It makes it so hard to actually experience my feelings 😭 I’ve seen quite a few people talk about it over on TikTok though, so we’re definitely not alone with it!
Thank you for sharing this obviously completely relateable meltdown moment. Its really good that people see a meltdown that isnt the stereotypical one thqt their mind insists on showing them. Hugs, sweetness! 💞
I’m always torn between really showing how things are, and not wanting to be TOO vulnerable online 😅 Thank you for always being so supporting and making me feel like I’m making good choices in what I share!
@DanaAndersen I've been intending to film one but my brain has been in that super snotty can't make any words out phase lately so it wouldn't be worthwhile. Waiting for the ick up and down weather to end so my head gets to dry out!! (Sorry for the tmi. Lol!)
12:46 Hunting earmuffs. They make hunting earmuffs that are meant to protect from gunshot sounds. I carry a pair with me everywhere. They were originally designed/meant for people who go shooting, but I use them because they help reduce the decibels of sounds and so they make the world a lot more accessible for me.
I think this is evidence that we need to find a way to send trains across the ocean. The whole process of traveling by train is so much more comfortable for so many reasons. Glad to hear that most of the trip was awesome, though! Rest and recover well. I think having a safe travel companion makes airports and airplanes so much better, but they definitely can still suck. I've never had to airplane without a safe person. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I can totally relate to meltdowns and shutdowns I have asd to .things can get to much for me when traveling I get such anxiety and I can’t sleep properly i really prefer to be at home with all my things around me and my own bed
Exactly! I didn’t sleep properly the whole month, and then had several days of almost no sleep at all, and even now I’m home it’s been so long that my bed doesn’t feel right 😭 I am very glad to have all my things around me again though, and even happier to be back with my cats 🥰
Thank you for sharing, Dana - it was lovely that you got to meet your friend (and visit Universal Studios! Is the Terminator Ride/show still on there?). I can relate to the post travel-low sleep-meltdown experience. What a ride. Take care! -Mike
Thanks for letting me know you relate! It sucks so many of us deal with it, but I’m so glad to not be alone in it! I was really sat the Terminator stuff is ALL GONE 😭 They still have The Mummy ride though and I LOVED it, and there’s a simpsons ride that I hated, so in trying to find something positive to say about it I mentioned the cars you sit in for it having a DeLorean vibe, and it turns out they’re the cars that used to be used for the Back To the Future ride, which I’m also sad to have missed 😂
@@DanaAndersen Yeah, it's frustratingly relatable. Especially since so many people return home energised! How do they do that? Awwww no the Terminator show was great although I haven't been on the Mummy ride, it looks amazing! Back to the Future was my favourite - sorry to say!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I can't cry, due to how I was raised by my father who did not understand autism and did not care to try and understand why I cried so much and instead just forced me to stop. My point in sharing that, is that I relate to so much of what you said in this video, and I also tend to ignore and pretend my extreme anxiety moments don't exist so my memories of them are always fuzzy. But the way you explained things in this video, explaining the raw experience while still recovering from and processing it, something about that really hit me hard emotionally, and almost made me cry. Which is a good thing btw, I want to be able to cry, and I want to understand my own struggles more and get passed this intense self-hatred and ignoring my own pain, and that is so hard to do I cant describe it. Yet this video helped, at least a little bit. So thank you, so much for being brave enough to share such a vulnerable part of your life, and I wish you the best while recovering from all the overwhelm. Also, I live in America, and the idea of a gun show also sounds horrifically overwhelming and disturbing to me, I imagine I would have felt similar to how you described you did
great to hear you are back home safe, if not tired, but us ASD's all get like that, and don't worry, we aren't taking this as a gripe, just you being totally honest, and advocating for your friend, GOOD ON YA!!, if somethings bad, call it out, we shouldn't take anyone's crap, after all that is what happened in our childhoods, now we are ADULTS, its time we stood up for ourselves and the PWLD's{People With Lived experience of Disability} around us; and find our voices, and make this a better world.
I'm glad you had fun. I used to love flying, but after a couple decades of something almost always going wrong, I now hate the flying part of it. (I have some stories -- actual stories, not just 3-sentence incidents -- that I won't burden you with unless asked.) It's been over 10 years since I've flown, and from what I hear it's even worse now. All the waiting doesn't make me anxious, but it's very boring. I always bring something to read -- something long enough that I won't use it all up before I'm done travelling.
Recently I travelled to and from Perth by myself for a few days. I ran on adrenaline the whole time, but when I got home, crashed hard for 2 weeks. A trip to the UK back in 2017 almost undid me. I had meltdowns every few days, got sick and remained sick with the worst cold ever for a month. That was even with me meeting up with my brother, cousin, uncle, and great aunt at times. I want to return to the UK again but I dread the whole experience. The 24+ hours on a plane are killer.
