Avoiding Emotional Meltdowns

It can be easy to get overwhelmed in such a busy world and this can cause stress and strong emotions. Having an emotional meltdown can come when someone has too much stress. A meltdown looks different for different people while some might get angry and snap at someone, others might not be able to stop crying. Stressful situations can be normal sometimes because when life is full of pressure it brings stress.

Having an emotional breakdown doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong, it just means that you are dealing with hard times and your needs aren’t being met. You can recover from this though and you can learn to deal with stress so that you don’t have so many meltdowns.

What Causes Emotional Meltdowns

Emotional meltdowns happen when someone is in a situation that they can’t control. There are other reasons that you might feel on the verge of an emotional meltdown!

• Tiredness

If you aren’t getting enough sleep and you are constantly tired, you are going to be more open to stress and stressful situations.

• Hunger

Not getting enough calories can cause you to be hungry and this hunger can cause you to have little energy, problems with focus, shakiness, headaches and more.

• Too Much on the Schedule

Having too much on your schedule at once can cause you to feel overwhelmed and stressed.

• Life Changes

Life changes can cause you to be stressed. If you begin a new job, move to a new city, or start a relationship it can be a big stressor.

• Relationship Problems

Relationship problems and conflicts within your life can cause you to feel upset and stressed. If you are having these things, it can cause you to become overwhelmed.

These situations above can cause you to feel stressed and they can lead to meltdowns. These things can be worked on like getting enough sleep and getting enough to eat.

Fighting Against Emotional Meltdowns

You can’t stop all negative things from happening in your life but the way that you respond to stress can help you to fight against emotional meltdowns. You will need to be keen on looking for signs of stress such as how you are breathing, if you get hot, have cold hands or other signs. Before you move on to a meltdown, take time to calm down and pause with your emotions. Don’t let your emotions to make you make poor decisions but make decisions that are logical.

You can ground yourself to help you feel better and here is how you can do that:

• Take a deep breath.
• Hold your breath for 5 seconds.
• Breathe out for 5 seconds.
• Pause before you repeat this and then do it again until you feel calm.

Doing these things won’t mean that your situation goes away but it can mean that you can be in control of your emotions. Always be calm before you make a decision, and this will help you to be more thoughtful and less emotional.

What to Do After an Emotional Meltdown

After you have an emotional meltdown how does it make you feel? Do you feel upset with yourself, or do you feel happy that you were able to express your feelings? Do you worry about having another emotional meltdown?

Most people would rather be able to forget what they did but sometimes it is good to remember so that you can learn from it. If you have a meltdown, you can learn to manage your emotions and you can learn to build yourself up.

If you feel upset that you’ve had an emotional meltdown then you need to look at your feelings. Figure out why it isn’t okay for you to act the way that you do so that you can learn how to manage your emotions in the future.

Maybe you feel better after your meltdown because you were able to express your feelings. This can sometimes help you to have less stress. As you learn to express yourself and your feelings, you can figure out how to have your meltdowns without hurting others along the way.

Even though you shouldn’t have to apologize for what you feel, the way that you behaved might be a reason to apologize. If you screamed at someone, slammed things, broke something or managed your emotions negatively, you might need to apologize for this behavior. If you have a hard time managing your emotions, talking to a therapist might be a good idea.

Stopping Emotional Meltdowns from Happening

There are things that you can do to get your meltdowns in check. If you are close to having an emotional meltdown, here’s what you can do!

• Learn to Control Stress

Figure out things that you can do to control stress such as relaxing, journaling, going to work out, laughing or even meditating. Doing these things can help you to have less stress and help you to not feel so overwhelmed in life.

• What is Your Body Telling You?

Listen to what your body is telling you. If you find that you’re overly tired or you have pain or discomfort, this can be a sign of stress. Figure out healthy ways to change this around to be calm and collected.

• Understand Your Feelings

Don’t ignore your negative feelings. Name the feeling and figure out why you are having it. Understand what is causing you to have this feelings and that will help you to be able to handle it better.

• Get Help

Talk to a friend, family member or a therapist to help you to understand your emotions and your feelings. You can even talk to someone if you feel that you have an anxiety disorder. Talking to someone that doesn’t judge you can help you.

• Go Into Nature

Going into nature can bring peace. Nature can help you to be calm. Go out and listen to the birds, feel the grass under your feet and smell the world around you. This can raise your mood and lower your pulse and cortisol which is a stress hormone.

• Have Fun

Take time each day to have some kind of fun. This can be a hobby that you enjoy. Do whatever you can to get your muscles to relax and let the feel-good hormones fill your body.

• Talk to a Professional

If you feel that you can’t get past your overwhelming feelings, talk to a professional. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a therapist that can help you to cope with your negative feelings. This can also help you to get past stress and anxiety.