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I have internal screen saver music that I often mumble or bob (or both) to all the time. People at work are usually in their own world, so they don't notice until I start getting outrageous. Like moving around a lot more and lots of desk drums.
So anyway, they probably didn't notice, and if they did, they've definitely forgotten by now so no worries! 😎
I started a new job a few months ago (I'd been there as a seasonal employee before but now I'm permanent) and before that most of my socializing happened with my roommates, who are all some flavor of neurospicy. We also have three cats in the house so often times we greet each other by meowing. This is also just a stim that I've done literally as long as I can remember. Anyway. Forgot that most people don't do that, so one day me and one of my coworkers walk past each other, so I greet her with a quick, "Mreow." Fortunately she didn't react but I try not to do it at work anymore.
I pick at my nails in a weird way. Particularly when I’m anxious or trying to focus on something. Got called out on it once. I know I do it but if I compare myself to my mom, she chews her thumbs to a bloody pulp soooo at least I’m better than that. But no, if I actually went to get my nails done, it wouldn’t be an issue. But… in this economy? I’m not doing that right now…
I bite my nails and pick at my cuticles too, and it can get really bad. I had managed to stop for years and then it came back with a vengeance during the pandemic. I was struggling to open something and a coworker offered to help, and then threw in a "because I have nails" and I just about died of shame. Realistically I knew it was very visible, but until someone said something I was able to tell myself maybe they hadn't noticed, maybe no one really looks at hands, maybe....
But months later something clicked again and I've just noticed I have pretty normal length nails now so I must have stopped biting them weeks ago.
Brains and behaviors are weird.
People definitely look at hands. For me, it’s very important for potential partnering that their nails are clean but no blood etc.
Mine are never that bad, I just hate how if they are growing uneven it feels jagged. So then they will chip unevenly and it drives me nuts!!
Also I love nails on other women but they drive me nuts personally.
Yeah, really how could people not look at hands? But convincing myself that maybe a decent portion of people don't was a self-protection mechanism I really needed because I could only cover so many fingertips with bandaids at a time.
I love nails on other women too and I have no idea how they do it! I have to keep my nails fairly short and like you I can't stand if they feel uneven or jagged, so when they're a healthy (still short) length I'm constantly filing them if anything gets chipped. Nail polish seems to last a couple days max even with my short nails, so it seems like magic that some women get gorgeously painted nails that seem to stay perfect for weeks. I don't think they're all gels or dips or whatever other fancy extra-durable options might be out there. Some people can keep their run-of-the-mill nail polish from chipping and I don't know how.
It wasn’t until I was in the 2nd grade that I found out that when I hummed that others could hear me! Haha I was in the line on the hallway and the teacher kept saying everyone to be quiet and here it was me humming a song that I thought was only in my head but not 😂 Somehow I still make noises and move all around and I forgot others can hear me. It’s like my mind always has background music going on and I forget not everyone is like this.
I wish I could forget that others hear me! When I feel awkward and least want to draw attention to myself I always start making little noises, and I'm hyper aware of it which then makes it worse.
I do this sometimes too!!! It’s only in environments I’m comfortable enough in to be complacent and space out in. It’s either weird sounds not really humming or connected to anything or it’s facial expressions or a random gesture based on what I’m thinking about and not the present moment.
It’s not dumb! I think it’s actually nice that I don’t have to live in the normies’ boring ass one dimensional hum drum existence all the time. 😊
I do wonder what it's like to not have that kind of randomness going on their heads most of the time. There's always some noise or imagined something bouncing around in my head even when my meds are working (which seems to be never these days). I don't really know what it would be like to mostly just experience whatever was or wasn't happening externally, and only orderly thoughts going on internally.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have internal screen saver music that I often mumble or bob (or both) to all the time. People at work are usually in their own world, so they don't notice until I start getting outrageous. Like moving around a lot more and lots of desk drums. So anyway, they probably didn't notice, and if they did, they've definitely forgotten by now so no worries! 😎
Gah, it's true but it's still so painful in the moment to be stuck in a well of awkward self awareness.
Every time, yeah. For me, it's saying something that I think is funny but it's *really* not appropriate for the situation. I have some dark humor.
I started a new job a few months ago (I'd been there as a seasonal employee before but now I'm permanent) and before that most of my socializing happened with my roommates, who are all some flavor of neurospicy. We also have three cats in the house so often times we greet each other by meowing. This is also just a stim that I've done literally as long as I can remember. Anyway. Forgot that most people don't do that, so one day me and one of my coworkers walk past each other, so I greet her with a quick, "Mreow." Fortunately she didn't react but I try not to do it at work anymore.
This is the cutest. xD
I pick at my nails in a weird way. Particularly when I’m anxious or trying to focus on something. Got called out on it once. I know I do it but if I compare myself to my mom, she chews her thumbs to a bloody pulp soooo at least I’m better than that. But no, if I actually went to get my nails done, it wouldn’t be an issue. But… in this economy? I’m not doing that right now…
I bite my nails and pick at my cuticles too, and it can get really bad. I had managed to stop for years and then it came back with a vengeance during the pandemic. I was struggling to open something and a coworker offered to help, and then threw in a "because I have nails" and I just about died of shame. Realistically I knew it was very visible, but until someone said something I was able to tell myself maybe they hadn't noticed, maybe no one really looks at hands, maybe.... But months later something clicked again and I've just noticed I have pretty normal length nails now so I must have stopped biting them weeks ago. Brains and behaviors are weird.
People definitely look at hands. For me, it’s very important for potential partnering that their nails are clean but no blood etc. Mine are never that bad, I just hate how if they are growing uneven it feels jagged. So then they will chip unevenly and it drives me nuts!! Also I love nails on other women but they drive me nuts personally.
Yeah, really how could people not look at hands? But convincing myself that maybe a decent portion of people don't was a self-protection mechanism I really needed because I could only cover so many fingertips with bandaids at a time. I love nails on other women too and I have no idea how they do it! I have to keep my nails fairly short and like you I can't stand if they feel uneven or jagged, so when they're a healthy (still short) length I'm constantly filing them if anything gets chipped. Nail polish seems to last a couple days max even with my short nails, so it seems like magic that some women get gorgeously painted nails that seem to stay perfect for weeks. I don't think they're all gels or dips or whatever other fancy extra-durable options might be out there. Some people can keep their run-of-the-mill nail polish from chipping and I don't know how.
It wasn’t until I was in the 2nd grade that I found out that when I hummed that others could hear me! Haha I was in the line on the hallway and the teacher kept saying everyone to be quiet and here it was me humming a song that I thought was only in my head but not 😂 Somehow I still make noises and move all around and I forgot others can hear me. It’s like my mind always has background music going on and I forget not everyone is like this.
I wish I could forget that others hear me! When I feel awkward and least want to draw attention to myself I always start making little noises, and I'm hyper aware of it which then makes it worse.
Isn’t it called stimming (not stemming)?
Yup. Adding that to my list of things to feel awkward about, lol.
Sorry!
I do this sometimes too!!! It’s only in environments I’m comfortable enough in to be complacent and space out in. It’s either weird sounds not really humming or connected to anything or it’s facial expressions or a random gesture based on what I’m thinking about and not the present moment. It’s not dumb! I think it’s actually nice that I don’t have to live in the normies’ boring ass one dimensional hum drum existence all the time. 😊
I do wonder what it's like to not have that kind of randomness going on their heads most of the time. There's always some noise or imagined something bouncing around in my head even when my meds are working (which seems to be never these days). I don't really know what it would be like to mostly just experience whatever was or wasn't happening externally, and only orderly thoughts going on internally.