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What or who calms you down when you have a meltdown?

I tried to vent to one person. It was too much for them. I felt bad about it. I really miss that person. But I think stress caused me to push them away. It's good you have friends that help out. My friend had to vent last night. I was happy that she felt comfortable talking to me for support. I hoped l cheered her up.
 
I find it difficult for any other person to calm me down… I usually turn to my dog and either hug him or we walk together.

Also, listening to hip hop.
 
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I agree @Rodafina it is hard for me to vent to someone.
I don't have a dog to walk, so I have to calm myself.
Music can be good for this.
Also going to my room and listen to a guided imagery CD.
 
My dogs. And listening to music.
I miss my dogs,...been several years,...I just work too many darn hours and am rarely home. But you're right,... somehow your dog seems to have the most amount of empathy and concern for you when you are lonely or the people around you seem to be shallow and unempathetic in those moments. As soon as I retire, I will be looking forward to getting another pup.
 
Time combined with solitude. Nothing else.

Though I haven't had a meltdown per se in years. Just experiencing a rare shutdown on occasion.
 
Thankfully I rarely get angry or have meltdowns anymore, but anxiety attacks in response to perceived danger are pretty standard for me. Isolating and engaging in special interests helps, but it feels a bit maladaptive for some reason.
 
Time. Just tell myself that this will pass. And just try to find some place where it's dark or dim where I can be alone to wait for it to pass.
 
Thankfully I rarely get angry or have meltdowns anymore, but anxiety attacks in response to perceived danger are pretty standard for me. Isolating and engaging in special interests helps, but it feels a bit maladaptive for some reason.
Yeah, I can’t remember the last time I had an actual meltdown, but I have an anxiety attack at least a few times a week :/

Being outdoors and going for a walk with my dogs to get exercise, or doing some intense hiking, really helps with my anxiety and depression.
 
I don't get meltdowns very often. They aren't really common for me but then again I do get rolling anxiety attacks on a semi-regular basis. They aren't as common lately but it's still something I watch for, just in case.
The usual way to calm down is to run. I always feel like I'm being chased, so I've had to bail out of the house & get away from whatever is starting the panic moment. Getting away from everything is pretty cool.

But the best way I know to calm down is to go ahead and first leave it, then eventually come and find someone to talk to. I am fortunate enough to have had some good friends who could come to me with their problems, and I could go to them with some of mine, and eventually that got me out of a lot of it.

I had one hit the other day because the neighbors were at it again (don't ask--it's dumb) and I have actually got help now to talk out of it. So that wasn't nearly as bad. They have quit. That is much better.

(Edit) I would also add that my girlfriend, also autistic, is excellent. She is a very intelligent young woman with a mind like a steel trap and a quiet voice, not abrasive but deep and fairly strong. We find that we can talk each other out of panic attacks; she comes to me about it and I go to her about it. Somehow I figured out we trust each other enough to basically hang onto the other, less affected party until the problem passes. We have to help each other out. If we didn't want to work on panic moments we wouldn't be dating autistic people.)
 
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Meltdown?
Clonazepam.
And writing like crazy in the 15-20 minutes it takes for it to take effect.
Otherwise I lose function up to a point where I become almost catatonic.

Daily basis:
My dogs and nature help me to reduce stress on a daily basis a lot,making me more resilient against having a meltdown. Same goes for writing, which I use to process certain things.

Venting:
I find metal or punk or underground rap good for venting, but don't do that at home often because of the dogs (no need to put them under stress by loud music). If I want to vent with music, I go for a drive. I stopped using people for venting a long time ago.
 
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Getting away from everything is pretty cool.
It's also my first choice, but sometimes it's not possible because of physical restrictions (like on a plane) or because things happen too quickly.
 
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I tried to vent to one person. It was too much for them. I felt bad about it. I really miss that person. But I think stress caused me to push them away. It's good you have friends that help out. My friend had to vent last night. I was happy that she felt comfortable talking to me for support. I hoped l cheered her up.
She probably appreciates you for doing so. People with Aspergers or Autism like to vent to others for validation and support (like me) and if i were her, i would be cheered up as well. Having friends to ask for help (especially those who are kind to you) are super important for all of us
 

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