going into shutdown can I stop it ? any techniques ?

can i reply to myself lol

You're welcome. Just passing things on that I learned in my turn from helpful folks on autism forums - standing on the shoulders of giants, and all that!

thanks

ok now but i always feel groggy for while afterwards.

Trogluddite, I think you are correct  (fighting them could be futile )   -  I only just realised recently what they where - I didn't realise I was experiencing shutdowns. I tried to mediate when they start but they are way too strong. I usually go into a very very deep sleep.

Its funny when I feel them coming on I had the habit of grabbing my sunglasses which relieved my eyes a bit and gave me more time to get to somewhere where I can sleep.

 you're Lego reference just reminded me of something -- couple of times in work I would get my really tried sensation. I was in a meeting so I started doodling on a sticky pad .... I attempted a mini Jackson Pollock with a 4 color pen -  that actually helped me survive the meeting  until i got my eyes shut for 10 -15 minutes. I have done this many times :)

you're giving me ideas which is excellent . Small pile of Lego for my desk at work :)

I will also try breathing exercises again, but this time Box breathing which is taught in USA army ( very good for tight situations ).

awesome thanks Trogluddite

an autistic shutdown --- i become uncontrollably tired, my eyes hurt and want to shut. Very sleepy and very grumpy and irritable. I usually just go into a very deep sleep. I tried mediating when they start but my brain says no way. Even afterwards I feel groggy for a while.

i have been having them without recognizing what they were - but i started reading up on them due to another thread in this group and suddenly holy crap I realise I have shutdowns once a week or so .! they can be 10 minutes say in work or bigger like last night after being to a local castle.

The castle had such an amazing history, so thought provoking.  This castle 2 miles form me and i didn't know it was there. You can visit one day per year and no one mentions it. But it was beautiful in its day ............ boom 

anyways I back in reality

shutdowns vary quite a bit so read about them more if need be.

Hi aidie, I hope you're hanging in there OK.

The main thing, I think, is just to get rid of as many sensory stimulations, stresses, and demands that you can, and to find a way to relax yourself as much as possible (I know - easier said than done!)

I think it's very important to listen to what your brain and body are telling you. Although a shut-down can be very inconvenient, or even a bit frightening, it is your brain letting you know that it must re-charge its batteries soon, otherwise you'll just flop completely. So if you feel sleepy, then sleep, and if you feel the need to stim, then stim (stimming is definitely an autistic survival instinct in my opinion.) I find that trying to fight a shut down too hard is usually counter-productive - the effort to suppress it just tires out my brain even more, and I'll just shut down even harder a bit later on.

If I can, I usually let anyone important know that I can't be contacted for a while, and turn off my phone, e-mail notifications, etc. - that way I know there won't be any unexpected demands made of me while I'm trying to relax. Then I shut out the world as much as possible - I use an eye-mask and ear-plugs for maximum sensory deprivation. The relaxing is usually the hard part - different things work for different people at different times. Sometimes some breathing exercises or a walk in the woods work great for me, other times, my mind is racing too much, so it's better to go for something that will completely distract my mind (playing music and Lego work well for me, but if you have any interest that you can completely lose yourself in, now is the time to get lost in it.)

And very importantly. Try not to feel guilty about taking this time out, and don't let anyone else guilt-trip you either! Worrying too much about shutting down can be a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A shut-down coming on is your mind telling you that there's something you need to do, just like hunger tells you to eat, so try to accept it for what it is - a perfectly natural defence mechanism.

In the longer term, it's a matter of using those same techniques, but little and often, so that the need to shut-down is less likely to happen in the first place. I try to take as much weight off my mind as possible in advance, too - for example, if I agree to go out with someone, I might say that I'm a bit tired, so I already have a reason to bail out early if it gets a bit overwhelming and I'm not fretting about whether I'll offend them if I decide to do that.

Best wishes - I hope it passes soon.

When you say going into shutdown what you mean?