Published on 12, July, 2020
I’ve had problems for years with just zoning out or completely shutting down. I don’t know what causes it sometimes, it’s like if I sit still everything shuts down and I either completely go to sleep or it’s like I’m asleep with my eyes being shut but I can hear things, but I just can’t respond or even move. Does anyone else get this? I was told it’s a response to being constantly overwhelmed and my body needing to rest from it all.
Other times, like the three days annual leave I’ve had this week, i zone out for hours in a similar way, it’s very unproductive but it’s like I can’t fight it. I had plans this week for my three days off but spent most of each day just lying still as if asleep but without being asleep. Just zoned out and completely still. I go back to work today and despite all this I feel completely exhausted.
does anyone else get this? I read that it’s common for people with autism to be tired all the time.
Purple Ella has a good video about shutdowns on YouTube.
I'm not sure whether I experience shutdowns or just extreme fatigue... sometimes, I feel like my whole body is slowing down so that even walking feels like hard work (it's like when you walk under water). I also find myself struggling to communicate and just longing for my bed. This tends to happen after a stressful day/when I've felt particularly overloaded.
thats what i get --- i think it is a shutdown - i found it listed under types of shutdown ( feeling sleepy and tired - and needing sleep ) sorry i cant remember where i read this. Again i thought it was fatigue but not now. When i feel my shutdown happening i talk in monosyllables and single words - and i know i am going down.
That’s what happens to me, everything starts slowing right down and I can’t form sentences properly and then I can’t speak at all. It’s like being stuck between asleep and awake without being able to do anything. It happened last night and I was so angry because I had a lot to do, but I just could not move. I couldn’t even move to get the tv remote control as it was too loud and making me angry. It wasted most of my evening.
I'm really sorry to hear you're struggling. It could be that you're experiencing shutdowns due to autism and/or anxiety, but it might be worth going for a check-up at the doctor's. Since I last commented here, I had to see the doctor about some health issues, and it turns out that I may have a chronic health condition that's causing me to suffer from fatigue. I also have a vitamin B12 deficiency, which has been contributing to my feeling constantly exhausted. I'm now a little more open-minded about my shutdowns... they definitely happen when I've been overloaded, but it might sometimes be a result of my physical health condition too.
I get so frustrated and beat myself up as in stressful situations I used to sleep straight away or be so tired I couldnt stay awake. I'd fell asleept at my new boyfriends parents house, at a social gathering as we sat around a table talking, an arguement with an old boyfriend I promptly fell asleep in his car.
Then the shut downs changed i think, (i'm still unsure if their shut downs) So for example, Friday I was experiencing extreme stress in a situation, I was unconfortable, started thinking I dont like this right what can I do, then I felt the room going weird like I wasent there, my brain stopped, I couldnt move, my husband got me outside but I barely remember walking out and I collapsed in a heap followed by a meltdown then extremely tired. As I was still traumatised I was stimming like mad, another shut down episode (if thats what it is) followed by stimming alot and meltdown. I spent the next day exhausted and I hate myself for not being able to do what I want to do and I cant control my body. I feel I've let my child down time and time again over this. I found out recently I'm autistic but I'm still learning about my struggles. Does this sound like shut down or anxiety?
I think I'm too slow to process too, this causes me extreme anxiety, I asked my husband today and he said I've always been the same and I cant change that. Even the simplest of questions or situations I need time to think. Ive spent years hating myself, but now I need answers and solutions
If you're shutting down there and then, it might just be easier to lie down where you are than to try and get yourself to another room. It's whatever works for you in these situations.