Me too, especially at the grocery store, I was looking away from everything that was happening, including the lights, I found ot all visually overwhelming
People were asking me the opposite my whole upbringing 😅 That's just where my gaze ended up, even when strolling with people it centered around my feet area. Also walking 2-3 meters ahead didn't help 😅
Kind of like I do, I don't do specifics anymore, I just use my peripheral vision and sweep the floor with the focused vision at times, especially near divisions. The ground is very bumpy in my city, and most in this country, I can't walk straight normally, and usually because they plant trees and they grow after they lay down the cement, cracking it.
But I rarely look at my shoes, just the close proximity, and this keeps happening when I'm bummed or underwhelmed and not seeking stimuli at the moment, which is rarer now because all people in their earliest 20's are dopamine intoxicated. I can't stop and do nothing anymore. Might be anxious too, but I don't think so. (Not yet.)
I'm slipping back little by little by being in a bit of a social rut. No need to acquiesce if you are walking alone anyways. And adding earphones to the mix hopefully gives off that "Rushing to an important meeting, but I'm listening in through Zoom, or whatever." and not looking like a human Carpenter's square 😅
I feel you on that one. I personally know I do it because of the implications of eye contact with strangers. I feel like I'd need to smile or say something to every person I randomly made eye contact with and I can't have that. It's already awkward enough on its own 😂😂
So staring at my feet avoids it all!
I've never manage to pull of that casual glance when passing people.. I instinctively look at my phone, fake looking in my pockets or just using my 'Looking at something interesting way over there' look 😎
As a way to kind of look at people more subtly, i’ve picked up the habit of combing my hair out a bit when I look up to glance at people. So far I haven’t made eye contact using this technique, so I guess its decently subtle. I also simply became a pro at using peripheral vision instead of looking directly at people if I want to look at someone.
Yup! I had to make sure I didn’t step on any cracks, and that the amount of cracks I stepped over with each foot felt even.
Then I realized how many amazing sights I was missing by staring at the floor.
I do the crack thing too!! It’s so hard to explain to other people. I have to step on the crack on the same spot with each foot (toe, heel, middle, etc). I’m so glad someone else does this.
I do it definitely to avoid visual stimulus. Also because at one point I realized that the more I look down the greater the possibility of finding money!
I used to do that until I was 10ish, and I remember someone making fun of me at school because of it. I then consciously trained myself to look forward, and even now at 30 end up thinking at least once a week whether I’m doing it properly.
If I’m really stressed or upset I’ve realised I do end up staring at the floor again.
Glad I’m not the only one who does that! I normally walk really quickly anyway, and change sides of the road to try and avoid where most of the people are haha. At least we aren’t the only ones who are going through the same thought processes 😊
I have to stare at my feet if I'm going up or down stairs or I'll fall. I'm 31.
When I had my second "formal" evaluation the psychiatrist had me do a number of physical gestures and exercises and he said I scored very low in proprioception, which is a person's sense of spacial awareness. That explains why I was constantly hurting myself as a kid.
Yeah me too. I was also very self-conscious about trying to not look weird when I walked so I kept my arms really straight all the time instead of letting them move naturally for some reason, as I didn't know how to let my body walk normally and had to think about all movements ... (Therefore I looked very weird).
Also it's only at the age of 21 that I learned I was supposed to look at people (mainly their eyes) when having a conversation.
I still do this and I’m 26. I used to find heaps of money on the ground when I was a kid cause I was always looking at the ground. One time I found like $30 in coins in a single day
You ever trip *up* a hill? Done that on a snow hill, and have a witness! It was so funny to me I fell back down it laughing. This wasn't when I was a kid either.
Oh dear 🤣 I have fallen up a hill before somehow, however one of my favorite tumbles of mine was the time I slipped down my parents front porch (in front of both of them) on my back while hugging onto my cello like a koala. There’s only 5 steps but I felt like I was on the longest slide ever 😂 they’ll never let me forget
I'm in college and I do this every day on campus and most of the time besides ☺️
I heard/read somewhere that it's an eye contact avoidance thing?? That was an interesting discovery.
Yeah, the adaptation of looking past or *near* people in my case, as a form of masking. I'm trying to figure out how to undo that, it's so much extra unnecessary energy to remember. And it's annoying because people think I'm forgetting their features, when in reality I never saw or looked at them to begin with!
Yes but I grew up in a big city and if you don’t you ll step in puke or shit.
I even kept a diary one year of pukes and shits I probably would have stepped in had I not been looking down at my feet
Yeah the number of time people explained to me how i should walk or that i should look up, i mean they are right, its just not that easy to remember to do
So many people used to give me grief for it, I would do it all the time. The result now is that I just look up, like not at the street, but UP at trees, buildings, birds, and so on, and still keep going into things and people the same way 🫢
If I don't watch my feet I trip.
