Shutdowns?

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These are not meltdowns but I can get stressed to the point where I literally can't think. This happens when I'm stressed and tired anyway and have to juggle a number of things in a hurry and I can't decide where to start. It's like my brain just gives me white noise instead of coherent thought. Are these mini shut downs? I know this is related to executive function deficits.

Yup...I think so...I have them, too, if I am under stress and have to deal with too much at one time.

My so says I shut down whenever we have an argument. I think that's true. I don't like confrontations, so I will literally stop. I'm trying to work on it but it's something I've always done, so progress is slow...though I guess good.

I used to actually fall asleep when overwhelmed like that.

That happens when someone yells at me too. I literally can't think so I'm at a real disadvantage. i deal by walking away because I have a fear reaction too even if I know I have no reason to fear physical harm from the other person. My walking away of course just makes the other person madder because they misinterpret why I'm doing it.

I do that too if I'm not required to make an immediate decision. If I'm just overwhelmed with too much to sort out I get sleepy. Someone posted a link here once about inattentive ADD which I am diagnosed with. It said the brain wave patterns were normal for an I-ADD person when relaxed but when the subject tried to concentrate the brain waves showed a falling asleep pattern. That's paraphrased and I hope it's accurate enough.

This has happened to me quite often today.
Not a shutdown, but an inability to think.
But just about what I want to do next.
My inner monologue died out and I could not think.

Yup, I get these too. Sometimes I get really stressed and I cannot concentrate on what I'm doing, nor think properly. It can get quite bad when people are yelling.

Yeah, I've had many of these at work, overwhelmed by people and multitasking, I literally went blank, no speech, nothing.

It feels like my head is literally full of rocks.

^Ditto. But I wouldn't expend too much mental energy trying to work on it, it never goes away. It happens because the Aspergian brain does not process incoming data as fast as the neurotypical brain does. You might have an advantage of as much as 30-40 IQ points on the person arguing with you, but they can put arguments, retorts and insults together ten times faster than you can. By the time you've cobbled together a coherent response to the first insult or accusation, they're already on to the fourth or fifth one. IQ advantage does not help you here - it's the old chestnut about bringing a knife to a gunfight - your weapon may be more precise, but they have the ability to outmaneuver you no matter what you do. When faced with a no-win situation, the wise person refuses to fight.

Well put. It's also like I've got all my available responses tangled together in an incoherent mass, like five people trying to get through the door at the same time.

I used to quite frequently shut down. The world would just get too much for me at times and I would need to take myself out of it for a while. I'm starting to get back into that pattern, which isn't good.

Exactly! I usually equate it to trying to push five gallons of mud through a quarter-inch funnel. Quick is not an option.

I used to come up with wonderfully eloquent arguements about 5 hours later. When I was young I started writing all the time so I could write the things that wouldn't come out when I needed them to.

When i get overwhelmed I have to go be alone in a dark room. I have to lie down and sometimes cover my eyes and ears. THe white noise you mentioned makes me think of the buzzing sound I hear when this happens.

Also, if someone hurts my feelings I get very sleepy. I can't control it.