Letting off steam

lovinglife said:

I understand the autistic meltdown as my son has autism, they are very different from what us neurotypical folks would experience as a “meltdown” we have some control in ours and it’s my belief from my observations and living with my son who is now 28 that a neurodivergent meltdown is not within your control. If this is your way of letting off steam then maybe you just have to go with it. I see it as a reset valve and now you’ve reset you can like you say get back to it.

Do you have any strategies or coping mechanisms in place for when you begin to feel overwhelmed? Maybe revisit those and see if you can tweak them etc. I feel advice from neurotypical people may not apply to how you deal with an autistic meltdown.

This may be old hat but I bought my son a weighted blanket just before Christmas as he struggles with the festive season and we usually experience a few meltdowns on the run up and during Christmas & New Year, we did use it a few times and it was very successful, he still became on the verge of meltdown but by persuading him to lay down under the blanket we managed to avert all the meltdowns reaching breaking point and we had a more peaceful time.

At the risk of sounding flippant and hoping I don’t offend but apart from the pain you must be in during meltdowns yours sound quite fun

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JoKalsbeek said:

Your coping mechanism sounds like fun. Not exactly healthy fun, but hey. I'm still trying to figure out mine, really... Because I spend most of my time not exactly coping with anything! (Went misdiagnosed with borderline for almost two decades, only recently found out it's been ADHD all along, still waiting for treatment).

My mechanisms so far seem to be: hitting research mode, so I get a grip on what I don't seem to have control of. Hang out in cat cafe's and zoo's, because people are too $%^& hard and animals I understand. They're safe, and don't ask anything from me I can't actually give them. In lieu of that, watching a series that gives me comfort, like Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet or some period drama. Sometimes, curling up in bed with a cat or two helps, book on my Kindle or series on my e-reader, or both. Being on here, so I can feel like less of a useless, breathing water bag. I always have a camera (well, at least one, that is) with me. I can digest the world better when I can take it in in bits and pieces. It keeps me from going to deeply into panic attacks, too, as I tend to distract myself. Long walks help too. Preferably with a certain purpose, because just aimlessly wandering is a no go for me, but it might not be for you.

And, yes, eating things I shouldn't, because sometimes, comfort food just happens. Just as long as it doesn't occur all too often, who cares? So, there's that.

Doubt any of this is useful, but just wanted to let you know, you're not alone, and you don't have to kick yourself around for singing, dancing and doing it with a bottle in hand. We all have our moments, it seems... And when you're neurospicy, they're kind of big moments to be dealing with. So cut yourself a break.

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Antje77 said:

Just to make sure it sinks in after others have already said so: Dear @Rushkami , it's perfectly ok to have the occasional meltdown including carbs and drinks, and especially if it involves dancing and singing!

If possible, you could see if there are some lower carb foods you could use if such a meltdown happens, but if not, I'd just let it happen and enjoy the part where it makes you feel better.
If it only happens very occasionally, there is no reason to expect it will do you harm in the long run, and it does make you feel better and lets out that steam.
Finding those coping mechanisms being neurospicy is what it's all about, and if this is yours, so be it.

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