Steps to prevent heavy breakdowns
Sometimes, we just need to cry and scream. I highly recommend crying at all times you feel the urge to, because it is healthy - but here’s some steps you can take to prevent yourself from overloads so heavy that you end up crying and screaming on the floor and not moving for 5 hours.
Give this post a read. Perhaps the points I make might help you.
Here’s what I do;
- Identify and accept that you are feeling upset (”I feel wrong about this”, “Something about (x) isn’t right”, “This isn’t making me feel happy”,”I’m not having fun anymore”, etc)
- Ask critical questions to help identify the situation (”Why do I feel this way?”, “Why am I angry at this person?”, “What is it about (x) that’s upset me?”, etc)
- Think about what you CAN do, not what you can’t (”(Person) has upset me, so I’ll talk to them about the issue”, “I can’t avoid (topic) but I can take steps to prevent/cope with it”, etc)
- Have a recovery plan. Make note of what makes you feel safe, happy, comfortable, calm, or in control, and make use of those things for later. (these can be stim toys, calm videos, memes/Vines, letsplayers, cartoons and other media, a recording of a person’s voice, a person or a group of people, puzzles, mobile/video games, food/drink, and so on)
- Plan steps to enact big or uncomfortable changes on a long-term scale to conserve your mental health, and make sure you have a support network (ie - planning to break up with a friend or partner, planning to come out to family members, planning to discuss a friend or family member’s bad habit/s, etc)
- Also, a huge protip, keep bottled nonperishable drinks AND packaged snacks by areas you tend to feel safe enough to break down around. I recommend this because sometimes, if you’re unsure why you feel Wrong, you might need a drink or food. Sometimes you might even need to use the bathroom or shower. ALSO - drink and food are good to have by you after a breakdown because you’ve likely exhausted yourself. Think of it like refilling HP.
Things to remember;
You are strong enough to get through this. You deserve compassion and trust. Sometimes people just can’t work well with you, and that’s alright. You are unique and complex, despite what some people’s opinions are, because you are an algorithm not found anywhere else. No two people are the same, but there are plenty of others to relate to. We can take solace in each other simply by existing. We are human, we have emotions, and we have a life to live.
You’re gonna make it.
