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Shutdowns - how many is too many?

Con

I recently self diagnosed as Autistic and have been learning a lot about myself because of it.

One of the parts of it I'm not sure on is the regularity of my shutdowns and if it is normal or too much.

I'll tend to have at a minimum a couple everyday. Usually one when I get in from work and one around bed time. The severity of these can range, most of the time I'll at least want to just be left alone but I can also become non verbal with my sensory sensitivities also heightened, among other things.

I'll have two at a minimum though. Depending on the day I'm having, maybe stress, sensory sensitivities, masking etc. I may also have more.

Is this a normal amount? I'm 30 years old and have only in the last couple of months realised I'm Autistic so I think I've just gotten used to a constant level of stress/dealing with symptoms so not really sure what my normal should feel like!

Any advice or similar stories would be helpful! I'm also still trying to understand a lot of my sensitivities and what I can do to help myself. 

Parents

  • There's no "normal" really in either shut down or melt down. Some people never experience one or the other, some even experience both as rare. Others both very frequently and in different forms.

    The key is, however yours are, is to work out what triggers them and try to minimise that.

  • in reply to Dawn

    Exactly, this is why I prefer to use the word normal only in relation to the self,  ie you know when you are experiencing something that isn't your own form of what is usual, otherwise as you say "normal" is such a problematic and misleading word.
    I had to ask as I find strangers are almost never truly qualified to tell other people what is "too many" or "too few" or "normal" because we aren't in their position to know what their average benchmark history is to judge from.
    I think it would be more helpful if Con could identify how they are feeling, like can they cope or are they feeling overwhelmed. Because I think that's the most important thing here.

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  • in reply to Dawn

    Exactly, this is why I prefer to use the word normal only in relation to the self,  ie you know when you are experiencing something that isn't your own form of what is usual, otherwise as you say "normal" is such a problematic and misleading word.
    I had to ask as I find strangers are almost never truly qualified to tell other people what is "too many" or "too few" or "normal" because we aren't in their position to know what their average benchmark history is to judge from.
    I think it would be more helpful if Con could identify how they are feeling, like can they cope or are they feeling overwhelmed. Because I think that's the most important thing here.

Children