Hey #actuallyAutistic folks, I am exploring something.
The strategic shutdown.
Instead of waiting until my brain overloads and it totally shuts down, losing language and ability to cope with the outside world, I am getting a better feel for when I am on the cusp of that and instead preemptively going into a more gentle disengage. Non verbal but like consensual meditation retreat quiet, instead of crisis can't interact.
Thoughts?
Invitation to infodump, I am low language but listening. ⭐
@vlrny This is more or less what I've started doing. I don't have the typical 'shutdowns' but I do get overwhelmed at times, and now when I recognize this happening, I close all my chat and social media things, and I remove all clutter (digital and physical) from my environment, and open some kind of project or activity that doesn't require interaction with anyone else.
Especially closing down anything with public/group conversations has helped immensely for regaining my focus and thoughts. Sometimes just for a few hours, sometimes for a literal month.
(Digital clutter is stuff like unused browser tabs, open application windows I'm not currently using, and so on)
@vlrny In this situation I do still interact with specific people; like family at home, and I have a separate Matrix account for talking privately to a few low-stress people, that I keep open, but I don't use that account for anything else