In autistic people, including myself, it can be hard to recognize when we are in a rumbling stage of a meltdown. The  rumbling stage is the first part of the meltdown where there are mostly visible signs where an autistic person is about to go into the next stage, the rage stage.

It can take others to recognize the fact that we need to take care of our needs to prevent going into the stage of raging. Although I may not have always listened to the cues of others, family, as I have matured in life, I have started to recognize the fact that I need to take care of my own needs or have needs met to work preventing going into a full-blown meltdown.

There is sense called interoception that can be hard for autistic people to recognize. It is the sense that tells the human body that we need to meet our basic needs. We are hungry, need a drink, use the restroom, and so forth. We need to just take a walk if we can clear our thoughts away from the tense environment that we are in to clear our thoughts from thinking instantly in an environment that is bothersome.

We need to go to a space that provides us with additional comfort and support for getting through a situation that is triggering us. Although there have been times when I was not doing my best at heeding advice to go away from the situation and be able to relax with my own thoughts or hydrate, nourish myself or even use the restroom because the only thing on my mind was how I was going to get rid of the energy that I was experiencing.

I recall a time not too long ago when I was not my best and was circling a parking lot in near rage in a state where I felt that I was not in control of my thoughts. Part of that was fueled by an excessive amount of caffeine and sugar that I had no business having. It would be some months later that I would work at ditching caffeine for good. I realized that things were much better that way and there were other effects that made life more pleasant as well.

As hard as it was to admit that caffeine was fuel to my meltdowns, I eventually saw it and as a result life has been much better since I gave it up over a year ago. Part of the life of an autistic person is finding what works and what does not in the realm of preventing meltdowns from having additional accelerants that are very unhealthy. Through understanding when I was at my worst, I was able to see that it was better to forgo things like tea and caffeine to not have the explosive meltdown that had occurred that for some degree I could not totally rectify.

It is more diligent on my part and recognizing that when things are becoming more challenging for me there is a possibility of me erupting into a meltdown, to stop and think about whether my personal needs are met and are taken care of. It can be hard to see that sometimes, but If I work to be more diligent, I will be able to see that I am able to prevent the brunt of a meltdown from happening.