Meltdowns keep happening...

[PokehTurtle]

Hi, recently diagnosed 25f, never really knew that they were meltdowns before but now I have a name to a face.

Things aren't going super great in life right now and I'm working hard on cutting out my alcohol dependency, but my anxiety is really out of control. I keep having meltdowns almost every day; thoughts racing, just can't function, nausea, anger, I literally feel like my brain is on fire, physically and mentally! My neck just tenses up so much and I feel like I'm going to faint...

I'm not really sure what to do. I feel like maybe some inpatient care might be called for but my previous experience was absolutely horrible. Anyone experienced anything like this? What worked or didn't work for you?

 

[tree]

This may do you no good at all.
The nausea, anger, and feeling like my brain is on fire is
how I feel
A. when/if my blood sugar is dropping
B. if I have been exposed to things I am allergic to.

What works for me is to have no sugar or refined grains; no coffee, tea, or cow milk;
no foods in the latex family (bananas,figs etc); no nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes,
eggplant, etc) including No exposure to tobacco. No alcohol.

 

[Wolfnox]

A little exercise could help. Counting while you do it will focus your mind.

 

[Misery]

What works for me is having something else to focus on. When your mind is just racing randomly, it can go to dark places. But it's much harder for that to happen at all if you're totally engaged by something else.

My main hobbies are video and board games. Whenever I'm starting to feel anxious, I force myself to go downstairs, choose one, and have a go at it. Preferrably one that is difficult and going to constantly challenge me and require my full attention. Thoughts arent racing anymore, because if I want to get anywhere in those, I need to be thinking about what I'm doing. Without mental attention focusing on bad thoughts, they simply fade away with nothing to sustain them.

Usually, it's a very short time before the anxiety vanishes and is forgotten. Even better though, if I do enough of whatever I choose, my thoughts will usually STAY focused on it after I'm done. I'll be sort of stuck on the subject for the rest of the day. Which is muuuuuuch better than being stuck on something bad.

Something I've said on this forum quite often is that being sedentary is not a good thing for us. I mean, it's really not a good thing for anyone, but it's even worse for those on the spectrum, with our sheer obsessiveness and wild minds that get distracted and bothered by everything. When we arent DOING things is when trouble can start. And by "things" I dont mean "staring blankly at a TV". If it's not engaging enough, it wont work.

The thing is though, you have to FORCE yourself to do it. In that state of heightened anxiety there's a tendency to not want to do stuff. Ignore it. Just ignore it completely. Say "heck with that, I'm gonna go do THIS exciting thing". Say it out loud. And then whatever hobby or special interest you have, that's what you should do.

But there's another thing to consider. Something I've discovered the hard way recently is that being stuck in a rut, stuck in routine, actually can INCREASE anxiety. We have a tendency to think that clinging to a way of doing things will make us feel better, but... that sometimes isnt the case, even if we arent aware of it. Staying in that little safety bubble, never varying the things I do... it causes problems. With the encouragement of family, I went and tried some new things so that I have stuff to do that doesnt just involve the blasted computer. That helped a ton.

Note that I say all of this as someone who is plagued by near-constant anxiety over basically anything.

 

[Wolfnox]

Something I've discovered the hard way recently is that being stuck in a rut, stuck in routine, actually can INCREASE anxiety.

Yep. I have that happen. So i walk or ride to town. It helps.

 

[Aspychata]

l could have had a meltdown today but l didn't And l rewarded myself with a delicious smoothie. It's taken time to rewire my brain. You have to focus on breathing. Take a emotional pulse. How do l feel. l feel this and this. Okay, what can l do next to feel better or more in control. l can replace, l can talk or retalk to that person, l can reward myself for not going into extreme downspiral. I guess l am suggesting that you talk to yourself and workout if you can. Then finally love yourself.

Outside of that, you may need counseling and short-term meds if you can't do it on your own.

 

[Fino]

Medication helps.

 

[Progster]

I find that distracting myself with something, and taking a short walk helps.

 

[Creep]

In addition to what others have suggested, I would recommend practicing good sleep hygiene. If I’m not getting good sleep, none of this other stuff is going to work. Also, I’d recommend leaning hard into your stim(s) to expend some of that built-up energy. Pacing is good. If other people give you crap about it, find a way to be alone. Longer term, I’d say learning my triggers has been helpful. Practicing self-acceptance, mindfulness meditation, & assertiveness have also been beneficial to me. I hope you find relief soon.