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  Stim Shelf

Ah, that's an interesting shelf you've found there. You could say it's like a trophy shelf, only it's full of things that I fiddle with. Have a look and see if any of my trinkets take your interest. I've labelled everything accordingly, as I always do, but it only updates when I get a new item.

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  My Stim Collection

I've had an interest in stim toys ever since I learned about them from online autism communities. I always did random little movements and I always wanted random little things, so to see it had a name fascinated me. I could redirect my energy and collect trinkets at the same time. It was wonderfully practical. Unfortunately, more pressing matters distracted me, but they always lurked in my mind. As I attended my responsibilities, I wondered what to buy, or how I'd even do it at all. The world of stims was so big and colourful that I didn't know how or when to start.

That was until I did, and I decided to start this whole thing with something particularly interesting to me. It was a bag of kinetic sand, which I'd wanted since I was a tiny gargoyle. I normally hated sand and its ability to get in every bodily crevice possible, but this technicolour kinetic sand was something else. I could have all the mess of a sand pit, without the actual mess. Naturally, advertisements being advertisements, it looked like a blast. Yet, I'd somehow forgotten to actually buy some, or rather (As a child), beg my parents for it. I presume I was too busy playing Petz or watching Scooby-Doo re-runs. So, I ordered a bag online and bought myself a dinky plastic tray to go with it. I was doing a marathon of Amicus' horror anthologies on the day it would arrive Then, during The House that Dripped Blood, I recieved it in the post. It was great fun. So much fun I started getting ideas. Ideas of buying more stimmy thingies with my abundant pile of money. Jump forward to now, and I have quite the list to go over.

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  •  Kinetic Sand - It's purple, and very cool. I'm half tempted to keep it in a plastic box rather than the original air-sealed bag. That's one minor problem actually, the grains end up getting into the sealing mechanism and making the bag too easy to open. Maybe I'll decorate that box with stickers, hmmm...
  •  Sorting Dinosaurs - This is a set of colourful plastic dinosaurs you're supposed to sort. They come with their own bowls and you have to do it by colour. I'm the sort of autistic that likes to sort, my friends joke that cleaning is one of my hobbies. When I'm not tidying my other things, I mess with these dinosaurs to get that feeling. It's not the sort of stim you can whip out in an instant, but if you have some time to kill, it's a cute method. Sometimes I mix it up by trying to sort them with my eyes closed and using my fingers to figure out which one I'm holding. It's surprisingly relaxing.
  •  Fidget Slug - This was a recent trend at the time and I was seeing dozens of online listings for them. I love gastropods, rainbowy things and clicky sounds, so I had to get one for myself. It's one of the louder appliances but when I'm all alone, I give it a wiggle. While I do know about the 3D-printed versions, I'm not very interested in them. Anything with that texture feels too abrasive for me.
  •  Fidget Cube - I used to have one of these years ago, and wow, I loved it. The light-switch button got the most use, but the tiny gears were very fun as well. I sadly lost it somehow, presumably while clearing out my stuff. I did try to replace it, but I ran into bootlegs, each one with the sensory appeal of a brick. In this latest bout of shopping about, I finally got a legitimate cube. It's this neon green, and it even glows in the dark. Very kitschy.
  •  Fidget Controller - The sequel to the cube, and something that I'd wanted to try but also forgotten to get around to. It's not bad, actually!
  •  Kandi Bracelets - Another thing from the 2000s' that escaped my grasp. Like stim things, I saw them surface on tumblr under the "scene" tags, "scene" as in scene kids. Now I have some too, and they're sometimes on my wrists.
  •  Crotchet Fidgets - Handmade, so I'm getting a nice stim and supporting small artists. I have three marble pushing ones and a little noodle. I'd like to get more so I can have an equal amount of soft stims and hard stims.
  •  Wooden Stick Thing - I think this thing was carved from a whisky barrel.
  •  Ceramic Worry Stones - Just like the crochets, I'm getting nice stims and supporting small artists.
  •  Monster in my Pocket Figures- I have some series 1 Draculas. I'm a vampire sort, so I only collect vampire things.
  •  Chew Necklaces - I've already mangled these a good bit. I like the softer, thinner ones that don't end up hurting my jaw. My main and favourite necklace is a light grey ArkToys one with a bat on it.
  •  Pop-It Spinner - The original fidget spinner never really caught on with me, but when you add popping things to it, I'll bite. The pops feel good too, not like most commercial popping toys. It also comes in these segments you can rearrange as well, so when it spins it has this rainbow pinwheel look to it.
  •  Tangles- My absolute favourites. Tangles make me feel like I'm a cat, and I'm kneading into my own brain. Sounds painful if you've owned cats (and you've had your lap skewered by them) but it feels incredible. It's like rolling a giant ball of dough, while being the dough. My favourite tangle is this bright green one with knobbly bits all over it, it reminds me of slime. I also like this multicoloured halloween looking one that my friend Alex sent me. As of now, I own seven.
  •  Crinkly Paper Things - Sometimes called baby paper, and yes, for literal babies. But the sound...It also has little knobbles on it, because of course it does! As of now, I own two.
  •  Marble Pushing Paper - It's a sheet of fabric with a little marble to push about. Mine has some pumpkins on it. As of now, I own one.
  •  Plastic Fish - Another neglected internet listing that I got my paws on. Appropriately, they're bath toys. Each fish comes in two halves, so you can pull them apart and create different types of fish. They change colour when you submerge them in water, which in my case, is my bathroom sink. They also make a funny gurgling sound when they're filling with water; it's how they're able to float. The water weighs them down in a way that keeps them bouyant and straight. They're a trio, so as of now, I own three.
  •  Baby Balls - These are the first balls a lot of kids play with, and I got myself a set. They change colours depending on the batch, but they're all nice to squish or bounce off the wall.
  •  Whacky Tracks - Because those wooden snakes are evil. I'm shocked I didn't pick one of these up earlier. I store them by winding them up into a ring shape.
  •  Half Toys - I only have one right now, and it's the crocodile. Half-Toys whole gimmick is that they can split...in half. Then a skeleton pops out! Good fun, especially if you're of the more morbid variety. The bony bits slide into each-other with ease, and the outer layers of skin are magnetic.
  •  Halloween Chews - I got these in the post from Alex, and to say I love them is an understatement. Having anything from another country is exciting as is, but these? Oh, where do I start? Well, two of them look like little grim reapers. One's a sheet ghost wearing a jack-o-lantern, and the other one is a more typical grim reaper. Besides those two, I got this bangle thingy with these chewy "charms" on them. One's a skull and crossbones, the other's a little bat. The bangle's more lightweight, and I like to wiggle the "charms" about. Preferences aside, all three of these lovely chews are lined with knobbly bits!

