Yep, very relatable, particularly the initial visceral sinking response, which feels like nausea gone skydiving. What I find interesting about catastrophizing is how honestly and accurately it demonstrates how acute our baseline sensory state is i.e. our bodies feel that they are in perpetual crisis, and catastrophizing is just reality finally catching up to us with a final, tangible straw to break us under all the pressure. From the outside it may look like an overreaction but it's still an honest snapshot of how overstimulated we always feel and how the addition of any unanticipated stimulus acts as an instant accelerant.
This is so relatable for me Gina. My brain is also wired to go right to the worst possible scenario. I over read facial expressions and voice intonations and I know all about that horrible feeling that takes over when we slip into catastrophizing mode when we don't feel fit to be around other people and so on. I just had a similar experience to yours two days ago when I misread something that my wife said to me. It's not fun is it? Another thought that I have is that it can be especially hard for many of us who are autistic to feel liked or excepted in society besides having brains that seem to be wired to feel rejection is that we were very literally rejected and excluded when our brains were still developing when we were young because we were different from the other kids. It does have a lasting affect on a highly sensitive kid to be told "everybody hates your guts" or something similar like I was. Kids can be really mean and adults often don't help the situation when the kids who are bullied are pressured to "just be like everyone else". You mentioned that it helps to go for a walk when we are having this experience and I think that is an excellent idea; I know that it helps me. This is a really good video. Thank you Gina.
For me, things that have stuck was when I was asked "why do you do that? It's not normal" and as a kid I had no idea what they meant except that I was wrong and should change who I am. I look back and realise that it was just the behaviour of a kid trying to survive.
The most common term I've heard to describe the feeling is dread. In my daily/standard/gardenvariety version of this feeling, I think its often accurate. Though there are many subtle versions. But every now and again its like a 20x version of this hits and no word comes to mind. This version I believe actually causes a small t that we collect for our small t trauma. I do think its an incredible fear of the future with incredible regret about some past action or news event, leading one to sit and wait for it in the present (mind is everywhere) for the wave to hit.
im with you in this experience. my understanding is that catastrophizing for autists is an understandable trauma response. its very strong because we are always at risk of being disconnected from our mother ship.
Yep, very relatable, particularly the initial visceral sinking response, which feels like nausea gone skydiving. What I find interesting about catastrophizing is how honestly and accurately it demonstrates how acute our baseline sensory state is i.e. our bodies feel that they are in perpetual crisis, and catastrophizing is just reality finally catching up to us with a final, tangible straw to break us under all the pressure.
From the outside it may look like an overreaction but it's still an honest snapshot of how overstimulated we always feel and how the addition of any unanticipated stimulus acts as an instant accelerant.
This is so relatable for me Gina. My brain is also wired to go right to the worst possible scenario. I over read facial expressions and voice intonations and I know all about that horrible feeling that takes over when we slip into catastrophizing mode when we don't feel fit to be around other people and so on. I just had a similar experience to yours two days ago when I misread something that my wife said to me. It's not fun is it? Another thought that I have is that it can be especially hard for many of us who are autistic to feel liked or excepted in society besides having brains that seem to be wired to feel rejection is that we were very literally rejected and excluded when our brains were still developing when we were young because we were different from the other kids. It does have a lasting affect on a highly sensitive kid to be told "everybody hates your guts" or something similar like I was. Kids can be really mean and adults often don't help the situation when the kids who are bullied are pressured to "just be like everyone else". You mentioned that it helps to go for a walk when we are having this experience and I think that is an excellent idea; I know that it helps me. This is a really good video. Thank you Gina.
For me, things that have stuck was when I was asked "why do you do that? It's not normal" and as a kid I had no idea what they meant except that I was wrong and should change who I am. I look back and realise that it was just the behaviour of a kid trying to survive.
The most common term I've heard to describe the feeling is dread. In my daily/standard/gardenvariety version of this feeling, I think its often accurate. Though there are many subtle versions. But every now and again its like a 20x version of this hits and no word comes to mind. This version I believe actually causes a small t that we collect for our small t trauma. I do think its an incredible fear of the future with incredible regret about some past action or news event, leading one to sit and wait for it in the present (mind is everywhere) for the wave to hit.
im with you in this experience. my understanding is that catastrophizing for autists is an understandable trauma response. its very strong because we are always at risk of being disconnected from our mother ship.
That makes a lot of sense to me.