here I am with a nice glass of Dandelion and Burdock, I REALLY don’t like many other fizzy pops it’s the bubbles, and I know I’m babbling.

Get to the point Lisa!!!

OK…I had my hair cut today, yes on a Sunday.

My sister came round to visit yesterday and she had just come from the hairdressers. It’s a real treat for my sister and it helps her so much to relax, feel pampered, be herself and it’s great for her having that time just for her. Her hair looks fabulous too, I was so very jealous she has such great hair.

For me, going to the hairdressers is like my worst nightmare.

The one person I let anywhere near me with a pair of scissors (and feel comfortable about it) is my little sis. She’s the only person I can cope with touching my head/hair and it’s because I totally trust her and she tells me everything she is doing so I’m not freaking out.

At the hairdressers I’m a nervous wreck,

I feel like saying to woman that’s cutting my hair

Please stop talking at me and concentrate on what you are doing.

I can’t cope with all your chit-chat while you are touching my head.

Oh my, all these bloody mirrors, everyone seems to be looking at me.

All these hairdryers and the radio are just WAY TOO NOISY.

I hate the smell of that perm solution, why did I have to come here when a perm is going on.

If I give you an extra £10 can you please just hurry up and not talk AT ALL, I’m not interested in anything you are talking about.

Right, that’s my Aspie sensory problem now for the stimming.

Me and my sis were talking about how my hair seems to break a lot when I’m stressed or upset. When I’m peaceful and good with life my hair seems thicker and more healthy.

We worked it out, my stimming changes.

When I’m happy and life is good. When I’m living in my lovely loop, comfortable with those around me. My stimming (when it happens) is just an excited hand movement kind of thing that helps me find words. I flick my fingers outwardly and rub my thumbs along my palms. I move my arms around when talking and to be quite honest it just comes across as someone a bit arty-farty, eccentric or flamboyant.

When I’m stressed, upset or out of my comfort zone.

My stimming becomes very different. I fiddle with things, I fidget around trying to find comfort. I mess with my clothes, pull at my hems and cuffs. I rub and touch my face a lot. I scratch my arms. I bite the skin on the inside of my mouth and lick my lips constantly.

But this one I didn’t realise I did…

I run both my hand through my hair, pushing all my hair away from my face. My hair gets caught around my finger and, because my hair is fine, it breaks. Now I am aware of this I can see just how often I do it.

I found all this quite interesting…so I thought I’d share it.

It seems that insecurity stimming seems to attack self, where as my happy stimming is just external hand movements that help me to communicate. Maybe sign language and finger spelling is something that could be helpful with some Aspie/Auties. I can certainly see a big difference with my nephew little *J now he uses sign language, he seems to speak far more than he did when he just had speaking. He talked nonstop to me today about vacuum cleaners and how he followed the lady around the shop with her red Henry. He knows them ALL you know, that kid is obsessed with vacuum cleaners, he’s so very cute. I LOVE it when he talks vacuums, I could listen to him all day.

Right back to the kitchen and a bit more ABBA me thinks.

Love and hugs.

Lisa. xx 🙂