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Mind your fucking business (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/adhd@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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[–] 24 points 4 months ago (7 children)

I'm a pacer. If I cannot pace, I hurt myself discreetly. Digging my nails or my mechanical pencil into my skin (under the desk) tends to work. Not too much, just enough to create a sharp sensation to keep me focused.

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  • [–] 10 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    Wild. I'm a pacer when I need to think, and a leg jiggler, but this is really interesting to me. That sharp sensation lets you focus on something other than the sensation?

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  • [–] 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Yes. It kind of replaces the need to fidget or rock. Pacing truly increases my focus and effectiveness (read superpowers engage). Pain is just a coping mechanism to make sure my performance doesn't degrade right into fully disconnected from the moment.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 child)

    This makes me wonder if anyone else kind of bites on their fingers near the edge of their nail - not the tip of it, but the side perpendicular to it.

    I say "kind of bites" because sometimes it's like a nip, sometimes I just press it against my teeth. Something about the sensation really hits the spot for me and I have no idea how long it's been a habit. It feels as satisfying as scratching an itch.

    This might be more of my autistic sensory experience leaking into the ADHD forum, though.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    I'm not a pacer but a leg bouncer who did something similar. When I was young I figured out how to give myself foot cramps so I didn't have to get yelled at for the bouncing. Still do it periodically just for the sensation.

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