What do you do during an emotional breakdown?

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equestriatola
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07 Nov 2013, 12:43 pm

This one, well, it's quite obvious.
---
Given what I went through last week, I chose to deactivate my account for several days until I was well enough to join again. In addition, I think about past sporting events, comedic stuff, Whose Line, and just try to do things that are fun.


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skibum
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07 Nov 2013, 12:49 pm

I scream and cry and rock and stim. Sometimes I headbang. I hold my stuffed animal.


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equestriatola
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07 Nov 2013, 12:54 pm

skibum wrote:
I scream and cry and rock and stim. Sometimes I headbang. I hold my stuffed animal.


BTW, I like the quote in your sig, on an unrelated note. That kinda rings true with me.


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Joe90
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07 Nov 2013, 1:02 pm

I scream, cry, shout, swear, slap my face, stamp my feet, slam doors, and severely put myself down and wish I were dead. Sometimes I get the knife out and threaten to stab myself. My family just sit there rolling their eyes as if to say ''she won't do it, just leave her, she's only trying to get attention''. They're a little bit right, but not completely. Sometimes if I threaten to kill myself, something in my brain stops me and suddenly reminds me what I've got to live for, and stops me doing it. But another part of me wants to almost do it but be physically held back by family. I suppose that is getting attention a bit. But I don't have outbursts or meltdowns for attention. I have them because I don't know how else to handle too many negative emotions, and I suddenly want to put an end to my life. Then after letting it all out, I feel a bit better, although I'm left with a rapid heartbeat and a splitting headache, and also feeling guilty for my family and embarrassed for myself.

I know when an outburst/meltdown is coming on, but I can't always stop it. When something frustrates me to the point where I have to act on it, I get this funny tickly sensation in my stomach and I suddenly feel the blood rush around my body, and it makes it harder to resist the urge to just lash out.


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07 Nov 2013, 1:16 pm

I do a lot of stimming. I go up to my room and then I scream and head smack. My dogs usually help me calm down, though. Most of mine are caused by "sensory overload". Also, my brother does a lot of moving around and singing at the top of his lungs, which always gets me in a bad mood, because when I ask him to stop or tone it down, he'll say "I'm allowed to X, Pikachu". Then he'll do it even worse than before, and it distracts me from the things that I like doing.



skibum
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07 Nov 2013, 1:30 pm

equestriatola wrote:
skibum wrote:
I scream and cry and rock and stim. Sometimes I headbang. I hold my stuffed animal.


BTW, I like the quote in your sig, on an unrelated note. That kinda rings true with me.
Thank you! I love that quote so much and the movie and it really encourages me. I am glad it encourages you too. :D


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skibum
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07 Nov 2013, 1:34 pm

Joe90 wrote:
I scream, cry, shout, swear, slap my face, stamp my feet, slam doors, and severely put myself down and wish I were dead. Sometimes I get the knife out and threaten to stab myself. My family just sit there rolling their eyes as if to say ''she won't do it, just leave her, she's only trying to get attention''. They're a little bit right, but not completely. Sometimes if I threaten to kill myself, something in my brain stops me and suddenly reminds me what I've got to live for, and stops me doing it. But another part of me wants to almost do it but be physically held back by family. I suppose that is getting attention a bit. But I don't have outbursts or meltdowns for attention. I have them because I don't know how else to handle too many negative emotions, and I suddenly want to put an end to my life. Then after letting it all out, I feel a bit better, although I'm left with a rapid heartbeat and a splitting headache, and also feeling guilty for my family and embarrassed for myself.

I know when an outburst/meltdown is coming on, but I can't always stop it. When something frustrates me to the point where I have to act on it, I get this funny tickly sensation in my stomach and I suddenly feel the blood rush around my body, and it makes it harder to resist the urge to just lash out.
I can relate. I have suicidal thoughts a lot but usually it is when I am so overwhelmed that I feel like I just can't go on. But it really helps when someone really cares and shows it. But I know what you mean. I understand your thoughts completely. I tend to have my meltdowns in private though because like you said, I get really embarrassed if others see me have one.


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Joe90
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07 Nov 2013, 1:41 pm

skibum wrote:
Joe90 wrote:
I scream, cry, shout, swear, slap my face, stamp my feet, slam doors, and severely put myself down and wish I were dead. Sometimes I get the knife out and threaten to stab myself. My family just sit there rolling their eyes as if to say ''she won't do it, just leave her, she's only trying to get attention''. They're a little bit right, but not completely. Sometimes if I threaten to kill myself, something in my brain stops me and suddenly reminds me what I've got to live for, and stops me doing it. But another part of me wants to almost do it but be physically held back by family. I suppose that is getting attention a bit. But I don't have outbursts or meltdowns for attention. I have them because I don't know how else to handle too many negative emotions, and I suddenly want to put an end to my life. Then after letting it all out, I feel a bit better, although I'm left with a rapid heartbeat and a splitting headache, and also feeling guilty for my family and embarrassed for myself.

