As an adult, learning to manage and lessen meltdowns
Hi everyone, I'm very new self diagnosed 10 years ago, after spending most of my life wondering why I was different, and experiencing all the bullying etc that everyone else has experienced. I am 68 years old, retired, and recognised myself from initially reading 'Pretending to be Normal'. I tell a few people about my Aspergers and have friends who accept me as I am. I do have a problem dealing with meltdowns lately. I work for a homeless charity, volunteer for a seniors learning group (U3A) and attend classes. I probably have more friends who sincerely care for me, and more work to do than I ever did, and I love it. However, I have been experiencing (and so has my very good friend!) major meltdowns, the frequency of which seems to be increasing. Does anyone have any tips on how to manage my life to reduce these experiences? Today is the worst, I have been crying since Tuesday (now Thursday) and having to 'hole up' after having (once again) verbally lambasted my very best friend. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you, Juanita (jupitersweet49)
I find that, when a meltdown seems imminent, finding a private space and pumping my fists up and down quietly for a few minutes does the trick. It gets my BP and heart rates up, allows me to get angry (however briefly) and ultimately calms me enough to avoid a meltdown.
I can't promise it will work for you, but it might.
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Diagnosed in 2015 with ASD Level 1 by the University of Utah Health Care Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic using the ADOS-2 Module 4 assessment instrument [11/30] -- Screened in 2014 with ASD by using the University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre AQ (Adult) [43/50]; EQ-60 for adults [11/80]; FQ [43/135]; SQ (Adult) [130/150] self-reported screening inventories -- Assessed since 1978 with an estimated IQ [≈145] by several clinicians -- Contact on WrongPlanet.net by private message (PM)
I find that as an adult I have fewer and fewer meltdowns because people actually listen to me since I'm an adult. If it's a sensory situation, I can get myself out of there. As a child, I was powerless. No one listened to me and if something sensory was bothering me, I was told to just "deal with it" and couldn't leave the room.
I'm also finding I can tell people when they do something that makes me nervous or uncomfortable without getting punished for it like when I was a child. If I don't want to do something for whatever reason, I'm not going to be punished for not doing it.
I can't remember the last time I had a full-blown autistic meltdown.
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