Thank you for your vulnerable perspective about travel. It can be so hard despite the fun times. I hope you find peace again and faith in your friends forgiveness for natural meltdowns.
I have only found your channel recently and I haven't found many people who speak what I feel so often. Thank you for sharing not just this video but all of your videos so far. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the trip and I hope you continue to enjoy the memories for many years. I hope you have the time to recuperate and get back into your normal routine without problems. I also really enjoy hearing your cats purr anytime the mic picks them up, it is a nice comforting sound. Thanks again for making and sharing your content :)
Cute hair! I used to love traveling. I still like it but it is a lot harder now that I am physically disabled on top of the autism. Before my ADHD side would get so excited and that would help me through the hard sensory stuff. Now the chronic fatigue makes it a lot more difficult.
The wheelchair thing is a nightmare when travelling. Discovered this when coming back from Thailand (after being there for a month and lacking in sleep due to anxiety) as my friend and I had aprox 30mins to get to our connecting flight from Dubai to Newcastle Upon Tyne and found out we would have to wait for everyone to get off the flight before getting off as we were both requiring wheelchairs. We ended up having to use the stairs to get off the plane which caused my friend huge distress as she had a knee replacement and was waiting for her second knee to be done and I have fibromyalgia and a pacemaker. She was insisting (at top volume) on waiting for the wheelchairs to arrive and I ended up practically screaming at her as I was panicking as we couldn't miss the flight as it was the last one before lockdown started (it was the 20th March 2020). Just to top it off there were no wheelchairs available to get to the other side of a large airport (because we didn't/couldn't wait), so we had to get ourselves to the gate on foot with me having an inner meltdown because my friend was furious and I dont do well with conflict and I had no idea I was Autistic at the time so struggled to hold the unknown meltdown in! I was totally burnt out by the time I got home which resulted in over a year of being unable to get out of bed, resulting in getting diagnosed with ASD and ADHD! Sorry for the ramble but I feel you can understand the frustration etc 😂 I can only laugh now as otherwise I would cry!
When I travelled to America, Chicago then on to Milwaukee, when I was 26, I was stopped at customs going in to America. Coming back I was stopped again coming in to Glasgow. The jet lag though! I fell asleep on the L-train in Chicago, which is incredibly noisy.
Yeah, the jet lag. I know what that is like. Back in September 2012 I spent about 3 and a half weeks travelling around the US. Even spent about 5 nights in Hawaii(it only added about £350 extra to my flight costs so thought I am on the west coast for a week might as well kill the spare week in between the two conferences I attended by going over to Hawaii for a few days). Made the most of those few days visiting everything I could on Oahu(Hawaii). Did the Diamond Head hike, bathed in the ocean's waters on a couple of beaches, visited the Dole maze, went to Honolulu Zoo and Aquarium, saw the 2 monk seals they had. The hotel I stayed in wasn't too bad or expensive. But the jet lag coming back from Hawaii to Alabama and losing 6 hours knackered me for a few days falling asleep early evening whilst watching a talk being given(I hope I wasn't snoring). Anyway once you get back home is the worst and I usually manage to stay awake travelling(I gone nearly 50 hours without sleep once before).
Yes! I’ve been struggling to edit them but have finally started, if all goes to plan my next video will be a vlog of Universal on our first day in LA 😊
I can relate to the emotional instability, I think it's apart of my autism but I just tell people it's BPD to simplyfi it. The crying thing too. I rarly cry as my body kinda automatically supresses it but when I do cry it is in secret usually in bed but then my brain is telling me I'm forcing it( no idea if I am or not tbh ). My brain also adds onto all that, mentally tormenting myself and that can be triggered from the smallest of events, I hate it
I'm autistic and flights would overwhelm me, I always felt weird about holidays like I should enjoy them but there was some unknown thing I didn't like about them. I feel more genuine when I am depressed and feeling hopeless and when I am in company I feel a fake. It is a bit f*cked up. This sounds like a 15 year old has written it, I am 57.
The inner voice that says you're faking it, like you are in a movie or something, omg I've delt with that my whole life. Thanks for bringing it up 🌷
It makes it so hard to actually experience my feelings 😭 I’ve seen quite a few people talk about it over on TikTok though, so we’re definitely not alone with it!
Thank you for sharing this obviously completely relateable meltdown moment. Its really good that people see a meltdown that isnt the stereotypical one thqt their mind insists on showing them. Hugs, sweetness! 💞
I’m always torn between really showing how things are, and not wanting to be TOO vulnerable online 😅 Thank you for always being so supporting and making me feel like I’m making good choices in what I share!
