Can't find healthy replacement stims (eating + skin picking)

Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors and Interests

I have been diagnosed about a year before. Since then I recognised, the skin picking (skin around my nails) and biting the insides of my mouth are regulatory stims for me, as well as eating certain kinds of food, especially a lot of chocolate.

I found a lot advices online how to find healthy replacement stims, but I simply cannot replace them. I need to, because I hurt myself and I need to eat less sugar regarding blood sugar issues I already had in the past.

It is like I cannot trick my brain out of the cravings. When I crave the feeling of picking my skin or eating chocolate, I won't accept any replacement and it doesn't matter how similar it is to the original stim (like skin picking fidget toys).

It's often that I end up just holding the fidget toy in my hands while skin picking!

Also I simply don't find a replacement for the molten chocolate feeling plus taste in my mouth.

Is here anyone who can relate and maybe could give some advice?

Posted Feb 26, 2026, 1:54 PM UTC

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