Recognizing when a meltdown is about to come on

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The topic was sparked by something that happened to me today--I went to a family reunion, where there was a lot of intense social stimulation for about 4 hours. All of a sudden, I realized that I was going to have a meltdown--I got hazy behind the eyes, aggravated, like I wanted to jump out of my skin and out of my head. So I excused myself in order to get some space. This is much better than what's happened in the past, where I actually did melt down several times. The key for me is recognizing potential triggers and then dealing with them as it happens, not letting it build up over time and then exploding. So how about you? How good are you are recognizing when you're going to have a meltdown? And what are your strategies, if any, for dealing with them?

when my routine is disturbed, i get flushy and nervous. a meltdown will follow if i'm not left alone to do what i need to do.

Unfortunately, by the time I realise I am heading for a meltdown, it is too late to reverse it. I get the same thing with panic attacks.

For Social Anxiety and Panic Attacks like that, I just leave.

Full scale Meltdowns for me are almost always brought on by other people harassing and pressuring me. You can't just leave, when somebody follows you, to keep yelling at you.

I have trained myself to have delayed meltdowns, but this means a lot of weekends in bed rather than doing anything. :/ At least now I don't even bother trying to endure noisy environments, I know I cannot cope with them so that helps.

OP - I think it's important for everyone on the spectrum to learn what you've learned - to recognize your own physical symptoms before a meltdown and to identify when tension is building up so that you can go to a safe place before it happens. I've learned this as well, and it helps during the rare time I'll feel "meltdowny".

It's also important to take preventative measures as well so that meltdowns are less likely to happen in the first place. For some on the spectrum, it may mean taking control of sensory issues - wearing earplugs in noisy situations, irlen glasses in places with florescent lighting etc. can help. For others, it may mean doing relaxation exercises - I do yoga regularly and engage in mindfullness meditation to clear my head of negative thoughts - these have been very effective at helping me prevent meltdowns or any kind of tension.

That is very true! I think the reason I had much more severe meltdowns when I was younger is because I didn't understand myself all that well, nor did I understand my own internal physical state.