Autistic Overwhelm
I struggle to explain myself verbally at our meetings, so I wanted to post this explanation of what overwhelm is.
“It entails being completely overcome by an unruly and intense emotion that something is too challenging to manage and overcome. When confronted with being overwhelmed, it can be difficult to think and act rationally, and even function in a normal way…
Emotional overwhelm entails more than being stressed. By definition being emotionally overwhelmed means to be completely submerged by your thoughts and emotions about all of life’s current problems, to the point where you lack productivity and feel frozen or paralyzed…You may be unable to think or act rationally or functionally”
https://www.talkspace.com/mental-health/conditions/articles/feeling-overwhelmed/
That is a good description of my experience with overwhelm. I think it relates to being monotropic in that as I start to become overwhelmed, my thinking gets more and more narrow. Meaning I can follow a plan that was already in place but can’t come up with or understand anything new. And if I’m unable to protect myself, I end up completely overwhelmed and then as above I can’t think or act rationally or functionally.
That article describes overwhelm in everyone; the next section describes overwhelm for autistic people:
“How do autistic people act when overwhelmed? A meltdown involves a range of behaviours which may include self-injury, crying, shouting, rocking and other outward signs of distress. A shut down, is when someone becomes 'zoned out' and unresponsive to the environment. Some autistic people may experience both of these types of reactions to distress.
These reactions can happen as a result of sensory overload, social overwhelm, uncertainty and unexpected changes. Different things can trigger different people, and sometimes a combination of things can build up to create this feeling of overwhelm.”
"Autistic meltdowns and shutdowns in adults can be extremely exhausting, and finding the time to recover afterward is key to avoiding autistic burnout."
https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/supporting-meltdowns
I’ve always had shutdowns and not meltdowns. As a child, I had shutdowns regularly where I would be sitting somewhere by myself crying quietly. As I got older, I learned to internalize that more and more, but I definitely still experience shutdowns as a result of social overwhelm, uncertainty and unexpected changes.
I so identify with this True! Autistic overwhelm and shutdowns are so exhausting! And I find that as I get older it takes less to overwhelm me or put me in shutdown and longer for me to recover. (and esp since the pandemic) Though I am finding my almost daily art practice and mindfulness meditations along with daily nature walks are helping definitely me some. Thanks for sharing. I learn so much from what you share here. Take care! 😊