STIM | Praise Podcast - Christian Podcasting Network

Listen now | You may have heard of STEM, possibly even STEAM. But what about STIM? Tune in for more.

#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #stress #faith #prayer #bible #motivation #motivational #inspiration #inspirational #Bible #Christian #Christianity #ASD #autism #stimming #neurodivergence

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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 You may have heard of STEM, possibly even STEAM.

00:00:06 --> 00:00:07 But what about STIM?

00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 Tune in for more.

00:00:13 --> 00:00:13 Hello,

00:00:15 --> 00:00:16 and welcome to MOMO 634,

00:00:16 --> 00:00:22 the daily podcast chock full of faith-filled inspiration and motivation.

00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 Please like, share, and subscribe.

00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 Momo 634 motivational moments just for today.

00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 This episode has been a long time in the making,

00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 but was fast tracked this week due to a couple of things that happened.

00:00:56 --> 00:01:00 I saw a couple of interviews this week with someone who has acknowledged that

00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 heis

00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 on the autism spectrum,

00:01:04 --> 00:01:08 and some footage of someone others suspect may also be on the spectrum.

00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 In these video clips,

00:01:12 --> 00:01:17 there are moments with facial expressions or tics that may have seemed

00:01:17 --> 00:01:18 exaggerated

00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 to the neurotypical,

00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 given the remarks I've seen and heard.

00:01:23 --> 00:01:29 I'vedraggedmyfeetaboutthistopicbecauseit'syetanotheroneofthose

00:01:29 --> 00:01:35 episodes where I share some of the aspects of neurodivergence that make me

00:01:35 --> 00:01:35 feel

00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 particularly stickoutable and different.

00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 In the intro,

00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 I mentioned STEM,

00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 the term used for science,

00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 technology,

00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 engineering,

00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 and math.

00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 STEAM adds an A for art.

00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 STIM is short for stimming,

00:01:55 --> 00:02:01 a self-soothing behavior exhibited by some neurodivergence.

00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 Almost universally,

00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 tics are not controllable,

00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 such as you may see with Tourette's syndrome,

00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 a kissing cousin to OCD.

00:02:12 --> 00:02:12 However,

00:02:12 --> 00:02:13 stimming,

00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 while not always done consciously,

00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 supposedly can be controlled.

00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 You might see a person on the autism spectrum who flaps their hands or rocks

00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 back and forth.

00:02:27 --> 00:02:32 Those are pretty common self-soothing behaviors often seen when an

00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 individual is overstimulated.

00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 During the pandemic,

00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 when I had COVID,

00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 it seemed like the OCD was on fire in my brain.

00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 I had thought loops.

00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 little four or five second clips playing continuously in my head.

00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 That and racing thoughts.

00:02:56 --> 00:03:02 ThattimewastheoriginofabehaviorthatIneverreallygavemuchconscious

00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 thought until the last year or so.

00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 But I started humming.

00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 Not like to the tune of a song,

00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 just this sort of under-the-breath kind of thing.

00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 And as I began noticing it,

00:03:17 --> 00:03:22 I began noticing it was a response to stress or anxiety.

00:03:23 --> 00:03:27 I've mentioned that I can barely sleep on Saturday nights because of the

00:03:28 --> 00:03:33 overwhelming social anxiety the thought of being at worship services

00:03:33 --> 00:03:33 presents for me.

00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 ThenwhenIrecognizedthecompulsivespeechImentionedintheepisodeNew

00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 Self-Discovery for being what it was,

00:03:44 --> 00:03:48 I finally started taking some mental notes and tracking things.

00:03:49 --> 00:03:54 It wasn't until my husband mentioned it that I noticed how pronounced it was

00:03:55 --> 00:03:55 asI'm

00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 getting ready on Sunday mornings.

00:03:59 --> 00:04:04 I'm talking about this now because of these interviews I mentioned that I saw

00:04:04 --> 00:04:04 this

00:04:04 --> 00:04:09 week and a conversation with some neurodivergent girlfriends where we were

00:04:09 --> 00:04:09 talking

00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 about speech patterns and things we were noticing about ourselves that

00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 causedus

00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 some pause.

00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 I had already been contemplating another episode on the hurtful

00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 misconceptions

00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 about neurodivergence,

00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 and I still plan on one soon.

00:04:27 --> 00:04:34 I also wanted to acknowledge the hard work many of us do on the daily in masking

00:04:35 --> 00:04:35 or

00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 tamping down some of these behaviors.

00:04:38 --> 00:04:42 So it was time for this topic to come out of the shadows.

00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

00:04:49 --> 00:04:53 Yes, we are born into a world that has illness and pain.

00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 Yet God knows this,

00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 and he meets us where we are,

00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 helping us to strive forward.

00:05:02 --> 00:05:06 My favorite verse in 2 Corinthians 12.9 says,

00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 in part,

00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 My grace is sufficient for you.

00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 My power is perfected in weakness.

00:05:16 --> 00:05:22 Our meme for today says, we are each unique flowers in God's garden.

00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 Y-O-U-N-I-K.

00:05:28 --> 00:05:33 Thanks for listening to Momo 634, motivational moments just for today.

00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 Please subscribe,

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