Meditation Support: Meltdown Reflection

Here are a few questions for reflection after those BIG Autistic meltdowns. You know the ones.. the ones that take much longer to recover from, and can leave you feeling completely out of sync afterward. 

Guilt, anger, sadness, confusion, and even desperation are all totally normal responses for parents. It is important to recognize that you are experiencing extreme stress during these meltdowns, along with your Autistic family member. Here are some journaling or meditation questions to consider to ease your mind, and help you out in the future. 

1. What did you do right? It is so important to congratulate yourself on what you did right. Each time you help your child through a meltdown, you are becoming a more experienced Autism parent and that is beneficial for your child.

2. What do you wish you would have done differently? Put these thoughts into actionable steps to help you remember your action plan next time.

3. Were there warning signs? Did your child try to communicate to you before the meltdown? 

4. How long was the meltdown? How long was recovery period?

5. Were there any new experiences for you or that you perceived from your child?

Record as much as you can, so you can reflect and be even more prepared next time. We can only hope that we can start to see each meltdown as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself.  Do your best, but also forgive yourself for anything you can do better next time. You are doing an amazing job, and you deserve to be praised. Try your best to release any guilt you are feeling and take some deep breaths to reaffirm your amazing efforts for you child.