How to release stress and avoid meltdowns / burnout ?

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I'm getting a lot of issues with episodic meltdowns or burnout, which might be stress-related.
Has anyone found a good way to release stress and avoid meltdowns?
What would you recommend?

- Sleep
- Avoiding a high caffeine intake (a very difficult thing to achieve for some people, including me)
- Healthy and alkaline food
- Avoiding substances, including alcohol
- eating similar meals or trying to avoid overthinking over simple things like food.
- exercise

- Walking around in public with earplugs
- sticking to the routine
- avoiding contact with people that stress you out

I hope I didn't miss the point of that. But all of these things help me personally to function on the long run.
It's important to reduce your stress-hormone levels on a regular basis.

Good luck

This is fantastic, so many great strategies.
I've decided to make a list of them all (some frequently-mentioned ones at the top) (apologies if I miss any out):

Top strategies (mentioned by several respondents):
- Exercise
- Sleep (on regular schedule)
- Avoiding contact with stressful people / stressful situations like large gatherings
- Recognising signs of accumulating stress / asking others to tell you when you seem stressed or upset - and remove from situation / take 15 minute or overnight break
- If unable to prevent meltdown, divert in some way (eg. let it out at home, crying, hit a heavy bag)
- Do something relaxing (eg. watch TV / comedy / youtube, re-read favourite book, drawing, take a long bath, listen to music)
- Contact with animals and nature (cuddle a beloved pet, take a forest walk off the beaten path, take a drive through the countryside)
- Journalling

Other strategies:
- Lower expectations to avoid disappointment
- avoid high caffeine intake
- healthy and alkaline food
- eating similar meals / avoid overthinking simple things like food
- earplugs in public
- sticking to routines
- stress toys
- getting up and moving
- "ballistic meditation" - pistol shooting
- consider effect of hormones / PMS.
- don't think about work on weekends and keep busy with hobbies and chores
- accept that meltdowns are OK and an important stress reliever

and something that seems to be up for debate:
- avoid alcohol
- have a glass of wine at the end of the day

Some thoughts:
With regard to the effect of hormones, I definitely agree from my own experiences that there seems to be a hormonal effect. I think it's significant that I'm having problems now in perimenopausal stage of life - it's a bit like being a teenager again, with hormonal imbalances leading to uncontrolled surges of emotion.
I tend to think that this is one of the ways that AS looks different in females and males - in general it seems that men seem to have more problems with the social communication side of things, whereas women often have emotional issues - and often, associated diagnoses of mental illness. But feel free to argue!

On the question of alcohol, I think both strategies are good in a way. I know my health is generally better if I avoid all alcohol, but on a particularly stressful day there can be a bit of relief in having a glass of wine to help one unwind, which might exceed the negative impacts. I also use alcohol to loosen up a bit before a social gathering, but I limit myself to 2 units. You've got to be sensible in how you use it.

Please keep responding, let me know if you've had success with any of the above strategies or can think of others.

if you drive, a nice cruise around the countryside to your favorite album works as well.

Not if this is your favourite album:



Your cruise around the countryside doesn't last long enough to get the mail.

Making music like this is a good way to release stress and avoid meltdowns.

Have to say this made me laugh! Often my favorite album of the moment is too emotionally intense and so energizing for me that going for a drive with my CDs doesn't help me calm down at all. Usually gets me on a high I can't come down from and raises my overall stress ... must limit listening time ... making music is a lot more cathartic for me too.