  Ten Tips for Stimming

  1. Ask yourself what things you like. What colours do you like? What textures do you like? Do you like louder stims or quieter stims? Don't worry if you don't know, I didn't realise how much I liked things with knobs until I tried them. There's stuff you won't be too fussed with, but it's good to explore the nuances of your sensory experiences.
  2. Ask yourself what things you don't like. What sensory things don't you like? I've gotten a lot out of asking myself this question, even more than the first one. It took me a bit to figure out my favourite textures, but my least favourite ones? I knew those right away. For example, I don't like the smell of those squishy "mochi" toys, or how it lingers on my hands after I'm done squishing them. Many squishy stims have the same issue, even the ever-popular Nee-Dohs. As a result, I don't buy squishy or gelatinous stim toys. I also don't buy anything metal, as I find it too hard. Anything with liquid is often too soft, or worse, liable to pop and go everywhere.
  3. Find a good, reliable store. This is about as common sense as can be, but it's good to get stuff from a consistent source. I recommend sensory toy stores the most. Most countries should have a few around and they're explicitly for autistic people. There's also the added bonus of getting other sensory things from them too. You might as well pick up some weighted blankets or ear-protection while you're at it.
  4. Watch out for bootlegs. They're fragile, not fun to use and generally a disappointment. Some bootlegs can defy this expectation, but they're few and far between. Bootleg tangles can range from "bad" to actually quite pleasant. Meanwhile, bootleg fidget cubes are spawns of the devil and not to be trusted. The buttons don't click. The plastic is too light. You notice the buttons are also soft, but in a disgusting clammy sort of way. Oh, and those gears? Well, they'd rather move when we're in the next geographical epoch. Trust me, you deserve better.
  5. Have storage at the ready. Besides looking nice and staying organised, you don't want to lose your cool finds. Plus, you can decorate your containers any way you see fit. I like to put stickers on mine, usually glittery or holographic ones. Any chewable stims should go in their own storage container for the sake of hygiene.
  6. Trade with some friends. If you've got a group of likeminded friends and sending things in the post is an option, try it! It's a wholesome activity and you'll dodge those eye-watering delivery times.
  7. It doesn't have to be a stim to be a stim. Granted some things are better to stim with than others, but this is worth messing with. Figure out what textures you like and work from there. I see many autistic people repurposing things, from silicone brushes to wooden toys.
  8. How public or private you are is up to you. You don't have to be open about your stims, and especially if you're in judgemental company. Do what feels best for you, but if you want to have stims out in public, keep them on the quieter end. Anything that doesn't make a noise is fair game, but I've seen the best results with tangles.
  9. Redirect, redirect, redirect. It's surprising to see what a stim can do for you when you're stressed. It's almost a kind of rush to channel so much of yourself into such a tiny thing. Even if it's not a big release, it's still important to have something in your hands when you're feeling bad. Emotional catharsis aside, I've even seen it help with physical pain. When my friend Alex gets a tattoo, they bring a chew necklace with them to help them sit better.
  10. Have fun. Enjoy yourself, you don't collect stims so you can not have fun with them. The golden rule is this: if you're having fun and nobody's getting hurt, nobody can really say anything about it. Even if they do, you don't need to entertain them. They can go say their thing and judge you in their little corner, and you can go have fun and stim in your little corner. When done with care, Stimming is a fun, rewarding thing. You're burning off energy and addressing your own senses on your own terms. In a world that will always be out of control, it's important to prioritise what you can control. If that means you have to stim, stim and feel more in control of things.

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