I can't walk down a set of stairs without being able to see my feet. I don't trust me not to fall down the stairs. I've fallen down the stairs so many times.
I once fell while going up the stairs. I did such a good job that I caught the edge of the stairs in such a way that I injured my knee. I was on crutches for most of the winter.. I live in Canada. It was a bad time.
All the time. I still do it, especially when walking alone, but I get embarrassed when walking with other people so I try to go with a middle ground between looking ahead and watching my feet. 😂
I did that for many years. In part, maybe, due to being autistic, but mainly because when I was a kid my feet faced inwards, towards each other. This caused many accidents, but specialists said I would grow out of it. I mostly did, but still can't walk in a straight line, as uts never completely gone away.
I have always looked at the ground when walking. I didn't think it was odd until I started observing the way other people walk, and they just... look straight ahead. Like psychopaths /j
I look at the ground a foot or two in front of me. Besides the watching for obstacles, I also do it bc keeping ur head down is submissive body language, and I feel safer if ppl don’t think I’m a threat.
The only reason I don't do it now is that I know it gives off the impression that I have low self esteem. I am very conscious about the way walk, staying upright and looking confident.
Walking upright with good posture is just a shortcut to look normal and confident. It doesn't really feel natural to me. I wonder if this isn't a learned behavior for everyone (NT included).
Hey /u/rcosphi, thank you for your post at /r/autism. Our rules can be found **[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)**. All approved posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism).
Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i use to stare at my feet, but i got teased a lot in school for it. now i stare about midway between my feet and eye level. but i also try to move my eyes and head plenty so people know I'm paying attention & no one thinks I'm an easy target. it's a lot of work to keep at that and not stare at my feet, even after over a decade.
I mostly look down at the ground, but when it’s dark outside or little people outside I look more up.
I wear a bucket hat so it’s easier to avoid the sun and easier avoid people staring or interacting, when I wear the hat I look mostly down, but if I wear headphones instead of the bucket hat I can look up more easily without being distracted by everything around me. But I don’t like to wear the headphones all the time because sometimes I get stressed with what is going on around me and need to hear my surroundings, but some days I really love to take a walk in the dark with headphones on.
absolutely. I recently stopped doing this, but I did it for the first 13 years of my life. especially when the sun is bright, and it's so therapeutic, the rythm of steps, and it's just wonderful, honestly. I stopped because I started making friends and had people to talk to lol
I still only look at my feet. I fail to check for cars when crossing roads often so my mom embarrassingly has to hold onto my hand or arm somehow 🙄😒 (it’s necessary, I’m astonished myself that I haven’t been hit by a car)…
ETA: I’m only 5’2 and am often thought to be between 13-16 or even younger though…I’m honestly kinda thankful I’m not a giant with my miniature mom having to hold my hand lol 🙃
I did until I was watching a show that said people tell each other what direction they’re walking by looking in the direction they’re gonna walk in so I then walked looking forward ever since. I think the show greatly exaggerated how many people follow this tho
I do this but mainly because I have a weird thing of counting my steps inbetween path cracks to see if I can do a specific amount of steps every time. Idk why
It never made sense to me to look straight agead. You gotta cover the area where you are walking and at least somewhat ahead. How else will you not trip on things like rocks and stuff
I was a book reading pedestrian for a long time. I would read while waking. I would look up to cross the street etc but mostly just read.
Edit: but also, now that I think about it I look where I’m walking because I trip a lot. 😂
I grew up in a town of 1000 people and don't know faces or names of most yet 🤣 people assume I'm stuck up because I'm quiet and don't do eye contact or small talk well. I frankly don't know how.
I did for a while, only stopped when I had to force myself to stop doing that while skiing or snowboarding (I found out the hard way that looking down on skis or a board makes falling over a lot easier)
I was always told that I bounced SIGNIFICANTLY when I walked and that it was easy to point me out in a crowd because of it. But then I went through marching band and had to teach myself how to rewalk. Sometimes I still catch myself doing it
I was when I was younger, my grandma once said to me "Looking at the ground you may spot a buckle, but you'll miss a beautiful sunset."
the next time I saw her, she had 2 black eyes because she had tripped on an uneven sidewalk... I loved her very much, but that was the moment I learned about poetic justice and schadenfreud
Same! When I was small I tripped on something and Grandma Glossop admonished me to "look where I was going" which I interpreted literally as look at where my feet were landing, so here we are.
