Managing Overwhelming Situations & Meltdowns

Sam Valavanis, one of our A List Ambassadors , shares his experience.

I have found that I most often become overwhelmed when I am exposed to really loud and extended noise, usually in large or open spaces.

Examples of noises that can make me feel overwhelmed include loud cheering, such as after a performance or speech in a large hall or stadium, and loud construction work, particularly machinery like drilling or sawing in open areas such as the street.

When I become overwhelmed, I use strategies to help calm myself. These include covering my ears, taking deep breaths, and thinking about something that makes me feel happy. Once the noise stops or I am no longer near it, I begin to feel better and return to normal.

Before I knew I was autistic, I didn’t understand why this happened to me, and I rarely asked for help. This is likely why I learned to cope with overwhelming situations on my own.

When I have a meltdown, several things usually happen beforehand that build up frustration, annoyance or anger.

One of the other A List Ambassadors, Summer, has already gone into detail about what can lead to and cause meltdowns for autistic people, so I won’t repeat that here.

If you’d like to read more about Summer’s experiences and strategies, you can read her article here .

For me, meltdowns usually occur after multiple stressful events happen within a short period of time, sometimes over the course of a day, or even just a few hours (my personal worst was about one hour).

The final trigger often results in me losing my temper and yelling, crying uncontrollably, or most often both.

When I cry, I feel as though I am releasing my emotions in a healthy way. I usually cry for five to ten minutes, then calm down and feel much better afterwards. Most often, I recover with the support and reassurance of another person, such as a parent, teacher, or trusted adult.

I often describe a meltdown as a “volcano of emotions.” Stress builds up slowly, bubbling under the surface, until one final event causes the volcano to erupt.

Although meltdowns happened frequently in the past, they have reduced significantly since receiving my diagnosis last year. That said, they can still happen, reminding me that meltdowns are a regular part of autism, just like my love of trains.

If you’d like to read more about that interest, you can check out my article The Art of Training – One autistic’s crazy love of the rail system .

In the end, being overwhelmed and having meltdowns is a normal part of autism. Autistic people should never be judged or viewed as lesser for reacting strongly to situations that may not affect others in the same way.

Sam x

Sam Valavanis is an A List Ambassador – find out more about our A List Ambassadors

See more from Sam on his Facebook page .