Triggers Of Shutdowns And Meltdowns.

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I am trying to work things out. What do you find are the triggers? I want to hear so I can work out what is going on with me as I can think about things. Thanks.

Meltdowns are triggered for me when things happen unexpectedly. Sometimes just one expected thing might trigger it, but if there's more than one "surprise" in a short period of time, there's almost no chance I'll avoid a meltdown.

For instance, when I'm driving, if there's a situation where within a couple seconds there are two cars/drivers that do something that is unpredictable and illogical, I will probably go from being happy and unbothered by anything, into the grip of an intense emotional outburst that I'd bet most NT people wouldn't experience once in their entire lifetime. If that happens, it might take me anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes before the meltdown ends, and I can get back to feeling comfortable about my surroundings and my life once again.

I go into a partial shutdown or a shutdown due to something similar, but I don't normally get it so much when driving as with driving I am relaxed more. Never had a full shutdown when driving, as when I am partially shut down (I can drive safely when partly shut down), I look for somewhere to pull in so I can then recover.
But I really have issues when someone suddenly without warning asks me to help them lift something heavy... The sudden change of plan often pushes me into a shutdown as it starts with a partial shutdown, but as I am lifting heavy things, I then shut down.

Overload.
Sensory overload is a pain-like experience, it used to make me explode with crying when I was a child.
I learned to supress it, at expense of my mental health...
Shutdowns most often happen to me when there is more going on around me than I can process. It makes me slow down, like an old computer with inefficient software. Lack of sleep and stress make it more likely to happen.

I found the last time I worked (And the time before and the time before that....Each temporary part time job I was becoming successively worse and I needed a few months to recover) that the anxiety was getting worse each day and then the partial shutdowns came... Like strings of partial shutdowns which I have only exer experienced while working, and I aas doing my best to fight off shutting down and I did totally shut down now and then for short periods of time... But these experiences would then set my brain into recall mode at night where I would relive the days events and be nurvous about the next day and may need to go through what I expected on the next day so I was planning ahead.. So I then lacked sleep... And the lack of sleep then made the next time in work even more prone to shutting down and the pre work anxiety which was crippling in that while having it I had no strength so I couldn't move.... So I had to get to work extra early on top of the lack of sleep... And it was all snowballing like that so by the time the temporary job had ended I was in an emotional mess. On the outside it looked like I was normal and holding things together... But inside my mind was "Jumping" and a mess. When I reach the mind jumping stage I know I have to stop as it is like mental suicide.. I mean...
I have rarely had mind jumping, but I get it through sheer mental and sometimes physical exhaustion when I have lacked sleep for ages... And the first time I experienced this was not long before I ended up handing in my notice when I worked on the railways as a guard... And my mind started to jump back and fore... I lost a good friend due to it because I messed things up for him because my mind was jumping... He told me something in confidence which I mixed up and let it out... But I could not make sense of what had happened until a long time after I had left the job. I hate the mind jumping back and fore stage. I rarely ever get it.

Noisy neighbours.

People who won't take a hint and leave me in peace.

Crowds of people who hardly seem to look where they are going.

Unreliable people asking for favours or money.

Traffic.

People who "take charge", when there's really no need.

Lack of sleep.

Being woken up repeatedly

sh***y radio stations on all day in the workplace

Thanks to all who replied. Keep adding more, as I am trying to work out triggers, and I need ideas so when I experience partial shutdowns and I am not sure why, I can think back to work it out as because I had a situation where for years I assumed the shutdowns were allergy related as a doctor once told me that was what was causing them, it is only the last few months that I have been really working out what has been going on. This is why I am asking for more common or even uncommon triggers so I can work out what is happening.
I know certain smells are triggers for me which I previously had assumed I was having an allergic reaction to the vapours... I had not in the past made the connection. Since I have, I have come forward in leaps and bounds in understanding myself!

So the more triggers you can mention, the more I have to check if I am not sure what has caused the shutdown as there are still the odd mystery thing which causes them. I know most of the triggers now, so there is only a small area to work out. But I want to be sure. The smell of new clothes or new carpets in the shops that sells them causes me to begin to shut down until I can remove myself back into fresh air again.

https://ecologycenter.org/blog/ask-the-ecoteam-my-new-carpet-is-off-gassing/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4855851/

Here in the UK, due to EU law, we are only allowed the chemically treated fire retardant carpets, mattresses, clothes and blankets which have caused a great many allergies and issues.

Sensory overload is a major one for me. Due to the noise and crowds, I often shut down when I'm in a public place like a restaurant or a grocery store. Unexpected things happening is another. Stress and frustration can also cause one.

Usually sensory overload for me now. As I have got older, I have become totally unable to filter out any sound or movement.

Also, conflict. I abhor conflict and I panic if someone misreads me then pulls me into conflict. I am not able to assert myself and just take it and then finally explode... On myself or repeat the same sentence over and over and over and rock.

It usually happens to me when something really bad happens like heavy anxiety/stress or being overwhelmed with work or dealing with life, and major sensory overload like with bright lights, loud noises (especially in crowded areas, shops) and overall social anxiety and stress. It causes me to mostly shutdown and become quiet and unresponsive until I get back into my comfort zone, but when it gets too much I have a meltdown, which leads me to have an outburst, physically harm myself and reduces me to an emotional wreck, crying heavily.

It's happened many times to me before in the past but thankfully it has mostly stopped since I have finished off college and currently spending most time at home in my room doing my usual things, although I fear they could start up again since I am growing up and evolving in life and will have to get used to the real world and finding a paid job soon, those are hard things I am not ready for....

Are you able to describe how you shut down? I mean... Do you get any other things happening?

Major anxiety and fear of having done something really wrong. For example, I went to use a public bathroom today and did a half glance at the female symbol. I got inside and there were a bunch of men. My slight delay at processing this didn't happen until I was in a stall, no chance to run out. I stayed there (shaking) until no one was there and ran out. Outside I saw the sign actually said gender neutral. I didn't do anything wrong and no one cared, but I've been shot all day.

Add public multi-person-gender-neutral bathrooms to my triggers.

Oh. I walked into a ladies once at my local hospital. Already in a partial shutdown in there as I don't get on so well in hospitals. I just didn't read the sign right. I did not even twig when a lady looking at me oddly held the door open for me. I thought "That's a different colour" as I looked at the walls. Then I thought "Where's the urinals?" Then I realized my mistake. I was petrified as I had to go back out into the crowded foyer to then go into the mens!