@DanaAndersen I've been intending to film one but my brain has been in that super snotty can't make any words out phase lately so it wouldn't be worthwhile. Waiting for the ick up and down weather to end so my head gets to dry out!! (Sorry for the tmi. Lol!)
12:46 Hunting earmuffs. They make hunting earmuffs that are meant to protect from gunshot sounds. I carry a pair with me everywhere. They were originally designed/meant for people who go shooting, but I use them because they help reduce the decibels of sounds and so they make the world a lot more accessible for me.
I think this is evidence that we need to find a way to send trains across the ocean. The whole process of traveling by train is so much more comfortable for so many reasons.
Glad to hear that most of the trip was awesome, though! Rest and recover well. I think having a safe travel companion makes airports and airplanes so much better, but they definitely can still suck. I've never had to airplane without a safe person. Thank you for sharing your experience.
So relatable. More people w/autism and health care professionals need to be seeing these videos for insight
I can totally relate to meltdowns and shutdowns I have asd to .things can get to much for me when traveling I get such anxiety and I can’t sleep properly i really prefer to be at home with all my things around me and my own bed
Exactly! I didn’t sleep properly the whole month, and then had several days of almost no sleep at all, and even now I’m home it’s been so long that my bed doesn’t feel right 😭 I am very glad to have all my things around me again though, and even happier to be back with my cats 🥰
Thank you for sharing, Dana - it was lovely that you got to meet your friend (and visit Universal Studios! Is the Terminator Ride/show still on there?). I can relate to the post travel-low sleep-meltdown experience. What a ride. Take care! -Mike
Thanks for letting me know you relate! It sucks so many of us deal with it, but I’m so glad to not be alone in it!
I was really sat the Terminator stuff is ALL GONE 😭 They still have The Mummy ride though and I LOVED it, and there’s a simpsons ride that I hated, so in trying to find something positive to say about it I mentioned the cars you sit in for it having a DeLorean vibe, and it turns out they’re the cars that used to be used for the Back To the Future ride, which I’m also sad to have missed 😂
@@DanaAndersen Yeah, it's frustratingly relatable. Especially since so many people return home energised! How do they do that?
Awwww no the Terminator show was great although I haven't been on the Mummy ride, it looks amazing! Back to the Future was my favourite - sorry to say!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I can't cry, due to how I was raised by my father who did not understand autism and did not care to try and understand why I cried so much and instead just forced me to stop. My point in sharing that, is that I relate to so much of what you said in this video, and I also tend to ignore and pretend my extreme anxiety moments don't exist so my memories of them are always fuzzy. But the way you explained things in this video, explaining the raw experience while still recovering from and processing it, something about that really hit me hard emotionally, and almost made me cry. Which is a good thing btw, I want to be able to cry, and I want to understand my own struggles more and get passed this intense self-hatred and ignoring my own pain, and that is so hard to do I cant describe it. Yet this video helped, at least a little bit. So thank you, so much for being brave enough to share such a vulnerable part of your life, and I wish you the best while recovering from all the overwhelm.
Also, I live in America, and the idea of a gun show also sounds horrifically overwhelming and disturbing to me, I imagine I would have felt similar to how you described you did
The going in and out of bad states in one night sounds relatable!
Traveling can be stressful for autistic people. Glad you had a good time but now you can rest. Greetings from Michigan USA. 😊
Welcome home Dana!! Otis looks SO happy to see you 💚
He stuck by me like glue all night 😭 I missed him so much, it was nice to get the vibe he’d missed me too 😂
I also become a bit of a b*tch more often than I’d like to admit when I’m overwhelmed so I get you 😅
great to hear you are back home safe, if not tired, but us ASD's all get like that, and don't worry, we aren't taking this as a gripe, just you being totally honest, and advocating for your friend, GOOD ON YA!!, if somethings bad, call it out, we shouldn't take anyone's crap, after all that is what happened in our childhoods, now we are ADULTS, its time we stood up for ourselves and the PWLD's{People With Lived experience of Disability} around us; and find our voices, and make this a better world.
💕💕💕
I'm glad you had fun. I used to love flying, but after a couple decades of something almost always going wrong, I now hate the flying part of it. (I have some stories -- actual stories, not just 3-sentence incidents -- that I won't burden you with unless asked.) It's been over 10 years since I've flown, and from what I hear it's even worse now. All the waiting doesn't make me anxious, but it's very boring. I always bring something to read -- something long enough that I won't use it all up before I'm done travelling.
Honestly, I always thought it was just me that had meltdowns during or after trips.
