Shutdown and Meltdown Body Emergency Plans: How to Design Your Own Toolkit and Cards

When your system is about to crash, you usually do not have spare brain power to think about what would help.

In autistic, ADHD and AuDHD nervous systems, shutdowns and meltdowns are not random events. They are body emergencies. Your brain and body are saying:

💭 “Capacity reached. We cannot keep doing this.”

In those moments it is very hard to:

🧠 remember coping ideas
🗣 explain what is happening
🧭 decide what to do first

That is why it is useful to have a body emergency plan prepared in calmer times.

This article will help you design:

• a simple body emergency toolkit
• one or more pocket sized cards you can show to yourself or others
• versions for home, work and public spaces

The goal is not perfection. It is to make the next shutdown or meltdown less frightening, less lonely and less damaging to your energy.

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🧠 Why a Body Emergency Plan Helps ND Nervous Systems

When you are close to shutdown or meltdown, your nervous system:

🌡 is highly activated
📉 has reduced access to language and complex thinking
🧱 is focused on survival, not long term planning

In that state you are more likely to:

🌊 freeze and do nothing
🌊 push through and crash harder
🌊 use strategies that worked once but cost too much now

A prepared plan does three main things.

🌱 It reduces decisions in the moment
You do not need to invent what to do. You follow a small set of steps that you created when you had more capacity.

🧷 It turns vague ideas into concrete actions
Instead of “I should probably rest”, you see “go to the bedroom, close curtain, set ten minute timer”.

🤝 It gives others a way to help
Instead of expecting people to read your mind, you can hand them a card that says what is happening and what support is useful.

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🌋 What Shutdown and Meltdown Look Like in the Body

Before you design a plan, it helps to name what actually happens in you.

🔥 Meltdown

Meltdown is a state where your system has too much input and emotion and loses behavioural control.

You might notice:

🚨 Rising agitation, pacing, louder voice
🌩 crying, shouting, or large stims
🧊 difficulty understanding speech or responding in usual ways
💥 urge to hit walls, throw objects or hurt yourself

After a meltdown you may feel:

🌫 empty, ashamed, exhausted
🛏 in need of sleep or quiet
🤕 headache, muscle pain or sensory sensitivity

🕳 Shutdown

Shutdown is a state where your system protects itself by turning inward and reducing outward responses.

You might notice:

🪫 sudden tiredness or heaviness
🔇 very few words or none
🪑 wanting to lie down, curl up, or stare at one point
🚪 urge to leave the room, hide, or stop interacting

After shutdown you may feel:

🌙 foggy, slow, not fully present
🧱 unable to jump back into tasks
💤 as if you could sleep for hours

Your plan does not have to separate them perfectly. It is enough to know:

💭 “This is my body emergency mode and I need a script that assumes my capacity is very low.”

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🧭 Principles of a Good Body Emergency Plan

Before we build the details, a few guidelines.

A useful plan is:

🌿 Simple
Short sentences, clear actions, no complex explanations.

🧃 Sensory aware
Focuses on lowering input and effort rather than adding more.

📍 Location specific
Has versions that work at home, at work and in public because options are different.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Prepared for self and for others
Includes one card that speaks to you and one that you can show to someone else.

You are designing for a future version of you who is overloaded, scared and low on words. Think of that person kindly and write what they will understand.

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🧰 Step 1: Map Your Early Warning Signs

The best time to use a body emergency plan is before you are fully gone.

Take a moment and ask yourself:

🪞 “What are the first signs that a shutdown or meltdown is starting for me”

Common early signals include:

👁 finding it harder to focus your eyes or read
🧷 becoming more clumsy or dropping things
📢 noises feeling closer or sharper
💬 struggling to follow conversations or instructions
💣 feeling a sudden urge to escape or cancel everything

Write down three to ten of your own signals.

You can phrase them simply, for example:

🌱 “I cannot track what people are saying”
🌱 “Light and noise feel too strong”
🌱 “I want to walk out of the room right now”

These sentences will go on your self card so that future you can recognise what is happening without having to think about it.

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🧺 Step 2: Choose Your Core Supports

Now list small things that actually help your body during or just before a crash.

Think in four areas.

🎧 Sensory Support

Ask yourself:

🪞 “What usually makes things a little more tolerable for my senses”

Examples:

🎧 putting on earplugs or headphones
🕶 lowering light or closing a curtain
🧣 wrapping in a blanket or soft hoodie
🚪 stepping out to a quieter hallway, stairwell or toilet

🧍 Body Position and Movement

Ask:

🪞 “How does my body want to be when I am overwhelmed”

Examples:

🛏 lying down in a dark or dim room
🪑 sitting with back against a wall and knees up
🚶 pacing or gentle rocking in a safe space
🧎 curling up under a blanket or weighted item

🧃 Simple Comforts

You might include:

🥤 sipping water slowly
🍪 eating one safe food if blood sugar is low
🧊 holding something cool or textured in your hand

🔕 Boundaries and Pauses

Supports often include stopping input.

For example:

📱 silencing notifications
📆 postponing non urgent tasks or conversations
🚫 leaving a meeting early with a simple phrase

You do not need to use all of these at once. Choose a small number that feel realistic in different settings.

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📝 Step 3: Write Your Self Card

This is a small card or note that you can keep in your wallet, bag or phone. It is written in your own voice and speaks to you when you are close to crashing.

Keep it short. You might divide it into three mini sections.