I know when an outburst/meltdown is coming on, but I can't always stop it. When something frustrates me to the point where I have to act on it, I get this funny tickly sensation in my stomach and I suddenly feel the blood rush around my body, and it makes it harder to resist the urge to just lash out.
I can relate. I have suicidal thoughts a lot but usually it is when I am so overwhelmed that I feel like I just can't go on. But it really helps when someone really cares and shows it. But I know what you mean. I understand your thoughts completely. I tend to have my meltdowns in private though because like you said, I get really embarrassed if others see me have one.


Yes, I would never have an outburst/meltdown in public. No way! I've had mini ones in public what aren't noticeable, like perhaps getting in a bit of a stress and walking out of a shop quickly or something. But it's not enough to show myself up and be embarrassed about. And I wouldn't have an outburst even if I hadn't have walked out of the shop. I would have just had to put up with whatever was stressing me out and carry on. I do have self-control in public, because I have social anxiety; I don't want to show myself up.


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skibum
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07 Nov 2013, 1:46 pm

Joe90 wrote:


Yes, I would never have an outburst/meltdown in public. No way! I've had mini ones in public what aren't noticeable, like perhaps getting in a bit of a stress and walking out of a shop quickly or something. But it's not enough to show myself up and be embarrassed about. And I wouldn't have an outburst even if I hadn't have walked out of the shop. I would have just had to put up with whatever was stressing me out and carry on. I do have self-control in public, because I have social anxiety; I don't want to show myself up.


Yeah, I know what you mean. I had a meltdown in public recently and it was so hard to suppress it. I tried so hard but I could not. It was really embarrassing, Fortunately I was among the nicest people I could have been with and they were totally supportive. But there are times when I will put myself in a very dangerous position like driving home on the verge of a meltdown just so that I can get home to have it. Or sometimes I just have to have it in the car and hope nobody notices.


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Last edited by skibum on 07 Nov 2013, 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Gooball
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07 Nov 2013, 1:52 pm

I have a meltdown. I drop to the floor and cry, scream, hit myself, headbang, rock, bite my wrists, sometimes cut myself, throw things, stamp my feet. I get into a negative cycle and can't calm down and it can go on for hours and hours and hours usually until I fall asleep.



doofy
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07 Nov 2013, 2:26 pm

Cry, take drugs, go to bed



BirdInFlight
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07 Nov 2013, 3:01 pm

If I'm not at home, I try to hold it in until I get home.

At home --- lots of angry, sad crying, and talking, talking, talking, pacing, pacing, pacing. I pace around and around, talking to the four walls, "thinking out loud" basically.

If it's a person who upset me, and I didn't think on my feet fast enough to defend myself, explain myself, right a wrong, or whatever else upsetting that happened in the encounter, I start saying out loud what I wish I'd been able to say on the spot to that person. But I tend to go over and over and over the same points to myself.

Same with a general situation I'm breaking down over -- I pretty much "write a diary entry" but verbally out loud to the thin air, talking about my rotten day, week, month, year, life. LOTSA talking out loud to nothing and nobody, accompanied with a lot of angst and tears and repeated points. :cry:

When I can finally get myself to calm down and stop the pacing and the self-talking, I usually try to sit down and watch something -- I love movies and my favorite TV shows, and usually have hours and hours of recorded stuff on my DVR, so I'll pick out a movie from there and try to get into it. If I pick the right thing I will usually be able to be distracted enough by it to calm down. However, I will still do things like pick at the skin on my thumb (a lifelong stim, my thumb is now hugely calloused and ragged), pick at my scalp (bigtime) or twirl strands of my hair obsessively, even while I'm enjoying the movie. But I tend to do those things even when I'm not consciously feeling particularly upset, too. I just do them even more when in meltdown.

I also kiss my cat, who is an affectionate one. Or look at, play with, admire, preen and cuddle some of my toy stuffed animals. You're never too old to tickle the ear of a toy puppy.



bumble
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07 Nov 2013, 3:06 pm

I head hit my head, scream, pull my hair, yell and cry etc.



JSBACHlover
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09 Nov 2013, 10:02 am

doofy wrote:
Cry, take drugs, go to bed

Me too. (drugs = an extra Xanax)



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09 Nov 2013, 3:16 pm

Usually get quiet and withdraw as much as possible.
The rare times I have acted out in public was from having to do multiple tasks at once and quickly. I start to go at hyper speed trying to do everything. You will hear loud banging on my keyboard from super rushed typing. I will run as fast as I can to get to the location of the next task. I have nave not done this in 3 or 4 years.


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09 Nov 2013, 6:22 pm

I would scream, cry, swear, insult myself, and isolate myself from other people.


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