hi there, I'm Avery! they/them. 24. autistic. You do not have to be autistic to follow me :D The only people who should NOT interact here are: anyone who'd use this content for se.xual/ki.nk reasons, trans exclusionary radical feminists, and/or basically anyone who is bigoted against marginalized, systemically oppressed groups.
Feel free to submit stuff to me, especially stigmatized stims (ones less accepted by NTs) for the #stimfreely tag! These asks are usually not posted immediately, but shuffled into my queue.
Happy stimming after a night in with my friends because they are all so accepting and dont comment when I flap and rock!
Omg @lillypadcrochet this makes me so happy and flappy myself!!!! You look so full of joy!!! I’m so thrilled you’ve got friends who accept all of you, everyone deserves to find friends like that. Thank you for sharing ❤️ (((\[^o^]/)))
i’ve seen a couple posts (here and here) using the term “sensory desperate” to describe the feeling when you need some sensory stimulation, and i love it! however, my brain likes to have very specific terminology to describe specific feelings – therefore, i have come up with two other terms to use along with “sensory desperate” to describe the varying levels of need for a certain sensory feeling.
Sensory whim:
This term describes the sudden thought or musing that a certain type of sensory stimulation would be pleasing, before the feeling of needing to do it actually arises.
Example 1 – while reading in my favorite chair, i think about using my tangle. i know that i enjoy stimming with my tangle almost every time i do, and the thought of using it now pleases me; but it’s across the room and i am very comfortable in my chair. i do not feel any urgency to use it just yet, so i can continue to sit for a while rather than getting up immediately to go use it.
Example 2 – i am at the store and suddenly think of how nice it would be to be listening to my favorite song on blast while wrapped up in my weighted blanket. i like the idea and am excited to do it, but i am able to complete my shopping without being too distracted by the thought, and i drive home patiently. when i get home, i finally get to engage in the sensory input i was thinking about, and i am happy.
Sensory itch:
This term describes the feeling of needing to experience certain sensory input in the way that an itch demands to be scratched asap. The feeling can be resisted, but only with some discomfort.
Whims sometimes turn into sensory itches if thought about long enough; other times the “whim” stage is passed and the feeling of an itch comes spontaneously instead.
Moreover, a sensory itch will sometimes fade away if you hold out from satisfying it long enough; but often, it intensifies into sensory desperation instead.
Example 1 – i think about using my tangle and my hands feel empty without it. the skin of my palms almost seems to tingle with the ghost feeling of holding the tangle, and my fingers long to wrap around it. The tangle is across the room, and even though i’m very comfortable where i am i just have to get up to go get it. as soon as i get my hands on my tangle i feel much better, like the relief that comes from scratching an itch, and i stim happily, my hands feeling satisfied.
Example 2 – i have a strong desire to repeat a word my teacher has just said (i.e. echolalia), but i am in class and i know that i would distract other students if i do so. thus i resist the urge, even though it makes my tongue feel upset to keep it from forming the word. i do the next best thing, which is clearing my throat a few times and writing the word i want to repeat again and again in the margin of my notes. after a few minutes, the itch subsides on its own, just as a real itch sometimes does even when you don’t itch it. i am able to pay full attention to the lecture once again.
Sensory desperate (or sensory urgent):
This term describes an urge for certain sensory input that is so intense that denying it leads to severe discomfort. Your thoughts tend to be consumed by the need, so that you can think of nothing or little else until it is met.
If you are desperate for one type of sensory stimulation, sometimes a different type of sensory stimulation can assuage the feeling at least somewhat. For instance, if you are desperate to touch something you see on tv or online and simply don’t have access to the object, touching something similar that you do have with you can help.
Example 1 – i really need to use a stim toy, but i am stuck in class and left all my stim toys at home. The feeling gets to the point that i can no longer listen to my teacher or take notes, because all i can think of is getting my hands on a stim toy. My hands feel so strange and empty and the feeling is overpowering.
Example 2 – i am at work and i usually avoid flapping there, but something happens to excite or upset me and my arms and hands are desperate to flap. it feels impossible to keep them still – despite thinking i shouldn’t flap, i flap anyway; i can’t help it. if someone were to hold my arms down at this point, i would probably have a meltdown or shutdown from being so desperate.
(the reason i offer “sensory urgent” as well as “sensory desperate” for the third and most intense term is in case the originators of the “desperate” term prefer it not being used in the way i use it here.)
i am curious to hear what other autistic people / people with sensory processing disorder think of these terms! do they seem useful? are any corrections or clarifications required? let me know what you think, and feel free to use the terms to describe your own feelings! thanks!
