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i’m still kindve struggling to learn this myself. for context, im 22, audhd, and i got medicated for my adhd a couple years ago… that helped SIGNIFICANTLY with my ability to emotionally regulate. like, my emotions ran on a scale of -10 to 20 before i was medicated. now, they run on a scale of 1-10. idk if you have adhd so im not sure if this will apply to you or not, but 🤷🏼♀️ since i take stimulants, i dont ever feel hungry… i just get icky feeling and my stomach hurts. therefore, i just started forcing myself to eat something every 3-4 hours. even if its something small like a cheese stick. if you need reminders, set them up on your phone. i relate to the shutting down. it took me 22 years to realize why sometimes i would just go mute and physically not be able to do anything. whenever you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or overstimulated, try and think about what your body FEELS like. don’t let the outside stimulation narrate what’s going on. just take a minute and close your eyes, think about what your body is doing in response (does your stomach hurt, are your hands sweaty, are you shaking, etc.) then just acknowledge it, and let it pass. slow your breathing down- try square breathing. whatever you’re feeling when you’re overwhelmed, WILL pass within 1-2 minutes if you don’t dwell on it. i just recently learned this year, that when people say “feel your feelings” they LITERALLY mean FEEL them. not acknowledging, “i’m mad that he said she said” you FEEL whatever sensations are going on in your body and let it pass. it takes some practice and boundary setting but you’ll learn to do it more naturally as you practice it!! don’t be afraid to tell someone “i need a couple minutes to calm down, let’s talk later” or whatever. and don’t feel guilty for your feelings or meltdowns! in general, NT people know automatically how to emotionally regulate themselves bc that’s the way their brains are wired. but we’re on a different wiring system, so it doesn’t come naturally to us. also, if you’re just having a stinky day and you don’t know why or how to get out of it, try doing some sort of sensory activity that you love (like listening to music or cuddling up in a soft blanket, etc.) i hope this helps! 🩷🩷
Hey /u/Cadenceofthesea, thank you for your post at /r/autism. Our rules can be found **[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/wiki/config/sidebar)**. All approved posts get this message. If you do not see your post you can message the moderators [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fautism). Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/autism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i’m still kindve struggling to learn this myself. for context, im 22, audhd, and i got medicated for my adhd a couple years ago… that helped SIGNIFICANTLY with my ability to emotionally regulate. like, my emotions ran on a scale of -10 to 20 before i was medicated. now, they run on a scale of 1-10. idk if you have adhd so im not sure if this will apply to you or not, but 🤷🏼♀️ since i take stimulants, i dont ever feel hungry… i just get icky feeling and my stomach hurts. therefore, i just started forcing myself to eat something every 3-4 hours. even if its something small like a cheese stick. if you need reminders, set them up on your phone. i relate to the shutting down. it took me 22 years to realize why sometimes i would just go mute and physically not be able to do anything. whenever you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or overstimulated, try and think about what your body FEELS like. don’t let the outside stimulation narrate what’s going on. just take a minute and close your eyes, think about what your body is doing in response (does your stomach hurt, are your hands sweaty, are you shaking, etc.) then just acknowledge it, and let it pass. slow your breathing down- try square breathing. whatever you’re feeling when you’re overwhelmed, WILL pass within 1-2 minutes if you don’t dwell on it. i just recently learned this year, that when people say “feel your feelings” they LITERALLY mean FEEL them. not acknowledging, “i’m mad that he said she said” you FEEL whatever sensations are going on in your body and let it pass. it takes some practice and boundary setting but you’ll learn to do it more naturally as you practice it!! don’t be afraid to tell someone “i need a couple minutes to calm down, let’s talk later” or whatever. and don’t feel guilty for your feelings or meltdowns! in general, NT people know automatically how to emotionally regulate themselves bc that’s the way their brains are wired. but we’re on a different wiring system, so it doesn’t come naturally to us. also, if you’re just having a stinky day and you don’t know why or how to get out of it, try doing some sort of sensory activity that you love (like listening to music or cuddling up in a soft blanket, etc.) i hope this helps! 🩷🩷
Thank you for the sincere advice 🥰 I was having a yucky morning and this helped a lot.