Would these be classified as 'mini-meldowns'?

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GreenGrrl
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26 Sep 2009, 8:34 am

I've been reading some of the posts about meldowns, and I'm wondering if I've ever had them. My parents told me that I was an easy kid (apart from my sleeping problems) and I never had 'temper tantrums'. But I remember some occasions in my life that I couldn't explain.
1. I used to get so annoyed by spelling mistakes, that one time I grabbed a permanent marker and wrote the correct spelling on the wall. It was like I was possesed and had absolutely no control over my behaviour!
2. A 'friend' was (jokingly) teasing me, and I thought she was being serious. I got so angry, I hit her. Another example of me being unable to control myself.
3. When I was thirteen, I accidentally dropped my ice-cream, so I started crying. In public. I managed to hide the tears behind my sunglasses, though.


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leejosepho
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26 Sep 2009, 8:51 am

If a meltdown is an inability to process and proceed, then yes, I would say those qualify. I can only recall one meltdown in my childhood when my brother and I were arguing about the arrangement of the furniture in our bedroom ... and my next was many years later as an adult. But, I grew up under a father who had them regularly and he controlled me quite thoroughly with his belt. So for me, my first meltdown as an adult was a biggie following years of forced shutdowns.


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Spazzergasm
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26 Sep 2009, 8:59 am

once, recently i came home from school and my mother had re-arranged my room (! !! !!) i asked her to leave and leave it alone, and she wouldnt. i dont know if i lost function but i got angrier than i should have and started yelling and stuff. it just seemed completely inappropriate of her.



Silvervarg
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26 Sep 2009, 9:07 am

Minimeltdown = being pissed of. No need to look for meltdowns, if you've had one you don't need to ask. ;)


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Callista
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26 Sep 2009, 12:51 pm

I don't think they are quite meltdowns; but I would look into improving your impulse-control. That seems to be what you're facing; and it's probably a pretty common problem. Actually, ADHD kids tend to be quite prone to it; maybe some of what they teach them might help you.


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BattleCreekDavid
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26 Sep 2009, 1:42 pm

Dropping ice cream is certainly a meltdown. I'm sure the ice cream had a meltdown, anyway. Seriously, though, I think meltdowns are like hurricanes with different category levels based on the ferocity of the storm. Some people have meltdowns that resemble a light shower with occasional thunder. Others have worse. It depends, I think, on each individual's temperament.


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pschristmas
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26 Sep 2009, 3:02 pm

What you describe could be a sort of mini-meltdown. The key is not being able to control the reaction, I think.

I remember once when I was a girl, I came home from school to find that my dad had cut down all the small saplings that shielded my favorite running and general nature place from view of the house. I shouted at him and then cried for hours and couldn't have stopped if I'd wanted to -- very out of control behavior for a normally pretty placid sixteen-year-old girl and probably an example of a full-blown meltdown, now that I think about it. Daddy had worried about me going out in the woods by myself and had thought I'd feel more secure knowing I could be seen. He hadn't realized that the whole point was that I hadn't wanted to be seen. It took weeks for me to get used to the new openness of the area, but he never cut down saplings out there again. Looking back on it, I feel kind of guilty about it because he was so bewildered and I'm not sure I ever apologized to him.

Sometimes at work, I'll get overwhelmed when things are moving too quickly and I'll just start crying or get very snappish over little things. For me, that's a sort of mini-meltdown. The same thing will happen if I'm in crowded and confused areas like a shopping mall on the weekend. I just can't process that level of stimulation very well and I lose control of my reactions. Now that I know it's just part of who I am and no amount of exposure will raise my tolerance level to it, I just try to avoid those situations entirely.

This is another thing that everyone experiences from time to time, remember. Even perfectly normal people lose their tempers. It's the duration, level of control, frequency and type of stimulation that seem to set a meltdown apart.