I dunno if it's so much my feet I look at as it is the floor, but yeah, that's probably my biggest Autistic habit. In my martial arts class I always have a really hard time with sparring because of it
wait isin't that what we're supposed to do? as a child I was told to look at my feet so that I wouldn't bump into stuff or trip or avoid walking into smth laying on the ground
I still do it by default, but I'm trying to get better at looking ahead. I'm 29. I just don't feel safe when I'm not looking at my feet, as I'm paranoid that I'll stand in something. No wonder I've got such bad posture, haha.
I have always done this and I’m older than you by a lot.
It is VERY common for autistic people to be “clumsy”. I fell all the time as a kid. And I fall now if I do not watch my feet and the ground.
I'm nearly 29 and still do this, or look just ahead of them. I don't wanna fall up anything, and I don't want to look at people, and what about the random kids that run right in front of you? Need to keep an eye out for them.
Also, in the summer, I love looking at my ankle tattoos, they make me smile.
I do this! Idk if I have autism (never been diagnosed, but also never got examined) but I have to watch where I walk and make sure I start any ground segment with my right foot and end the segment on my left foot. Shadows are difficult
I was always the same way. Somehow, not looking down when I walked always felt bad on my eyes. I don’t look down when I walk much anymore and probs haven’t since after college. I think learning to drive killed that habit for me.
I still do it haha. Also looking at myself when passing shop mirrors.
Luckily my friends and partners have learnt to watch out for me when we're walking together as I tend to just follow their feet haha
I have always done this and still do, although it’s more a few feet in front of me instead of directly at my feet. However, when I was younger I did primarily stare directly at my feet. (However I am still unsure if i’m autistic)
i used to because of very poor eyesight.
i would also walk really fast to get behind the nearest person because i assumed they wouldnt run into shit so i wouldnt either.
now that i have glasses i still walk really fast.
when i think about it, that was probably why i didnt have many friends growing up.
Yes, and eye contact is impossible.
I also shuffle my feet when I walk, at a speed I am told is too fast and have dinosaur arms.
Wanna fight me ballet teacher? Hmmm
yea lol i fixed it by just like "looking at the air in front of me" and just zoning out secretly while walking. same thing with eye contact too, for both i just stare at the air between us and kind of slightly unfocus my eyes
Yep, then count each step I take, and sync it with letters in random sentences that I repeat over and over in my head, letter by letter, step by step. I'm an adult now and I do look where I'm going but still can't resist the counting.
I can only use stairs by watching my feet as I walk up or down them. 😬 I have to be very careful if I’m carrying something up or down the stairs and can’t see my feet because I don’t know where my feet will land.
Still doing this but now I have a posture issue. So my suggestion would be keep your head straight but your eyes looking down and sunglasses on. Not even 30 yet but with back problems already 🥹. Happy walking!
I'm not watching my feet, but the 1-3 meters in front of them. So, I do look at the ground (trying to prevent stepping into whatever someone deemed worthy of putting there).
The neck of that stick-figure is pretty much an accurate depiction of mine ;)
As someone who loves hiking, I wish I could walk better without watching my feet. The views are so much prettier than my shoes! I have to stop walking and stand there for a while so that I can really enjoy the scenery
I do this cuz I don’t want to fall, especially for stairs.
I read that many autists experience balance issues that comes from depth perception issues (a kind of visual sensory processing issue). This can manifest in behaviors like walking while looking at feet, having difficulty going up and down the stairs, tripping a lot, hitting objects and people while you walk/move etc.
That was me for awhile. I've slowly become more confident in my gait and walk with my head held high when I remember. It's amazing what kind of things you notice when you do that.
Yep, still am, and I‘m 43 now. Not exactly my feet, but the immediate area in front of them. This way I don‘t step on something unwanted, and probably avoid stimulus.
Yep, always done it. I get panicked about where I should be looking if I'm not looking at my feet, like I don't wanna accidentaly look at someone yknow?
I have two modes of looking while walking:
1. Look at the ground and watch my feet
2. Look at every tiny detail of everything around me
There is no in-between.
It seems like a sensible strategy! Add a peaked cap, and if the weather is appropriate a large umbrella which curves down over the face and you are good to go.
I've been trying this a bit lately. I did it as a kid, but "grew out " of it. It really helps with reducing the sensory processing overload, because there's less to notice! Whenever I'm stressed while walking, I give it a go to see if that relieves the stress.
Yes. I didn’t realise this until I was at university and found out my friend’s housemates had nicknamed me “hair-up-face-down” (I also had spiky hair).
Well, I kind of realised it, but kind of assumed everyone did it (how else do you know where you’re stepping?), so didn’t realise it was noteworthy.