🧭 Section One

“What is happening”

Examples:

🌱 “You are not lazy or failing. Your nervous system is overloaded.”
🌱 “This is a shutdown or meltdown warning, not you being weak.”

🧰 Section Two

“What to do first”

Pick one to three actions that are almost always possible.

Examples:

🌿 “Step away from people if you can.”
🌿 “Reduce light and sound.”
🌿 “Change your body position to something that feels safer.”

🧃 Section Three

“What to do after the peak”

Examples:

🌙 “Rest longer than you think you need.”
🌙 “Delay self criticism and analysis until tomorrow.”
🌙 “Do one tiny practical thing only if you have to, then stop.”

You want the card to feel like a steady, kind guide, not a demanding list.

You can decorate it with colours, symbols or small drawings if that helps your future self notice and accept it.

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Step 4: Write a Card for Trusted People

Sometimes you will not be able to explain in the moment what you need. A short card for others can bridge that gap.

Think of people you might hand this to:

👤 partner or family member
👥 close friend or colleague
👨‍🏫 support staff, therapist or coach

You can keep several copies or a photo of the card on your phone.

A simple structure for this card:

💬 Line One

Name the situation

For example:

💬 “I am autistic and my nervous system is overloaded.”
💬 “I am in shutdown or close to it.”
💬 “I am having an autistic meltdown.”

🧭 Line Two

What this means

Examples:

💬 “I may not be able to speak or explain much right now.”
💬 “I may look calm or distant but I am in distress.”
💬 “I am not angry at you. My system is reacting to overload.”

🧺 Line Three

How they can help in this moment

Choose a few concrete things.

Examples:

🌿 “Please help me get to a quieter space if possible.”
🌿 “It helps if you speak softly and avoid too many questions.”
🌿 “Please offer water and then give me space.”

📵 Line Four

What not to do

It is fine to include one or two “please do not” items.

Examples:

🚫 “Please do not touch me without asking.”
🚫 “Please do not tell me to calm down or think logically.”
🚫 “Please do not insist that I talk while I am like this.”

Keep the whole card to four to eight short lines. The aim is clarity, not completeness.

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🧭 Step 5: Adapt Plans for Home, Work and Public Spaces

Your options change depending on where you are. It helps to create small variations.

🏡 Home Version

At home you may have more control.

You might include:

🏠 “Go to bedroom or favourite quiet spot.”
🕯 “Close curtains, dim light, use fan or white noise.”
🧣 “Use blanket, weighted item or safe clothing.”
📆 “Cancel optional plans. Move non urgent tasks to another day.”

You can post a copy on your wall, fridge or inside a cupboard door where you will see it before things get very bad.

🏢 Work or Study Version

At work or in school you might have fewer options but there is usually still something you can do.

Examples:

📄 “Use pre agreed phrase with manager or teacher such as ‘I need a short regulation break and will be back at [time].’”
🚪 “Go to toilet cubicle, stairwell, or quiet room for five to ten minutes.”
🎧 “Use headphones or earplugs if that is allowed.”
📱 “Silence notifications and focus on just one simple task when you return.”

You may also include a line about when to go home:

🌧 “If symptoms stay very strong after a short break, I may need to leave for the day.”

🚇 Public Space Version

In public spaces the plan focuses more on getting to safety.

Examples:

🚶 “Move away from crowds if you can, even a few metres helps.”
🚗 “If you are with someone safe, let them guide you out of the space.”
🪑 “Sit down with back to a wall or corner if possible.”
☎ “If it feels safe, call or message someone you trust with a simple phrase like ‘overloaded, going home now.’”

Public versions may need to be extra short because your capacity is low and you may feel watched.

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🧪 Step 6: Practice Using Your Plan When You Are Only Mildly Stressed

It can feel strange to pull out a card or follow a written script. The more you practice when your stress is moderate, the easier it becomes when stress is high.

You might:

🧭 Try one small action from the plan when you notice early warning signs
📓 Make a note afterward of what helped even a little and what needs tweaking
🗣 Talk through the plan with at least one trusted person so they know what it means

You do not have to get it perfect. Think of it as version one of a living document. You can revise as you learn more about your patterns.

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🧑‍⚕️ Optional: A Card for Emergency Services or Health Staff

If you sometimes reach crisis services or emergency rooms, a very short card aimed at professionals can reduce misunderstanding.

It might include:

💬 “I am autistic and or ADHD and in shutdown or meltdown.”
💬 “I may struggle to speak or answer quickly. Please give extra processing time.”
💬 “Loud noise, bright light and touch can make things worse.”
💬 “It helps if you explain what you are doing in simple steps and tell me before you touch me.”

You can keep this with your ID or in a visible place in your wallet or phone.

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🌈 Bringing It Together

Shutdowns and meltdowns are not personal failures. They are emergency responses from a nervous system that has been pushed beyond its limits.

A body emergency plan:

🌿 recognises that reality
🧭 gives you a script to follow when your brain cannot improvise
🤝 gives others a way to support you without guessing

You do not have to make the perfect plan. Even a very simple card that says:

🌱 “I am overloaded, I need quiet, low light and no touch.”

is already better than having to explain everything from zero while your system is on fire.

Over time you can refine your toolkit and cards as you learn what actually helps. Each time you use them you tell your nervous system:

💭 “I will not abandon you in crisis. I have a way to respond.”

If you would like to continue, say next and we will move on to the next article in your list, with the same ND informed style and without the hyphen character in sentences.