I have a minor problem.

[conuly]

Minor is a key word here, but it's starting to bother me. Most of the time, I am chewing on something. My fingers, or my cheeks, or my tongue, or junk food. I must've spent a fortune on junk food in the last year. It helps me to think, and stay calm in stressful situations and all that. Anyway, anyway, a while ago Ana, being all cute, handed me one of her teething toys, so I nibbled for a second, because she was trying to "feed" me (she's a cute kid, but a bit strange... are most one-year-olds that strange?) and ended up thinking "hm... that's not so bad" which immediately crystallized my ongoing vague thoughts into a firm "Something. Needs. To Be. Done."

So, I've done some research and some thought and came up with these options:

1. Get something to chew on.
Pros: Simple
Cons: Buying sight unseen

2. Steal one of Ana's teethers
Pros: Cheaper, even if I buy it
Cons: C'mon, it looks stupid. Really. And robbing my niece? LOW.

3. Do nothing, keep things the way they are right now
Pros: Saves money in the short run, in the long run if I cut out the junk food
Cons: I'm tired of waking up with a sore mouth? It looks silly in class when my fingers have tooth marks all over them?

4. Stop chewing on things.
Pros: Definitely the cheapest solution
Cons: I don't want to do this. Somehow, I don't see it happening easily, and, frankly, on the list of self-improvement things, this doesn't rate very highly. It's not as though I'm biting other people or sucking their blood....


[Poll #288730]

Thanks for reading and/or helping. This will possibly be posted over in asperger, so we'll see what they have to say too. Definitely it seems like an autistic thing.

Comments

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to second the no tongue piercing for you thing - not that you'd get one anyway, but hey.

Hmm. See, I also have this problem. Snackfood was always good until I realized how BAD it was. I've resorted to chewing the skin on the sides of my thumbs and fingers... There was this one boy in my sixth/fifth grade class who, in retrospect I realize, probably had some form of HFA. He I think ended up getting special leave to chew gum in class (which was a big deal at the time) and he had this pencil/pen/whatever with a small tubular attachment. It was sort of like a chew toy for adults/teens/non-babies. I'll try to see what info I can get on it, if you're interested.

Arrg oral obsessions. *shakes fist at cigarettes*

[conuly]

Yeah, well, smoking isn't better than snacking. If you can get any info, I'm happy, but I *think* I know what I'm getting, exactly.