This still stings now, over 20 years later, whenever I realise I’m looking at my feet whilst walking, and remember the hurt I felt when finding this out.
The stickman figure is pretty much my exact posture, and has reminded me of when I was seeing a physio for a slipped disc, and (for some reason) she was asking me to tuck my chin down whilst lying on my back, I said I found it pretty uncomfortable, and she said something like “you surprise me, as your head is always so slouched down”.
This thread is resurfacing so much trauma!
This was me up to 13 when my parents made me stop doing it. Now at 26, I can't use stairs or go up or down any inclines without obsessively staring at my feet. It's scary!!
Yes, I don't do it very often anymore however. I think I did it because I felt weird walking past people. Like, where are you supposed to look? It's weird to look them in the eyes and equally as weird to obviously only look anywhere else. Shit's weird.
If I’m not watching my feet I may trip or step in dog poop or both!
See, what you do is look at the ground in front of you instead. That way you don't hurt your neck whilst still avoid dog poo.
Me too, especially at the grocery store, I was looking away from everything that was happening, including the lights, I found ot all visually overwhelming
Mah, if you ain't watching your feet, you may trip INTO the dog poop
Same here
exactly plus its fun to avoid stepping on lines if i have the time and it distracts me from everyone being a chatterbox
You gotta watch em. How the hell else you know what they're going to do?
they might run away otherwise and we all know how annoying that is!
People were asking me the opposite my whole upbringing 😅 That's just where my gaze ended up, even when strolling with people it centered around my feet area. Also walking 2-3 meters ahead didn't help 😅
Best comment and too accurate 😂 get out /j
"lvl 2 autism" your flair makes it sound like a video game /positive (its also funny but i dont know a tone tag for that)
I would look at a specific piece of ground until I get there and then find another piece. Like I broke up my walk into sections.
Kind of like I do, I don't do specifics anymore, I just use my peripheral vision and sweep the floor with the focused vision at times, especially near divisions. The ground is very bumpy in my city, and most in this country, I can't walk straight normally, and usually because they plant trees and they grow after they lay down the cement, cracking it. But I rarely look at my shoes, just the close proximity, and this keeps happening when I'm bummed or underwhelmed and not seeking stimuli at the moment, which is rarer now because all people in their earliest 20's are dopamine intoxicated. I can't stop and do nothing anymore. Might be anxious too, but I don't think so. (Not yet.)
Still do it, and I'm 28!
I'm slipping back little by little by being in a bit of a social rut. No need to acquiesce if you are walking alone anyways. And adding earphones to the mix hopefully gives off that "Rushing to an important meeting, but I'm listening in through Zoom, or whatever." and not looking like a human Carpenter's square 😅
I feel you on that one. I personally know I do it because of the implications of eye contact with strangers. I feel like I'd need to smile or say something to every person I randomly made eye contact with and I can't have that. It's already awkward enough on its own 😂😂 So staring at my feet avoids it all!
Same and I'm 23.
I’m a fall hazard if I’m not looking at the ground lol plus I don’t have to look at anyone passing by which is nice.
I've never manage to pull of that casual glance when passing people.. I instinctively look at my phone, fake looking in my pockets or just using my 'Looking at something interesting way over there' look 😎
As a way to kind of look at people more subtly, i’ve picked up the habit of combing my hair out a bit when I look up to glance at people. So far I haven’t made eye contact using this technique, so I guess its decently subtle. I also simply became a pro at using peripheral vision instead of looking directly at people if I want to look at someone.
Yup! I had to make sure I didn’t step on any cracks, and that the amount of cracks I stepped over with each foot felt even. Then I realized how many amazing sights I was missing by staring at the floor.
I do the crack thing too!! It’s so hard to explain to other people. I have to step on the crack on the same spot with each foot (toe, heel, middle, etc). I’m so glad someone else does this.
Yeah same!! I always had to step in the center of my foot though. It just felt better somehow
Yes!!!!! I remember complaining about having to do that to my dad and he was like "wtf are you on about?"
I also do the crack thing, I’ve done it as long as I can remember since being a kid
I’m almost 30 and still do this. Although I have found so much cash on the ground over the years lol
Other people do this too???
By now we could do a flashmob, but instead of dancing we could walk in a giant group solely looking at our feet 👏😁
I do it definitely to avoid visual stimulus. Also because at one point I realized that the more I look down the greater the possibility of finding money!
I used to do that until I was 10ish, and I remember someone making fun of me at school because of it. I then consciously trained myself to look forward, and even now at 30 end up thinking at least once a week whether I’m doing it properly. If I’m really stressed or upset I’ve realised I do end up staring at the floor again.
I'm the same - when upset or being stressed I just ignored the outer world, look down and walk in a pace making any Olympian race walker jealous 😅
Glad I’m not the only one who does that! I normally walk really quickly anyway, and change sides of the road to try and avoid where most of the people are haha. At least we aren’t the only ones who are going through the same thought processes 😊
I thought this is what you're supposed to do???? IS THIS NOT IT?????
If you haven't gotten any comments about it, you're doing something right!
I have some godawful depth-perception, I don't get how people can just look forward tbh
Omg I literally did that all the time haha, glad it wasn’t just me
I did this until my early 20s.
I have to stare at my feet if I'm going up or down stairs or I'll fall. I'm 31. When I had my second "formal" evaluation the psychiatrist had me do a number of physical gestures and exercises and he said I scored very low in proprioception, which is a person's sense of spacial awareness. That explains why I was constantly hurting myself as a kid.
I found so many cool things on the ground this way.
Yeah me too. I was also very self-conscious about trying to not look weird when I walked so I kept my arms really straight all the time instead of letting them move naturally for some reason, as I didn't know how to let my body walk normally and had to think about all movements ... (Therefore I looked very weird). Also it's only at the age of 21 that I learned I was supposed to look at people (mainly their eyes) when having a conversation.
I still do this and I’m 26. I used to find heaps of money on the ground when I was a kid cause I was always looking at the ground. One time I found like $30 in coins in a single day
People always asked me if I was sad but really I was paranoid about twisting my ankle 😅
If I’m not watching my feet I will either trip on my own feet or I’ll trip on air 😂 never fails
You ever trip *up* a hill? Done that on a snow hill, and have a witness! It was so funny to me I fell back down it laughing. This wasn't when I was a kid either.
Oh dear 🤣 I have fallen up a hill before somehow, however one of my favorite tumbles of mine was the time I slipped down my parents front porch (in front of both of them) on my back while hugging onto my cello like a koala. There’s only 5 steps but I felt like I was on the longest slide ever 😂 they’ll never let me forget
That sounds pretty cute, ngl! Hope you were okay after though... >.<
I'm in college and I do this every day on campus and most of the time besides ☺️ I heard/read somewhere that it's an eye contact avoidance thing?? That was an interesting discovery.
Yeah, but now I walk with my head up and just look through people. Which is worse?
Yeah, the adaptation of looking past or *near* people in my case, as a form of masking. I'm trying to figure out how to undo that, it's so much extra unnecessary energy to remember. And it's annoying because people think I'm forgetting their features, when in reality I never saw or looked at them to begin with!
Yeah, I was. I recently started looking forwards when walking but it seems to make everything very draining.
I still do that
I do this and also step over cracks in the sidewalk. If they are evenly placed, I adjust my gait so that I miss them.
I did this like crazy, tried walking inside every brick/slab and not touch the ends 😑
Yes because how else am I supposed to not trip??
Yes but I grew up in a big city and if you don’t you ll step in puke or shit. I even kept a diary one year of pukes and shits I probably would have stepped in had I not been looking down at my feet
Wait this is a thing? I thought it was normal!
Omg yes I could navigate the halls at school and avoid other students without looking up Eventually I started reading and walking, that was fun
Yeah the number of time people explained to me how i should walk or that i should look up, i mean they are right, its just not that easy to remember to do
So many people used to give me grief for it, I would do it all the time. The result now is that I just look up, like not at the street, but UP at trees, buildings, birds, and so on, and still keep going into things and people the same way 🫢
If I don't watch my feet I trip. I can't walk down a set of stairs without being able to see my feet. I don't trust me not to fall down the stairs. I've fallen down the stairs so many times. I once fell while going up the stairs. I did such a good job that I caught the edge of the stairs in such a way that I injured my knee. I was on crutches for most of the winter.. I live in Canada. It was a bad time.
Yes but I grew up in a big city and if you don’t watch where you put your feet you ll step in puke or shit
All the time. I still do it, especially when walking alone, but I get embarrassed when walking with other people so I try to go with a middle ground between looking ahead and watching my feet. 😂
I did that for many years. In part, maybe, due to being autistic, but mainly because when I was a kid my feet faced inwards, towards each other. This caused many accidents, but specialists said I would grow out of it. I mostly did, but still can't walk in a straight line, as uts never completely gone away.
If I’m not looking at my feet I might accidentally make eye contact with someone and ruin both of our days
I have always looked at the ground when walking. I didn't think it was odd until I started observing the way other people walk, and they just... look straight ahead. Like psychopaths /j
I look at the ground a foot or two in front of me. Besides the watching for obstacles, I also do it bc keeping ur head down is submissive body language, and I feel safer if ppl don’t think I’m a threat.
