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Elliethecat

Updated 10mo ago

Unmasking and Stimming: Dealing with Social Pressure

I've been trying to unmask more and more. When I stim I can feel/see people staring at me and giving me weird looks. My friends ask what I'm doing and just assume I'm trying to be funny. What should I do?

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stephie1994

2y

Just be yourself. There isn't anything wrong with that and if others say otherwise it's just because they wish they could be as free to do as they feel
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Elliethecat

2y

thank you <3
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Emmy8

2y

Explain yourself if you want to but you don’t have to. It’s not your job to educate anyone. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. I find that I’m much happier now that I allow myself to stim more.
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Elliethecat

2y

thanks so much :)
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Magpi

2y

I just say it makes me happy, or I think it feels nice. I don't really worry about people I don't know. If I don't have to talk to them what they think about me isn't really going to impact me at all.
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yolanda69

2y

i think that you should just be yourself. theres nothing wrong with being yourself. it doesnt matter if they think differently, at the end of the day you are YOU and shouldn't have to hide it
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nev3

2y

you shouldn't hide who you are at all but sometimes what helps me is a more secretive stim with my hands or my feet that might make me look "normal" and i use quotations bc sometimes normal ppl are rlly boring and mean
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minime273

2y

I'm trying to become okay with stimming more because I suppress my stims a lot, so I kinda relate. It's tricky, though, because while my friends are ND, people in the stores look at me weird if I start flapping my hands and stuff. I'm trying to learn to ignore it and do it anyway, since it's not like they're paying for my meds and therapy.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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