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Next: Pressure

Previous: Games and SPD

This is actually part of the "seven senses" I want to cover, though it also covers a stim.

As a preface, there are seven senses which every human has. Many already know five of them (sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell), but there are two additional senses:

Proprioception - Also known as "body awareness", it's the sense that tells us where our body parts are relative to one another. This commonly tells us how much pressure we're exerting on an object (feedback from the muscles and nerves), and even timing (such as when to move a part of the body and to where).

Vestibular - This sense tells us where our body is in time and space, and what position it's in. Coordination and even body language falls into this category.

Rocking can fall under both categories (I actually had to look this up from three different sites to try and determine which one it fell into), but I believe it's in the Vestibular sense. Besides it being a calming motion to perform, it also tells us that we're moving back and forth through our current occupied area.

If I get anxious or over/understimulated and start rocking, it at least lets me know that my body (typically my upper body) is moving back and forth (or side to side), while I'm seated on whatever is under me. In other words, it helps to ground me from the "floaty" feeling associated and commonly experienced with anxiety and panic.
I'm not floating in some waterway of anxiety, I'm seated (in a chair, on the floor, etc) which is underneath me and connected to the Earth, while my body is moving by my own power back and forth (I also find side to side to be relaxing).

This is why it's calming. People probably aren't even aware that rocking does that much, or why it's a calming action. Honestly, it's grounding us to reality. While I might get a little unfocused while I do this, that's because my mind is processing where my body is (seated on a surface, and moving to and fro). If I "space out" while I rock back and forth, it's because my mind is focused on the vestibular sense.

Granted, I try not to rock when out in public since it's not an "accepted" behavior (especially for someone who is considered "high functioning"), but sometimes I'll do it. Even when standing, I'll sometimes rock from the balls of my feet to my heels, or sway side to side a bit. Most people just think I fidget a lot; it's actually me doing this calming rocking movement.

As for stimming, stimming is a way of calming down as well by getting feedback from one (or more) of the senses. "Rocking" covers the vestibular and touch senses. Some people hum or make noises while they do it (if I'm really stressed, I might crack my fingers), which also covers the sense of hearing.
Overall, it just lets us know where we are, and that we're still "here" instead of in a state of high anxiety.

Chairs which rock also provide a good sense of rocking behavior because it covers the entire body (same with the swings). Usually, when rocking on a stationary chair or on the floor, only the upper body moves. On swings (or a chair designed to rock), the entire body is in movement and that makes it even more relaxing and easier to find oneself in time-space.

This was difficult to draw in a three-panel format, so I had Kairy on a swingset because I found that swings give me the same feeling. Though the wood or plastic seat under me moves with my body, I'm still seated on it; my sense of touch knows that I'm there, and the seat is connected via a chain or rope to the framework, which is connected to the Earth.

During recess in elementary school, I could almost always be found on the swings.
Sure, sometimes I played soccer or dodgeball with the boys...but most of the time, I was on the swings.
Almost always, it was the swings.

If you like this artwork and wish to help support me in doing them, please take a look at my patreon page at www.patreon.com/mdchan

AuTalkz has a Facebook page @AuTalkz, here: www.facebook.com/AuTalkz/

Description
Next: Pressure

Previous: Games and SPD

This is actually part of the "seven senses" I want to cover, though it also covers a stim.

As a preface, there are seven senses which every human has. Many already know five of them (sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell), but there are two additional senses:

Proprioception - Also known as "body awareness", it's the sense that tells us where our body parts are relative to one another. This commonly tells us how much pressure we're exerting on an object (feedback from the muscles and nerves), and even timing (such as when to move a part of the body and to where).

Vestibular - This sense tells us where our body is in time and space, and what position it's in. Coordination and even body language falls into this category.

Rocking can fall under both categories (I actually had to look this up from three different sites to try and determine which one it fell into), but I believe it's in the Vestibular sense. Besides it being a calming motion to perform, it also tells us that we're moving back and forth through our current occupied area.

If I get anxious or over/understimulated and start rocking, it at least lets me know that my body (typically my upper body) is moving back and forth (or side to side), while I'm seated on whatever is under me. In other words, it helps to ground me from the "floaty" feeling associated and commonly experienced with anxiety and panic.
I'm not floating in some waterway of anxiety, I'm seated (in a chair, on the floor, etc) which is underneath me and connected to the Earth, while my body is moving by my own power back and forth (I also find side to side to be relaxing).

This is why it's calming. People probably aren't even aware that rocking does that much, or why it's a calming action. Honestly, it's grounding us to reality. While I might get a little unfocused while I do this, that's because my mind is processing where my body is (seated on a surface, and moving to and fro). If I "space out" while I rock back and forth, it's because my mind is focused on the vestibular sense.

Granted, I try not to rock when out in public since it's not an "accepted" behavior (especially for someone who is considered "high functioning"), but sometimes I'll do it. Even when standing, I'll sometimes rock from the balls of my feet to my heels, or sway side to side a bit. Most people just think I fidget a lot; it's actually me doing this calming rocking movement.

As for stimming, stimming is a way of calming down as well by getting feedback from one (or more) of the senses. "Rocking" covers the vestibular and touch senses. Some people hum or make noises while they do it (if I'm really stressed, I might crack my fingers), which also covers the sense of hearing.
Overall, it just lets us know where we are, and that we're still "here" instead of in a state of high anxiety.

Chairs which rock also provide a good sense of rocking behavior because it covers the entire body (same with the swings). Usually, when rocking on a stationary chair or on the floor, only the upper body moves. On swings (or a chair designed to rock), the entire body is in movement and that makes it even more relaxing and easier to find oneself in time-space.

This was difficult to draw in a three-panel format, so I had Kairy on a swingset because I found that swings give me the same feeling. Though the wood or plastic seat under me moves with my body, I'm still seated on it; my sense of touch knows that I'm there, and the seat is connected via a chain or rope to the framework, which is connected to the Earth.

During recess in elementary school, I could almost always be found on the swings.
Sure, sometimes I played soccer or dodgeball with the boys...but most of the time, I was on the swings.
Almost always, it was the swings.

If you like this artwork and wish to help support me in doing them, please take a look at my patreon page at www.patreon.com/mdchan

AuTalkz has a Facebook page @AuTalkz, here: www.facebook.com/AuTalkz/