Still blah after shutdown?i don't understand?

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yesterday I had a shutdown that was brought on by a really stressful week.

I took my kids to their karate class and the Fluro lights were really irritating, the noise was relentless and I sat in the waiting room trying to read a book, everyone looked like I was watching them on TV and their voices didn't match. I couldn't read and just slumped, one of the sensi's came over and asked if I was alright and my daughter started fussing over me, I put my hand up to ask my daughterto stop (she has an intellectual disability and autism) she didn't listen and the sensi took over and told her to stop, I was able to speak briefly with the sensi but when I got home I just went straight to bed and calapsed, the kids came to speak to me and I didn't/couldn't respond so I guess they thought I was asleep, I then feel asleep for just over an hour.

I don't shutdown very often but when I have I come out of it fuzzy but then better able to function. However I still am not ok..I feel flat, muddled and on edge.

I have recently been seeing a therapist and we have been working on recognising emotions, possible PTSD brought on by my daughters medical issues and some other stuff, the emotional stuff is exhausting.

I m wondering if my difference in shutdown recovery is because of the work we have been doing with the emotions and the trauma reguarding my daughter that has been brought up during sessions.

I am on my own and so overwhelmed...just wonder if this therapy is worth it.

Has anyone else had a change in shutdowns?
Thoughts please?

You need some micro-vacations. Going to bed and playing asleep was one, but you need to assert the need for more of them and more thorough and satisfying ones.

I don't know anything about your life nor about your child's medical issues, but respite care is extremely important for caregivers and too often overlooked.

Thank you for your insight and response, I do have respit for my daughter for two nights a month, but none as yet for my son.

I think what I now realise is that although I have a break away from them when they are at school as soon as they come home it is not long before I am overwhelmed again, they are both at testing ages at the moment and it's hard.
I need to have little breaks while I am with them especially on weekends, I know my situation isn't going to change and I feel I have no hope for things getting better. So yes I feel we will all benefit from me having some time to regroup.

It could be due to the therapy, as you have been going over those issues a lot during therapy.
But if therapy is beneficial in long term, I wouldn't suggest to stop due to short-term discomfort like this blah period after this shutdown.

Thank you

I had a therapy appointment this morning and that is exactly what she said, I have been dissconected from my emotions and now I'm starting to recognise some, she said although it doesn't feel very good, long term it will be beneficial and overtime I will start to recognise them and then be able to put things in place to support myself.

The therapist mentioned she can see how beneficial it is as I now have words to recognise my own emotions that I didn't have before.

Still don't like the feeling though...

Also suggested I should get a weighted lap blanket or something that would help calm me while at home with kids.

I have a lot of shutdowns and the aftermath isn't consistent. There are times when I recover right away and other times when I have what I call a "shutdown hangover" that can take at least a couple of days to get over.