This was a thought I had last night in the usual place and it was mainly concerning my own experience. So I wonder whether it applies to other people as well.

I fidget a lot. I fidget all my waking life (even when sat on the toilet given half the chance). I fidget whenever I am forced to stand or sit still for whatever reason.

If I find a few bits of Lego around the house, that Lego is mine for the next couple of hours to play with, hold, twist, turn, take apart, put back together again and drop on the floor and pick up again. If I’m in an audience, I need a pen to twist around, click, unclick, click, unclick, twist. If I’m watching TV, I need my phone or laptop to tap on, or a magazine to flick through. Just this week I found myself fiddling for two hours with a broken hook. Eventually I threw it away but by then I’d become quite attached to it and felt as if I knew its smooth edges, its rough edges where it was broken and its very pleasing shape very well.

Hours of fidgeting fun here

Hours of fidgeting fun here

I think I probably drive those people around me mad with my fidgeting. But I can’t sit still. And I wonder if this contributes to the fact that I don’t put on much weight generally over time. I’m about the same weight I was when I left school. Please don’t hate me though. But I think this lack of ability to put on lots of weight might be because I am constantly on the go during waking hours. I wonder if scientists have ever studied it? Google is my friend and look what I found!

I envy people who can just sit. I admire people who can dose in a chair while watching a film on a Sunday afternoon. I can’t do that (or at least I can’t without a laptop, a book, a pen or a piece of Lego in my hand or on my lap). Traffic jams are a particular issue with me because I can’t just whip my book out or start building something out of paperclips.

The fidgeter's dream

The fidgeter’s dream

My most favourite fidgeting items include: blue tack (hours of fun there), bubble wrap (I am well acquainted with bubble-wrap poppers finger ache), pens (even better with paper to doodle on), the edges of clothing (hems feel particularly pleasing) and lastly, hair. If the worst comes to the worst and I have no pens or Lego I have my hair.

One of my favourite fiddle items

One of my favourite fiddle items

It’s no wonder that by the end of the day I’m utterly exhausted.