stim listening = listening repetitively to a single song, album, or playlist
I often start, or while writing the bulk of, a composition will do what I call stim-listening. Or, listen repetitively to a single song. It helps get me started or gives me the dopamine(?) that seems to maintain my focus.
I often start, or while writing the bulk of, a composition will do what I call stim-listening. – Jim Irion – Medium
In the Stimpunks community, we have a lot of playlists spread across various accounts and platforms. We’ve started syncing them to our Youtube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/@stimpunks/playlists
We have playlists for all kinds of moods.
We listen alone.
We listen together.
Listening together facilitates co-regulation, body doubling, and parallel play.
We pick a song, an album, a playlist, and play it over and over and over.
We need our auditory samefoods.
Jim Irion calls this “stim listening”.
I’m low-energy. Low-energy means it takes stim-listening (My Most Underrated Coping Skill) on most days just to writer or tweet.
Telling me where it is is good direction-giving. | by Jim Irion | Jul, 2024 | Medium
Sometimes I engage in #StimListening when I’m in a solemn mood trying to avoid feeling #depressed. They’re usually songs that don’t necessarily make me feel too saddened, but are still reflective of my darker mood.
Sometimes it works and I avoid the #depression . Sometimes it doesn’t…
IAmIronMan on X
The autistic urge to play a song on repeat for a few weeks/months, then one day stop listening to it for months/years, then sometime in the future start playing it on repeat once again.
Callum Stephen (He/Him) on X
What happens when you take autistic creativity and mindfulness to the next level? Find out how you can harness the power of repetition even in the most stressful situations.
“My Most Underrated Coping Skill”
IAmIronMan on X
Stimming acts as the mixing process that stirs all of these ingredients together. The cake represents this soon-to-be-finished article. By repeatedly listening to a fragment of a film trailer, I have been able to transform various sources of inspiration into motivational energy. With this energy, in spite of a life now filled largely with despair, I am making something out of nothing. Some might say I am using my tragedy as a source of energy.
The phrase “What does not kill me makes me stronger” comes to mind. My autism was neglected so late into adulthood that, at age 42, my potential for a prosperous future was all but ruined. Nothing can repair the damage to my life, not to mention the psychological trauma. By embracing natural autistic stimming, I used what would otherwise be shunned as strange to make myself stronger. I am going to need it…
My Most Underrated Coping Skill. “You always had a hard time finding… | by Jim Irion | The Unexpected Autistic Life | Jun, 2024 | Medium
Community Listening
Here are some favorite songs for stim listening in our community.
Kine by Abney Park
Sometimes you have to face your worst pain…
… and fight fire with fire.
“The Trauma of Silent Tears” is one of those moments. Writing it has been made possible by #StimListening to Abney Park’s Kine:
