daniegirl6224
Member
What are your warning signs that you are about to go into a shutdown or meltdown?
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Warning signs
- Thread starter daniegirl6224
- Start date
Personally, I am more inclined to have a shutdown due to a combination of mental exhaustion, poor diet, inflammation, and my brain typically begins to feel swollen inside my skull. The few times that I had a meltdown was during the same time, someone "flipped my ***** switch" by being a disrespectful jerk to me all of a sudden. Meltdowns come on quick and they are scary for me and the people I am around. It's like an out-of-body experience where all the demons of Hell come up and out of me and I have no control for a moment. They've only happened a few times in my life and I cannot express how much I hate that situation.
Various dissociative symptoms preceded by increased stimming. If the stress subsides, the stimming can usually prevent any escalation into a shutdown. Meltdowns are very rare in my case.
I'm still not sure that I completely understand either term. I have always been fairly well self controlled and disciplined and these things don't just "happen" to me.
If I've been overstimulated then I need time out afterwards, when that happens to me I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted. This happens with enjoyable events as well as the less desirable interactions. I lose my ability to focus and concentrate, I first notice this when trying to play a video game but usually quickly discover that I don't even have enough focus to read a book or watch a movie.
When that happens I usually can't sleep either, the only thing I can really do is sit with a nice cup of coffee and stare at the wall while I daydream. Sometimes this will carry over in to the next day. I believe that's what people are describing when they use the term "shutdown" but this doesn't happen to me in public, it's not until I get home and no longer have to keep up appearances that I shut down.
As for meltdowns, to me that looks exactly like what I grew up calling a 6 year old's tantrum. I don't melt down, when people push too many of the wrong buttons I blow up. I have one hell of a temper when roused but if I let fly it's usually well and truly earned.
I think the only time a physical stimulus has come close to causing a meltdown in me was from a corrugated country dirt road, being shaken and bounced around like that and also being concerned about the damage it's doing to the vehicle as well is very stressful, especially when you know you've still got miles and miles to go. Most people react that way to a heavily corrugated road though if it's more than just a few minutes.
If I've been overstimulated then I need time out afterwards, when that happens to me I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted. This happens with enjoyable events as well as the less desirable interactions. I lose my ability to focus and concentrate, I first notice this when trying to play a video game but usually quickly discover that I don't even have enough focus to read a book or watch a movie.
When that happens I usually can't sleep either, the only thing I can really do is sit with a nice cup of coffee and stare at the wall while I daydream. Sometimes this will carry over in to the next day. I believe that's what people are describing when they use the term "shutdown" but this doesn't happen to me in public, it's not until I get home and no longer have to keep up appearances that I shut down.
As for meltdowns, to me that looks exactly like what I grew up calling a 6 year old's tantrum. I don't melt down, when people push too many of the wrong buttons I blow up. I have one hell of a temper when roused but if I let fly it's usually well and truly earned.
I think the only time a physical stimulus has come close to causing a meltdown in me was from a corrugated country dirt road, being shaken and bounced around like that and also being concerned about the damage it's doing to the vehicle as well is very stressful, especially when you know you've still got miles and miles to go. Most people react that way to a heavily corrugated road though if it's more than just a few minutes.
A shutdown can cause you to have trouble speaking or moving (except perhaps a certain stim like rocking or clicking your tongue), blurry vision,perceived changes in surrounding sounds, surroundings not feeling real , ect. It's more than just feeling tired or having trouble focusing on a task. I didn't really deal with this much as a young child but over the years with accumulated traumas it became more common. Many symptoms first came to be around the age of ten and became more frequent after having to work in retail for so long.
Last edited:
Dillon
Well-Known Member
Have have several signs when I go into a meltdown and a shutdown and it irritates me to a degree.
With meltdowns I can contribute when I forget to take me medication for the day and I become more anxious and worried than usual but when I’m on my medication I still have meltdowns sometimes. I also deal with an autoimmune condition and when I have flairs in my joints I get aggravated by the issue.
Other triggers occur such as predictability or worry what may happen later, tomorrow or further down the line thinking something bad is going to happen so it mainly difficulty dealing with unexpected changes. Also self guilt would bring on a meltdown and that’s from an emotional standpoint thinking I did something majorly wrong.
When I’m about to shutdown I tend to pace around my room and also sit on my floor to try to relax during a meltdown. I don’t shutdown often but when I do I won’t talk to anyone (except for my dog) and I decide to be isolated when normally I hate it and I enjoy being around my friends.
I haven’t had either of those all week so far as opposed to having only one meltdown plus shutdown last week. Only one step at a time for me.
With meltdowns I can contribute when I forget to take me medication for the day and I become more anxious and worried than usual but when I’m on my medication I still have meltdowns sometimes. I also deal with an autoimmune condition and when I have flairs in my joints I get aggravated by the issue.
Other triggers occur such as predictability or worry what may happen later, tomorrow or further down the line thinking something bad is going to happen so it mainly difficulty dealing with unexpected changes. Also self guilt would bring on a meltdown and that’s from an emotional standpoint thinking I did something majorly wrong.
When I’m about to shutdown I tend to pace around my room and also sit on my floor to try to relax during a meltdown. I don’t shutdown often but when I do I won’t talk to anyone (except for my dog) and I decide to be isolated when normally I hate it and I enjoy being around my friends.
I haven’t had either of those all week so far as opposed to having only one meltdown plus shutdown last week. Only one step at a time for me.
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