Recently I travelled to and from Perth by myself for a few days. I ran on adrenaline the whole time, but when I got home, crashed hard for 2 weeks. A trip to the UK back in 2017 almost undid me. I had meltdowns every few days, got sick and remained sick with the worst cold ever for a month. That was even with me meeting up with my brother, cousin, uncle, and great aunt at times. I want to return to the UK again but I dread the whole experience. The 24+ hours on a plane are killer.
Thank you for your vulnerable perspective about travel. It can be so hard despite the fun times. I hope you find peace again and faith in your friends forgiveness for natural meltdowns.
I have only found your channel recently and I haven't found many people who speak what I feel so often. Thank you for sharing not just this video but all of your videos so far. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the trip and I hope you continue to enjoy the memories for many years. I hope you have the time to recuperate and get back into your normal routine without problems. I also really enjoy hearing your cats purr anytime the mic picks them up, it is a nice comforting sound. Thanks again for making and sharing your content :)
Cute hair!
I used to love traveling. I still like it but it is a lot harder now that I am physically disabled on top of the autism. Before my ADHD side would get so excited and that would help me through the hard sensory stuff. Now the chronic fatigue makes it a lot more difficult.
That GIANT mug of chocolate ! 😮
The wheelchair thing is a nightmare when travelling. Discovered this when coming back from Thailand (after being there for a month and lacking in sleep due to anxiety) as my friend and I had aprox 30mins to get to our connecting flight from Dubai to Newcastle Upon Tyne and found out we would have to wait for everyone to get off the flight before getting off as we were both requiring wheelchairs. We ended up having to use the stairs to get off the plane which caused my friend huge distress as she had a knee replacement and was waiting for her second knee to be done and I have fibromyalgia and a pacemaker. She was insisting (at top volume) on waiting for the wheelchairs to arrive and I ended up practically screaming at her as I was panicking as we couldn't miss the flight as it was the last one before lockdown started (it was the 20th March 2020). Just to top it off there were no wheelchairs available to get to the other side of a large airport (because we didn't/couldn't wait), so we had to get ourselves to the gate on foot with me having an inner meltdown because my friend was furious and I dont do well with conflict and I had no idea I was Autistic at the time so struggled to hold the unknown meltdown in! I was totally burnt out by the time I got home which resulted in over a year of being unable to get out of bed, resulting in getting diagnosed with ASD and ADHD! Sorry for the ramble but I feel you can understand the frustration etc 😂 I can only laugh now as otherwise I would cry!
Great video! never been on a plane myself can't imagine how stressful that would be for me😁
I just got back from traveling too, totally get it
When I travelled to America, Chicago then on to Milwaukee, when I was 26, I was stopped at customs going in to America. Coming back I was stopped again coming in to Glasgow. The jet lag though! I fell asleep on the L-train in Chicago, which is incredibly noisy.
Yeah, the jet lag. I know what that is like. Back in September 2012 I spent about 3 and a half weeks travelling around the US. Even spent about 5 nights in Hawaii(it only added about £350 extra to my flight costs so thought I am on the west coast for a week might as well kill the spare week in between the two conferences I attended by going over to Hawaii for a few days). Made the most of those few days visiting everything I could on Oahu(Hawaii). Did the Diamond Head hike, bathed in the ocean's waters on a couple of beaches, visited the Dole maze, went to Honolulu Zoo and Aquarium, saw the 2 monk seals they had. The hotel I stayed in wasn't too bad or expensive. But the jet lag coming back from Hawaii to Alabama and losing 6 hours knackered me for a few days falling asleep early evening whilst watching a talk being given(I hope I wasn't snoring). Anyway once you get back home is the worst and I usually manage to stay awake travelling(I gone nearly 50 hours without sleep once before).
Will you be posting videos of you in America?
Yes! I’ve been struggling to edit them but have finally started, if all goes to plan my next video will be a vlog of Universal on our first day in LA 😊
I can relate to the emotional instability, I think it's apart of my autism but I just tell people it's BPD to simplyfi it. The crying thing too. I rarly cry as my body kinda automatically supresses it but when I do cry it is in secret usually in bed but then my brain is telling me I'm forcing it( no idea if I am or not tbh ). My brain also adds onto all that, mentally tormenting myself and that can be triggered from the smallest of events, I hate it
I'm autistic and flights would overwhelm me, I always felt weird about holidays like I should enjoy them but there was some unknown thing I didn't like about them. I feel more genuine when I am depressed and feeling hopeless and when I am in company I feel a fake. It is a bit f*cked up. This sounds like a 15 year old has written it, I am 57.
Hi Dana Luv
This is all incredibly relatable. I’m here to offer a virtual hug if you like those or a vegan cookie if you’d prefer that. 🩵