Shutdown

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Hi,

What does it feel like for you to experience shutdown?
Is there anything that helps you to cope with it?

Thanks

Hi Ash! Long time no see.

Sensory overload to the point where it is essential to avoid further sensory input.


Lying down in a quiet room. Ideally this room would be softly lit and soundproof.

I'm a bit weird, because when I go through sensory overload, I usually go to my room and put on some of my favorite rock songs. Total silence drives me nuts.

Hello!

when i shut down, everything feels like a dream, i become emotional and it takes me longer to respond to people when they talk to me, it also takes longer to process what im looking at, and i can see less details. i become very tired and my hearing increases. i usually shut down when i go to a party, a dance, or if im simply around people too much.

It happens in situations with too much noise, unruly kids or other "stimulants" of the sort.
I go "grey" and just stand there, unable to react or speak. Afterwards I might cry.
Help: Go somewhere quiet until the balance is restored.

grey is a great way to explain it! it always seems harder to express emotions when you shut down.

I just go to my apartment, which is my safe-place, and go with either no or minimal sensory stimulation until my mind gets re-centered. For just more or less normal life stuff this usually takes from a few hours to a few days.

Disconnected, helpless, confused, lethargic, dreamy, sometimes almost catatonic.

Disconnected...kind of like I'm trapped in a glass cube with everything else around me rushing past at a million miles per hour. It's like I can see everything around me, but am to overloaded to relate to it, and either no words will come out or I can't get the right words to come out. I usually feel like I'm going to cry, but can't, though sometimes I'm able to. Nothing feels solid, I'm just there, in the moment with no way to react. Usually, in order to fix this, I'll go somewhere quiet to relax for a while or sleep until I feel more balanced.

I really like reading this stuff. It helps me put stuff into words. For me it is like things start spinning out of control. Sometimes I have dissociative disorder - lose track of where I am and kinda even who I am like everything around me is like a bad nightmare. I will either curl into a ball and go kinda comatose or have a meltdown tantrum when I get overwhelmed this way.

I really like reading this stuff. It helps me put stuff into words. For me it is like things start spinning out of control. Sometimes I have dissociative disorder - lose track of where I am and kinda even who I am like everything around me is like a bad nightmare. I will either curl into a ball and go kinda comatose or have a meltdown tantrum when I get overwhelmed this way.

Reading stuff, sitting in front of my PS3 or laptop or just chilling in the shower is my preferred method of coping.

Your body is in the world, but isn't really there.

Your body is in the world, but you aren't.