![]() Allow your body to metabolize all the stress chemicals that were just released.It can also give us the clarity needed to step back and tend to the short-term repair process. Taking a time of rest can help us avoid getting stuck in a shame-cycle after an emotional meltdown. Just like we’d rest and provide supportive care for a fever, we may need a break to recover and rest from our emotional stress if it’s become overwhelming. Just like our bodies spike physical fevers to show that we are fighting off something invasive, an emotional meltdown can be conceptualized as an “emotional fever” of sorts. Meltdowns are a flashing neon sign that you are under an enormous amount of stress beyond your bodies capability. The first step, even before repairing with anyone else involved, is regulating your own emotions by stepping back and walking away from the trigger or stimuli if needed. What does the repair process look like? If we’ve created pain or damage to a loved one or to ourselves, what do we do then? We hear a lot about how to prevent meltdowns (good communication, self-care, regular spiritual practices that keep us rooted and grounded) but what we don’t hear a lot about is what to do after we’ve had a meltdown. ![]() Emotional meltdowns and the symptoms thereof can occur rarely or frequently, with varying degrees of intensity. We’ve all heard of the mid-life crisis where someone starts to question their meaning or purpose. It could be intrapersonal, meaning it’s an internal struggle. This could look like suddenly snapping at a partner and saying things that have been building up for awhile. What does an emotional meltdown look like in adults? It may be relational (interpersonal). We are not using it in the context of a sensory meltdown, which may require a different approach.) (Keep in mind that, for the purposes of this article, we are using the term “emotional meltdown” as a synonym for extreme emotional dysregulation that results in lashing out or other unhelpful behaviors. ![]() Especially in the past few years, with rising tensions in our world and personal lives, I think we’ve all been on the brink of an emotional meltdown periodically. ![]() We often think of meltdowns in the context of children, but adults can have emotional meltdowns as well. ![]()
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