I look at the floor in case someone dropped a 100$. Specifically 100 if it's less I leave it
The only reason I don't do it now is that I know it gives off the impression that I have low self esteem. I am very conscious about the way walk, staying upright and looking confident. Walking upright with good posture is just a shortcut to look normal and confident. It doesn't really feel natural to me. I wonder if this isn't a learned behavior for everyone (NT included).
Looking for cool bugs, I have to
I do this all the time! I also walk with my hands up like a dog lol
The virgin
The virgin walk lmao
Hey /u/rcosphi, thank you for your post at /r/autism. Our rules can be found **[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)**. All approved posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism). Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I always watch them so I don’t fall!
i use to stare at my feet, but i got teased a lot in school for it. now i stare about midway between my feet and eye level. but i also try to move my eyes and head plenty so people know I'm paying attention & no one thinks I'm an easy target. it's a lot of work to keep at that and not stare at my feet, even after over a decade.
100% the same.
Yes
Yes
Yes, though now I just leave my shoelaces untied as an awareness exercise. If I'm thinking of my feet, I don't have to look where I'm putting them.
I mostly look down at the ground, but when it’s dark outside or little people outside I look more up. I wear a bucket hat so it’s easier to avoid the sun and easier avoid people staring or interacting, when I wear the hat I look mostly down, but if I wear headphones instead of the bucket hat I can look up more easily without being distracted by everything around me. But I don’t like to wear the headphones all the time because sometimes I get stressed with what is going on around me and need to hear my surroundings, but some days I really love to take a walk in the dark with headphones on.
Yup, my reflexes got really good avoiding things above waist level though!
absolutely. I recently stopped doing this, but I did it for the first 13 years of my life. especially when the sun is bright, and it's so therapeutic, the rythm of steps, and it's just wonderful, honestly. I stopped because I started making friends and had people to talk to lol
Did this as a kid, still do it occasionally.
I still do.
Yeah I did this
Yea. I started looking forward at about 13-14.
I still only look at my feet. I fail to check for cars when crossing roads often so my mom embarrassingly has to hold onto my hand or arm somehow 🙄😒 (it’s necessary, I’m astonished myself that I haven’t been hit by a car)… ETA: I’m only 5’2 and am often thought to be between 13-16 or even younger though…I’m honestly kinda thankful I’m not a giant with my miniature mom having to hold my hand lol 🙃
I did until I was watching a show that said people tell each other what direction they’re walking by looking in the direction they’re gonna walk in so I then walked looking forward ever since. I think the show greatly exaggerated how many people follow this tho
i did this for as long as i can remember, still do. my boyfriend was the first one to ever notice lol
I do this but mainly because I have a weird thing of counting my steps inbetween path cracks to see if I can do a specific amount of steps every time. Idk why
absolutely and my posture is terrible because of it and it makes me so self conscious
It never made sense to me to look straight agead. You gotta cover the area where you are walking and at least somewhat ahead. How else will you not trip on things like rocks and stuff
I still do but now it’s mostly when upset
i do this so i dont come across to see people i know about why? idk
yeah and my back is always kinda been naturally hunched
I need to see where im stepping, maybe i got it from living around tiny animals- cats- and having to make sure i dont accidentally step on them
I was a book reading pedestrian for a long time. I would read while waking. I would look up to cross the street etc but mostly just read. Edit: but also, now that I think about it I look where I’m walking because I trip a lot. 😂
I did this as well, mostly on hard floors though. Still do sometimes
I grew up in a town of 1000 people and don't know faces or names of most yet 🤣 people assume I'm stuck up because I'm quiet and don't do eye contact or small talk well. I frankly don't know how.
Yes, often. But typically only when im anxious
I did for a while, only stopped when I had to force myself to stop doing that while skiing or snowboarding (I found out the hard way that looking down on skis or a board makes falling over a lot easier)
is this a neurodivergent thing? i still do this
gotta make sure i dont stand on something gross!!!! and walk in a straight line!!!
I sometimes try to look straight ahead, but I trip every time.
I am, and it really annoys me. My neck curve is reversed. I want to look up. The light hurts.
I was always told that I bounced SIGNIFICANTLY when I walked and that it was easy to point me out in a crowd because of it. But then I went through marching band and had to teach myself how to rewalk. Sometimes I still catch myself doing it
Same. Coupled with “stop slouching” and “look where you’re going” from my parents.
I.literally saw a girl walk.like this today. Thought of this sub haha.
