What are your meltdowns like and how do you manage them?

What triggers them, how long does it take to recover, etc.

hmm, when was the last time I had one?

either way, I bet the loss of your loved one(s) takes very long to recover from.

I haven't lost any "loved one" lately, but I am pretty sure it would be difficult to handle. Thankfully (or not?) I have only a few "loved ones" to lose...

I have meltdowns all the frigging time. Sometimes they last for a few minutes, sometimes they last for hours. I don't really know how to control them as such, I just spend 90% of my time on my own so I'm in total control of what's happening and what stimuli I'm receiving.

Mine usually last for 10-15 minutes luckily. The only way I know that calms me down is having a few minutes all by myself to think or just watch/listen to something. It's one of the worst experiences ever, I feel like I'm disintegrating from the inside

Yeah when mine come on I have to be on my own, can't be around anybody or it just makes it worse. I hate them with a passion! It's such a horrible sensation to feel like you're falling apart from the inside and you can't do anything to stop it. Even once they are over, I still feel crappy for the rest of the day because I just hate how they make me feel.

Mine are terrible and they last generally 10-30 minutes. I usually have to be separated and go to another room. Sometimes I just have to ride them out and to manage them I reduce the amount of stressers in my life and try not to go to overcrowded places often.

If I calm down properly the horrible sensation after the meltdown doesn't come. Fortunately I don't react violently very often.

I only tend to become violent if I am around people and I can't get away from them. I find that to be horrendously embarrassing though.

Same here! I think of violence for a second or two but then I realise it would be a stupid thing to do. I get violent only if I'm home alone or with my mother, and I usually 'hurt' myself (bannging my head against the bed, punching my stomach, biting my arm, etc.)

Over the course of about a year, my meltdowns lead me to getting a wall section in my bedroom replaced because I always punched it when I got angry during a meltdown. Just that one spot, over and over again, and it eventually crumbled. I'm not proud of that in any way, and since that was replaced I have been able to get a better hold on the anger that builds from meltdowns.
Though like you, I now tend to take it out on myself and sadly my mum tends to bear witness to a lot of it which makes me feel bad because she doesn't deserve that. She's never done anything but look out for me.

I've actually got my first appointment with an Asperger's support clinic this afternoon. Hoping they can provide some support for either myself and or my mum. Sadly, it means going into the city which I can almost guarantee will result in a meltdown.

Haven't broken anything yet, I don't usually unleash the rage.
I don't have big problems with going into the city, maybe because I was born and live in it, but I do feel a constant fear and paranoia (which I don't think it's related to Asperger at all). I honestly hope they will be able to help you. Keep me posted and good luck

Thanks man. Sadly I couldn't make it in the end. Got all the way to the train station just to find out the trains were cancelled due to the bad weather, so we had to turn around and come home.

I can't stand cities, too many people, too much noise, too many things going on to process haha. Luckily we live in a small village. I share the constant paranoia and fear, never sure how much of it is related to my AS and how much comes from my OCD and DID.

That sucks! Maybe next time you'll be in luck...
I can even enjoy other people's company only if they don't interract with me at all. Sometimes a small word exchange with people I know can be okay too, but not very often.
Paranoia is quite helpful as far as I'm concerned; it has helped me to prepare myself better and avoid possible dangers.

Are meltdowns the same as rage?

I definitely had some nasty outbursts that involved putting my fist through walls and doors. I have also lost the ability to speak. Whenever that happens it takes a while to recover.

As far as I know, rage is a part of the meltdown, so I guess your outbursts can count as meltdowns too.

It's actually highly common place for undiagnosed adults on the spectrum to be misdiagnosed with anger management issues. The reason is because during a sensory overload or meltdown, our fight or flight response becomes hyper stimulated. So it can very easily present outwardly as anger. I only found this out recently from my pdoc because I had been diagnosed with anger management issues during my teens and she said that it was more than likely not anger management issues, but a side effect of meltdowns and we just didn't realise what they were at the time.

It all depends on the situation but I usually feel bad after them.

As in ashamed or physically ill?