Compulsive Action

[dream_away]

From what I've read, I know that performing a compulsive action is common during daydreams. Some include pacing, tapping, or rocking back and forth. For whatever reason, mine is jumping. I'm 14, and live with my 5 other family members, and they always took it as a sign of OCD and left it at that. Because I don't necessarily want to end my daydreaming completely (I find it enjoyable, a sign of creativity, and it makes me who I am), I want to convert my jumping to pacing, or something less... awkward in normal situations. I plan on living with my friends one day, and if I'm still daydreaming, I don't want to jump around all the time. And does anyone else have an unusual, or what I consider to be embarrassing, action like jumping?

[Adelaide Weiss]

I tend to mimic the facial expressions of whatever the characters in my head are doing, sometimes to the extent of crying because they are. I also tend to mimic their arm movements, especially if they're dancing. The most frustrating thing I do is have these weird spasms. I'll be sitting around daydreaming when out of nowhere I'll just flail around for a second idk how to describe it. Even worse is it's almost always accompanied by a small shriek, a fit of hysteric laughter, or rapidly repeating something. I can control the arm movement for the most part, but I have no idea how to even begin controlling my expressions or those stupid spasms.

[Partridge R.]

I really rarely do any compulsive actions, but if I'm online and want to daydream I always end up playing 2048, which gives my hands something to do, so I guess that counts? And I sometimes pull facial expressions (like when one of my characters make me laugh) but I'm getting better at hiding that. Other than that I really don't do anything

[The1andonlyAbber]

Partridge R. said:

I really rarely do any compulsive actions, but if I'm online and want to daydream I always end up playing 2048, which gives my hands something to do, so I guess that counts? And I sometimes pull facial expressions (like when one of my characters make me laugh) but I'm getting better at hiding that. Other than that I really don't do anything

Sometimes I play 2048 when daydreaming as well.

[Natalie]

I don't always move around when daydreaming. In fact I don't typically have any compulsive action except for facial expressions and sometimes randomly saying things my characters say. However, occasionally I pace while seemingly jump-roping, which is quite similar to what you do. It doesn't look any more normal than jumping, but you might be able to do something like it as a transition point to convert your jumping into pacing.  

[Kay M]

I pace up and down, and I also move in my chair (or swing it side to side, its one of those spinny chairs), usually when listening to music-I do it alone mostly as I silently move as if I was on stage singing. When I do I imagine my characters are singing-sometimes they are standing up and performing it in front of my other characters, sometimes they are acting out a music video, sometimes it is scenes from my daydream that relate to the song (like scenes from a party or a montage of relationship moments between my main character and her wife) set to music that makes a sort of music video. Whenever the characters sing, a lot of the time the song relates to their life, like if someone was broken up with, they would the one singing the sad song about someone who broke up with their partner, or if they are happy they will be singing a more happy song, or might sing a love song with their partner.

 

I also love to daydream while walking around outside, I often choose to walk instead of take the bus unless something is really far away as its time I can spend daydreaming.

[Tinkerbell]

I stopped myself from pacing and walking while daydreaming. Which has resulted in me being vocal when I day dream. I do facial expressions. I might "snort" or "hum" while I day dream. Humming is more common now as I day dream. I have got rid of talking while day dreaming.

[dream_away]

Tinkerbell said:

I stopped myself from pacing and walking while daydreaming. Which has resulted in me being vocal when I day dream. I do facial expressions. I might "snort" or "hum" while I day dream. Humming is more common now as I day dream. I have got rid of talking while day dreaming.

how did you stop yourself from pacing?

[Machelle Irby]

I've found that i don't do repetitive movements, but i sure do move!  I still say when I'm doing my movement that i am pacing, but i realized i don't pace. In fact, i will do this when sitting completely still. What am i doing? I am acting out my dreams! Whenever i daydream, i have to act it out in the real world. Whether it be running, jumping, sitting, dancing, or waving my arms in the air like a moron, I'll be doing it in the dream and in my living room. The only reason it is considered pacing is that i act out where my dream is in the living room. I must turn and walk back even if i am running a mile in my dream. If i could, I'd love to just go out in the middle of no where with internet and my headphones, all alone, and act out my dreams for hours. The only thing to stop me would be either my battery dying or me collapsing from exhaustion. I normally pace on flat ground, so hills still throw off my endurance gained from pacing for miles on flat ground. I actually find myself gasping for air after a hill. I am 15. Believe it or not, this wasn't always there. I had leg surgery and had just gotton out of the hospital and was still in a wheel chair. Unable to even sit up by myself, i could only get any form of entertainment from my kindle. I had some dinky earbuds i would listen to music on. Some songs were so good that i began singing to them (silently) in real life when i sing them in my dream. I began to try and explain why i was singing, and placed it into the reality . my favorite song at this time was "ET". Once i could move on my own, I'd take my mother's laptop and wheel myself into the kitchen. I'd sit on the floor, carefully adjusting my immovable legs to ease the pain and would sing along with the song i, once again, excused my singing with another dream, my favorite was phantom of the opera theme. Soon, i was on a walker. I'd imagine singing on a stage. My favorite songs at this time were: grenade and airplanes. Soon, i just integrated it into my dreams. 

I doubt that helped, as my compulsive action isn't exactly repetitive, but it is something that i do without thinking of it. I have to remind myself not to do this infront of others. If you wish to further your daydream development, this makes the dreams a thousand times more real.

[Machelle Irby]

Rose said:

I'm about to blow everyone out of the water with my weirdness.

I have to actually act out my characters, which is worse, like I'm in a play or something. When my best friend in my dd is lecturing me, I'll do the facial expressions of him and say his words, but stand how my alter ego is standing. So I do the physical actions of my alter ego but the facial expressions and voice of whoever is talking. Everyone has a different voice. I think it's similar to hypnotism, actually. Because there are very limited places for me to do this, I can only 'act' parts of the story. Other parts, like if a story has us going on a holiday, I'll just act out us sitting around my house talking about the holiday. 

At night in bed I can shut my eyes and it's almost like hypnotism...I just have to move my hands and facial expressions and can act out almost anything. BUT I only do this to act the memories of my alter ego, e.g. when he was 15 and got his first job or something. This is always very emotional so I am very careful how much i do this type or I get addicted and never get any sleep.

Anyhow, compulsive actions, or self stimulation, are common in people with Autism like me. You learn to hide them. I do them when I'm not dreaming!

Hey! We are two of a kind! I feel normal now. =P

[dream_away]

Hi everyone! I do seem to jump less if I'm acting out the daydreams. However, because I only daydream to music (except before bed, I can daydream freely then) I tend to either have to start acting out dance moves to the song or listening to one song or one specific part of a song on repeat. If I wanted to act out or dream dialogue, I would typically listen to a song without many words, or I'd just ignore the lyrics and dream of the dialogue. I still want to stop jumping, and hopefully I will when we move to a new house because my "special spot" in the living room will be gone. I hope that I'll be able to stop doing any actions like pacing or jumping, and maybe run on a treadmill or just be able to sit still when daydreaming!