Is This What "Shutdown" Is?

Post Reply New Topic

When I am in a stressful situation (speaking to strangers, in a new place, running many errands, etc.) for a prolonged period of time (generally more than 2 hours, but maybe less if the situation is very stressful) the following things occur:
1 I get a headache
2 I start dropping and fumbling things
3 I find it difficult to think straight. It's almost like being drunk - I have to concentrate hard to accomplish simple tasks. It feels like a "fog" in my brain. I become forgetful and disorganized.

Is this a shutdown? If not, any idea what's going on?

Interesting that you posted this today. I've been thinking about this, because those things you listed happened with/ to me just yesterday.

In addition to the symptoms you mentioned, I also lose normal everyday objects, repeat myself worse than usual and get extremely fatigued.

I had spent the morning and early afternoon in required meeting with some people I had never met, and then I went to another required socially stressful situation which had to do with finding a new place to live. Ugh, it was fortunate I felt it coming on, and got myself home quick, and into bed as soon as possible.

Ohh, I have experience in this field!
As it was defined to me a meltdown ends in an overwhelming emotional state, which may include acting out. I'll leave it at that.
Shutdown may be characterized as an increased difficulty in funtioning (usually exhaustion due to over-compensation) and may leave you speechless for awhile (mute, or nearly mute).
Today I made it to a vocal shutdown for multiple reasons.

I occasionally have shutdowns, which I can describe as me being severely exhausted - emotionally and physically. My mind is racing through all the bad things that've ever happened to me until I get back on track a few days later. I lay in bed for the entire day, or sit and stare at a chat window without saying anything, and only move to go to the bathroom or get a drink. I generally don't eat anything like that.

I have to be handled very carefully. Getting upset with me in that state pretty much turns it into a full-on meltdown.

I thought it was that almost halfway paralyzed condition, I can experience in stressfull/noisy situations, say a playground. The scenery can turn greyish and kids can almost beat each other up without my sensing it, or I see it but may not react at all. I just stand there with a clump in my throat.
Maybe it´s fear?

what OP described sounds more like a heavy overload then an actual shutdown, if you ask me.

when i shut down, i literally shut down. i freeze on the spot and become unresponsive to everything.
if i'm still in the situation that caused me to shutdown, i might automatically walk away from the spot, but it'll be like a zombie, staight line, pushing everyone away with no care of tact.

what OP told is a starter for a shutdown, those symptoms are common warnings

When it happens to me, my mind goes blank, I either become very emotional or more commonly devoid of emotion. I become unable to make even simple decisions and it becomes incredibly difficult to communicate. I don't want anyone to talk to me, look at me or touch me in this state, I also get very depersonalised.

A this comes on slowly after a couple of hours with a friend, faster with increasing numbers of friends, even faster with strangers. If someone yells at me or tries to fight me it comes on all at once. Sometimes it hits me all at once in other situations like crowded public place with lots of light and movement and people talking (like a shopping mall). Once some friends of mine were drunk and were having a kind of mock rap battle for laughs, they put me on the spot expecting my input and I immediately just shut down, I couldn't think a single thing and I just froze.

Once I was robbed at gunpoint, as soon as the gun came out and was held to my head I shut down. The person yelled at me that they would kill me and I just looked at them blankly. They reassured me that they were serious etc, and I managed to tell them that I understood. They found this strange and yelled at me some more that I was about to die... I just stared at them some more. I had no urge to fight them or to run away, to yell at them or to cry, nothing... They took my car keys out of the ignition, got out of my car and drove off in their own. To me there was nothing I could do, I just froze... to them I probably looked like a total badass
Afterward I tried to recall details like what they had looked like, what the gun looked like etc... I remembered that he was male, had dark hair that was not long and had some tattoos, the gun was a black pistol... but that's it. I couldn't recall what kind of gun, what hair style, hair length or even if his hair was brown or black... I couldn't remember what the tattoos were of or where they were on his body, I couldn't remember what kind of car they drove only that it was red. It never even occurred to me to look at their license plate number.

I think shutting down for me is similar to a state of shock in an average person.

I agree that what you describe Is warning signs for me at least. Total shut down happens rarely but warning signs happen most of the time. In shut down mode I rock back and forth or completely freeze. My mind goes blank and I am nonverbal. I've been told my eyes glaze over too and am not responsive or minimally responsive but still not verbal. I also feel like a zombie if I am forced to move!

Does anyone have where they just sit on the couch all day and read or go online or something with no eating, turning on lights, etc? I do this on my days off from work if my partner is not home home to regulate me..Every time!

When stressed I can also loose every day items like car keys and bank cards, also can find it hard to talk and also can become unreasonable. I find the best way to handle it is a bit of alcahol if you can to relax or to get somwhere I feel secure.

I think I have shutdowns but I have meltdowns too

I would agree most with the above quoted response, except I'd say it's a very mild onset of overload, like an early warning, not a heavy overload which comes before a shutdown or meltdown. For me the only difference between a shutdown and a meltdown is that in a shutdown I become catatonic and cannot move or respond to anyone or look their way, nothing, whereas in a meltdown I might still be active enough to give incoherent responses (though I will struggle) and I will almost certainly be crying hysterically and rocking or flapping.

Edited to add: I'm sure it doesn't feel mild to the OP, or they wouldn't have been concerned enough to ask in the first place. I don't mean to downplay their pain at all. It just isn't serious compared to what I experience in a full on shutdown, it's more like how I feel most of the time. Also, shutdowns and meltdowns feel much the same to me, they just look very different to others.

I think headaches, forgetting thing ect are just normal reaction to stress. When I shutdown i become completely unresponsive. My mum can be screening at me in the middle of a shopping center(which happened recently) and i will stand there not moving, not talking just paralyzed.

For me that is the start of a shutdown. Is about 25 to 35% of the way in compared to a full shutdown, so I would call it a partial shutdown.

It's more 'switching off',than shutdowns and meltdowns etc.

Our minds filter and don't take on board useless mindless junk info and stress etc.

Which is why we put up walls,when we start to feel overloaded by useless junk and misperceieved stressors,then we feel disorientated,brain fog and fatigued etc etc.

It's an auto protect mechanism.

When you feel your going off track and 'switching off',

it's a sign to 'cocoon' again,time out and reboot.

Be mindful of your triggers and 'note' what you can and can't tolerate.

In steed,

The art of war by Sun Tzu.

Use your voice without inhibitions nor fear.

Double edged sword;

Soul of the Samurai by Thomas Cleary.