Reasons you would have meltdowns/outbursts

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I am writing a story, as you might know. I thought this would be a question to ask to get the idea of the reasons some of you might have your meltdowns/outbursts. The only reason for me to have mine is during unpredictability because my mind tries to predict the situation that will happen in the form of routine to 'attempt' to prepare myself. However, when that preparation routine is wrong, that's when a meltdown/outburst occurs since I wasn't able to do it the way I planned for myself.

So anyway, aside from the reasons for mine, what about you? What reasons do you/would you have for your meltdowns or outbursts? I mean I know about like maybe sensory overload or something but I need some unique reasons that I can use in my story so that my character Jade doesn't seem like she's just throwing some temper tantrum over something ridiculous and you can include fears too...anything that would set apart the whole meltdown/outburst vs. temper tantrums thing. ><

My meltdowns/outbursts are rare because of my new medication. I haven't had an outburst since I started taking my new medication. I want my character to be unmedicated with her disorder to give it that real feeling of autism and her general experience. I can't use my form because it's too well-managed now and most of my symptoms like sensory and emotional issues are medicated and controlled. D:

So yeah...what reasons do you have for having a meltdown/outburst? (You can ignore the story stuff and just give me some reasons why you would have a meltdown/outburst. XD)

I lose it if I'm buying something and the cashier is really insistent about getting my personal information. Shopping is irritating enough in a sensory-overload kind of way, and I'very protective of my privacy. I don't give stores my phone number, email address or postal code. So when they say "Phone number?" while they're ringing up my purchase I just say, "No." But sometimes they press the issue and ask why not or say they need it to complete the transaction, which is complete BS because that would actually be illegal where I live. So when they push it I sometimes fly off the handle.

Mine are actual triggers: being put down for things I can't afford and being unemployed made me wary of it later in life. It's to the the point a pile of books may trigger me because I couldn't go to university... I thought of deleting my FB 'friend' because of it, and I ended up in a fight with her over it anyway, as was bound to happen. I'm also a survivor of other things that have happened to me. so try not to think only about your char's autism, but of how others reacted, did she have physical and emotional privacy growing up, did people take advantage of her communication problems and maybe invalidated her own narrative, which is also very important in case something has happened to you, etc.

Yeah, just making the point that, for example, she can be autistic and have a dead mother. She can be autistic and dyspraxic, autistic and poor etc. I think that in writing as well as in real life, people do tend to present one issue as if it excludes other issues, and it's something to consider if the goal is a fully fledged character that you want the readers to know as if she were a real person.

Do you feel like you have to write in the third person? Or could you tell about her brother from her POV, so you'd still be using first person?

(sorry if I'm invading the conversation)
but you could switch POV's each chapter. That's what I'm doing in my story. If you make each character different in a significant way it won't be to confusing for the reader.

My reasons:

- First, the same as the one you mentioned, about things not going the way I planned, in particular If I had attached either (a) a lot of planning for and/or (b) had strong emotions attached to it.

- Injustice - When something I consider unfair happens to me, I can totally lose it, mainly because to me it just makes no logical sense!

- When people don't understand me or misjudge me in a negative way when they are totally wrong, and they just won't believe me when I explain myself

- Sensory and/or social overload

Often it takes a mixture of these things (for eg, being out and about in a shopping centre which is crowded and bright, with another person and maybe my Son, maybe the wrong temperature, and then something triggers me to do with unfairness for just one example)

- I also don't like being surprised by change imposed by others. I can initiate my own change.

- When people are just plain ignorant, I can really rant and rave beyond the norm if it is a topic I know a lot about

And I can often snap when I have had a day "out in the real World" and then when I finally get home I am bombarded with people asking me to do things or asking questions, etc. After a day's worth of blocking out my reactions, it just takes one trigger like that once I am home to make me totally lose it

I have outbursts it for the following reasons:-

-I am crying out for reassurance, even if it's slightly exaggerated I still can calm down if somebody talks it over with me (it won't work by yelling ''reassure me!! !'')
-I want other people to feel guilty for ''touching my buttons'' (if they have caused me to panic or worry or get angry over something)
-I want other people to see how frustrated I am, I feel being angry but only to a sane extent doesn't always get the right message across that I am feeling this way, so irrationally I seem to think that shouting and screaming will solve the problem
-I kind of feel like arguing sometimes

Don't forget the counterpart: shutdowns. I am much more shutdown prone than meltdown. A stressful sensory or social situation (family reunion anyone?) will have me sitting in the corner, unable to carry on a conversation about anything but maybe the pokemon game I'm playing or the book I'm reading, but not as often the book because I have to have blasting music to drown out the chaos noise to read, and taking my headphones off kills my conversation abilities.

I only have metldowns after extended periods (weeks) of stress or when I have no opportunity to unwind alone or with my wife at the end of the day.

But I can shutdown, be forced to dive into the computer or video games and lose most ability to talk, just from someone stressful making a lot of clattering with dishes in the same room as me.

When Im feeling overwhelmed either because I don't know what to do in a certain situation, have too much going on around me, or just have something on my mind thats stressing me out it is often misinterpreted as me being angry at other people rather than me feeling panicky or overwhelmed by a situation. When I try to clarify and am accused of lying and not feeling what I'm feeling then I'm done for.

When feeling 'trapped' and angry...

For example my last meltdown was at the job centre when they told me they were going to stop my benefits because my not being able to use a telephone means I'm not doing everything I need to in order to remain on benefits - basically they were deeply wrong for saying this (also for calling me 'mentally incapable of working') and I knew they were wrong...but I didn't know my 'rights' well enough to correct them and to put my foot down, thus I felt trapped and unable to see my options. I was mad and frustrated, these emotions seem to internalise so inside my head I'm screaming abuse and lecturing this person on their ignorance...on the outside I'm crying like a baby. A similar meltdown occurred on a work trial, the company was horribly unethical, it was a call centre (see above - telephones are a no-no for me) and they gave no training yet expected me to stand-up in front of a bunch of people to roll-play a phone call...I didn't know if I could just walk-out of the work placement without losing my benefits, I was angry at how I was being treat, and so I had a huge meltdown.

I can have shut-downs too in these situations, or occasionally in sexual situations when I feel pressured or I'm not sure what my partner is wanting from me - basically it's all feeling trapped or not knowing what to do in a situation.

My meltdowns happen when I'm in public, especially at the mall. It's always too warm in these places, people walking on my damn heels, loud music or music that I don't like, babies, screaming children.....etc.

I know I'm having a meltdown because I sort of "shut down" and become very angry. It feels like I'm in an extremely bad mood and need to leave the store. This happens every time I go to the mall with my parents.