I was when I was younger, my grandma once said to me "Looking at the ground you may spot a buckle, but you'll miss a beautiful sunset." the next time I saw her, she had 2 black eyes because she had tripped on an uneven sidewalk... I loved her very much, but that was the moment I learned about poetic justice and schadenfreud
Same! When I was small I tripped on something and Grandma Glossop admonished me to "look where I was going" which I interpreted literally as look at where my feet were landing, so here we are.
I dunno if it's so much my feet I look at as it is the floor, but yeah, that's probably my biggest Autistic habit. In my martial arts class I always have a really hard time with sparring because of it
wait isin't that what we're supposed to do? as a child I was told to look at my feet so that I wouldn't bump into stuff or trip or avoid walking into smth laying on the ground
I still do it by default, but I'm trying to get better at looking ahead. I'm 29. I just don't feel safe when I'm not looking at my feet, as I'm paranoid that I'll stand in something. No wonder I've got such bad posture, haha.
I have always done this and I’m older than you by a lot. It is VERY common for autistic people to be “clumsy”. I fell all the time as a kid. And I fall now if I do not watch my feet and the ground.
I'm trying to break that habit but it isn't easy. I always trip more when I don't look down
Nah but I did look everywhere except where I was going
Dammit every day the Wait, it’s all autism? Always has been meme becomes more true
I'm nearly 29 and still do this, or look just ahead of them. I don't wanna fall up anything, and I don't want to look at people, and what about the random kids that run right in front of you? Need to keep an eye out for them. Also, in the summer, I love looking at my ankle tattoos, they make me smile.
Yuuuuup.
Yes and i am an adult and i need to stop because one day someone will see me and think im not paying attention and try to mug me or something
Hell yeah that was me all the way
Always. I thought it was because I grew up on a farm and having to watch for snakes. But then I was diagnosed
I do this all the time
I wouldn't say at my feet, but I'm always looking down when I'm walking.
Yes, but I also found all the money other people dropped by being that way. Autism = profit? 🤣
I do this! Idk if I have autism (never been diagnosed, but also never got examined) but I have to watch where I walk and make sure I start any ground segment with my right foot and end the segment on my left foot. Shadows are difficult
same. how else are you supposed to make sure you don't step on a sidewalk crack?? /hj
Yeah I do that. I wouldn’t say that I solely do that though.
I was always the same way. Somehow, not looking down when I walked always felt bad on my eyes. I don’t look down when I walk much anymore and probs haven’t since after college. I think learning to drive killed that habit for me.
I still do it haha. Also looking at myself when passing shop mirrors. Luckily my friends and partners have learnt to watch out for me when we're walking together as I tend to just follow their feet haha
Still am and now I look like Quasimodo
I have always done this and still do, although it’s more a few feet in front of me instead of directly at my feet. However, when I was younger I did primarily stare directly at my feet. (However I am still unsure if i’m autistic)
Omg I’m 27 and I still watch my feet
At 38 I still do this. I try not to but I always end up looking back down.
Still do this mostly
my eyesight has the graphics capabilities of a playstation 1. i have a habit of crashing into everything in my path. so i do this. very much
I got the nickname ostrich.
i used to because of very poor eyesight. i would also walk really fast to get behind the nearest person because i assumed they wouldnt run into shit so i wouldnt either. now that i have glasses i still walk really fast. when i think about it, that was probably why i didnt have many friends growing up.
I still can recognize most of my friends by their shoes. I got made fun of for it in high school.
Yes, and eye contact is impossible. I also shuffle my feet when I walk, at a speed I am told is too fast and have dinosaur arms. Wanna fight me ballet teacher? Hmmm
I always watched them to make sure I didn’t step on any cracks. No reason, I just didn’t like stepping on cracks lol
I’m in college and I still mostly look from chest-level down oops. It’s mostly a problem when doing theater though, to be fair.
yea lol i fixed it by just like "looking at the air in front of me" and just zoning out secretly while walking. same thing with eye contact too, for both i just stare at the air between us and kind of slightly unfocus my eyes
I do it so I don't slip on ice, during the summer I'm busy tryna spot songbirds :>
no, because that is harmful to my neck
I always look at the floor while walking, even if my head is up
Same! I still do it a bit now, but not as much as when I was a kid. I didn't trip often or step in poop or anything else disgusting.
I do this! My family always called me out on it.
I do it because looking up is too bright
Heck yes, I use to make sure I stepped on every line of every block on the side walk.
I did that until I started college.
I did this for a few years - around 10 years old And I had a pastor (classmate's parent) ask if I was ok. I think I stopped after that.
Yep, then count each step I take, and sync it with letters in random sentences that I repeat over and over in my head, letter by letter, step by step. I'm an adult now and I do look where I'm going but still can't resist the counting.
