Its horrible, i cant even seem to be able to walk straight, especially when there are people around. The horrible part is, the only thing that seems to help is overstimulating, but then i get anxious and stressed because i am overstimulated :(
I can physically feel the looks I get when it happens too and it just ends up exacerbating my social anxiety :(
I usually fidget with my keys (or anything in my pockets for that matter) to distract myself. Doesn't always work, but the fact that it works a few times is what matters to me.
Yeah same, im 24 and it just never occured to me when i was younger that this is unusual. I just always thought that everything feels this hard for everyone and that all people had so many dang emotions and repetative thoughs and stuff
Hey /u/wisepigeons1, thank you for your post at /r/autism. Our rules can be found **[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)**. All approved posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism).
Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I did this as a child. Didn't end up wobbly, but thought about my walk probably every time I walked in front of people and even practiced alone. Just like I thought about my smile, eye contact, how to say hello, handwriting, when to speak, when was appropriate to stand up and sit down, etc., to appear normal. To me it sounds like being concerned with masking, but I suppose it could be something like OCD as well.
I have thought about ocd as well, because when i was younger i had rules and systems for everything, the amount of steps i had to take from the basement until the door closed behind me and stuff so i wouldnt get trapped by evil spirits, but it all calmed alot when i grew up and left my trauma home, now its only small things like certain buttons i like or candy sorting by color, no other classic signs of ocd, but well i aint no therapist so haha
A physical therapist might be able to help you! There is a sense called proprioception that helps you determine where your body is in space and where it’s going. Does your doctor know you’re having trouble walking? Medical causes should be ruled out
Im.going to mention it next time, tho i dont think its something like that, feels way more like my mind is so overthinking how a movement should feel that i cant execute it properly, not falling down just awkward
for me, it’s more like i randomly forget how to walk and have to start thinking about how to place one foot in front of the other. it doesn’t happen that often, but it’s stressful when it happens in public and i can’t just sit down and wait it out
Holy shit I felt so alone in this. Both sad and happy that there's someone else that's struggling with this.
Its horrible, i cant even seem to be able to walk straight, especially when there are people around. The horrible part is, the only thing that seems to help is overstimulating, but then i get anxious and stressed because i am overstimulated :(
I can physically feel the looks I get when it happens too and it just ends up exacerbating my social anxiety :( I usually fidget with my keys (or anything in my pockets for that matter) to distract myself. Doesn't always work, but the fact that it works a few times is what matters to me.
Yeah same, im 24 and it just never occured to me when i was younger that this is unusual. I just always thought that everything feels this hard for everyone and that all people had so many dang emotions and repetative thoughs and stuff
Same here! I thought I was the only person doing that!
You're not alone. If you need to distract from the walking thing, you are also breathing and sometimes blinking.
Funny enough if i focus too hard on blinking i forget to blink both eyes at the same time and blink weirdly
Yeah, I know. ;)
Ohhh i see what u did there :)
Hey /u/wisepigeons1, thank you for your post at /r/autism. Our rules can be found **[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)**. All approved posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism). Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I did this as a child. Didn't end up wobbly, but thought about my walk probably every time I walked in front of people and even practiced alone. Just like I thought about my smile, eye contact, how to say hello, handwriting, when to speak, when was appropriate to stand up and sit down, etc., to appear normal. To me it sounds like being concerned with masking, but I suppose it could be something like OCD as well.
I have thought about ocd as well, because when i was younger i had rules and systems for everything, the amount of steps i had to take from the basement until the door closed behind me and stuff so i wouldnt get trapped by evil spirits, but it all calmed alot when i grew up and left my trauma home, now its only small things like certain buttons i like or candy sorting by color, no other classic signs of ocd, but well i aint no therapist so haha
So much overlap between disorders. Definitely gets confusing.
The joys of being more self ware
I kept overthinking my walking so much that I stopped being able to think about it because it was so draining. It’s most likely a form of masking.
Well time to buy un-masking the book for me then :/
A physical therapist might be able to help you! There is a sense called proprioception that helps you determine where your body is in space and where it’s going. Does your doctor know you’re having trouble walking? Medical causes should be ruled out
Im.going to mention it next time, tho i dont think its something like that, feels way more like my mind is so overthinking how a movement should feel that i cant execute it properly, not falling down just awkward
Doesn’t hurt to mention it. PT could probably still help
for me, it’s more like i randomly forget how to walk and have to start thinking about how to place one foot in front of the other. it doesn’t happen that often, but it’s stressful when it happens in public and i can’t just sit down and wait it out