Published on 12, July, 2020
One thing I've never been able to understand or help my daughter with is the aftermath of a meltdown. Yes, she has meltdowns and struggles on a weekly basis and I can help her with that but it's the bigger ones I can't.
The ones she has in school I'm talking about. She is still shaken up from Wednesday's meltdown at school. She hasn't been settled at all and is on edge and is constantly pacing and crying. The school never told me that she had a meltdown and was restrained and held for ages, and she came home battered and bruised. I only found out because my daughter told me otherwise Id have no clue. The hardest part is the recovery and aftermath of the meltdown for her.
I want to help her more and understand so if anyone is able to tell me what helps them after to decompress and relax, that will be amazing. Thanks x
After a meltdown I find that I am physically and emotionally exhausted. I need to reduce sensory input as much as possible. For example I can watch TV only using the subtitles and I need to leave the sound off completely. I need to be left alone and quiet and can't tolerate anyone talking to me.
It sounds as if your daughter is quite agitated with all the constant pacing and crying. That is perhaps a sign that she may be ruminating over the meltdown and remains angry about how she was treated and restrained when it happened.
Once she calms down it is worth trying to talk through what happened to identify the triggers. Knowledge and awareness of triggers is the best thing to try and avoid further meltdowns.