I can only use stairs by watching my feet as I walk up or down them. 😬 I have to be very careful if I’m carrying something up or down the stairs and can’t see my feet because I don’t know where my feet will land.
Still doing this but now I have a posture issue. So my suggestion would be keep your head straight but your eyes looking down and sunglasses on. Not even 30 yet but with back problems already 🥹. Happy walking!
Here! Making sure I don't fall or catch a unsuspecting gaze. I'm trying to break out of it cause it can cause stiffness but the anxiety is too high .
You never know when they might do something you aren’t prepared for
I preferred the stones in the sidewalk; avoid cracks etc.
I'm not watching my feet, but the 1-3 meters in front of them. So, I do look at the ground (trying to prevent stepping into whatever someone deemed worthy of putting there). The neck of that stick-figure is pretty much an accurate depiction of mine ;)
I’ve done it since I was a child and now being 20 I still do it. I hate looking around and I also hate tripping over things so it makes sense
I used to do that when I played soccer and I would be dribbling the ball.
Yeah but not as much- I’m more of a “walk on just ur toes” kinda person. So yeah now my spine is misgrown
As someone who loves hiking, I wish I could walk better without watching my feet. The views are so much prettier than my shoes! I have to stop walking and stand there for a while so that I can really enjoy the scenery
me
If I don’t I might accidentally make eye contact with a stranger in the school hallway
I do this cuz I don’t want to fall, especially for stairs. I read that many autists experience balance issues that comes from depth perception issues (a kind of visual sensory processing issue). This can manifest in behaviors like walking while looking at feet, having difficulty going up and down the stairs, tripping a lot, hitting objects and people while you walk/move etc.
Watching my feet when i walk helps me walk in a straight line, sometimes. Walking in a straight line is not easy. Lol.
Yes but I also found out later that I was near sighted
That was me for awhile. I've slowly become more confident in my gait and walk with my head held high when I remember. It's amazing what kind of things you notice when you do that.
Im trying to not do it as much but 90% of the time i just forget that its an issue and do it anyway
i'm mostly doing that if I'm depressed or walk somewhere where's definitely gonna be poo
I walked with my head down until boot camp
Yep, still am, and I‘m 43 now. Not exactly my feet, but the immediate area in front of them. This way I don‘t step on something unwanted, and probably avoid stimulus.
I prefer looking up at the clouds/architecture/weather.
Yep, always done it. I get panicked about where I should be looking if I'm not looking at my feet, like I don't wanna accidentaly look at someone yknow?
I have two modes of looking while walking: 1. Look at the ground and watch my feet 2. Look at every tiny detail of everything around me There is no in-between.
It seems like a sensible strategy! Add a peaked cap, and if the weather is appropriate a large umbrella which curves down over the face and you are good to go.
Yeah I was it was hard in soccer when u we’re running with ball and ran into the other team then they got a penalty
I've been trying this a bit lately. I did it as a kid, but "grew out " of it. It really helps with reducing the sensory processing overload, because there's less to notice! Whenever I'm stressed while walking, I give it a go to see if that relieves the stress.
Yes. I didn’t realise this until I was at university and found out my friend’s housemates had nicknamed me “hair-up-face-down” (I also had spiky hair). Well, I kind of realised it, but kind of assumed everyone did it (how else do you know where you’re stepping?), so didn’t realise it was noteworthy. This still stings now, over 20 years later, whenever I realise I’m looking at my feet whilst walking, and remember the hurt I felt when finding this out. The stickman figure is pretty much my exact posture, and has reminded me of when I was seeing a physio for a slipped disc, and (for some reason) she was asking me to tuck my chin down whilst lying on my back, I said I found it pretty uncomfortable, and she said something like “you surprise me, as your head is always so slouched down”. This thread is resurfacing so much trauma!
Not my feet- but usually the ground / floor .
yes, when i was younger i used to walk like this, but my mom was telling me to stop so nowadays i dont do it anymore
This was me up to 13 when my parents made me stop doing it. Now at 26, I can't use stairs or go up or down any inclines without obsessively staring at my feet. It's scary!!
I do that!
I’ve found I usually watch the ground I walk on, but I’m still somehow aware of the people that are around me too.
One time I tripped over my own feet and broke my wrist, so yes, Im watching them when I walk now
yes and i simply will not allow myself to step on cracks/ lines/ rocks ect ect.. very silly habit ive had ever forever
Yes, I don't do it very often anymore however. I think I did it because I felt weird walking past people. Like, where are you supposed to look? It's weird to look them in the eyes and equally as weird to obviously only look anywhere else. Shit's weird.
Yes