Navigating Neurodivergent Experiences: The Reality of Meltdowns

There are a lot of misconceptions about neurodivergence.  One of them being that it looks the same for everyone.  I feel like people expect a certain “type”—the loud, hyperactive kid, the quiet genius, the quirky creative—the list goes on.  But it isn’t a one-size fits all.  It’s a spectrum.  What people see on the outside rarely tells the full story of what’s happening within. 

For me, it looks like quiet.  I freeze in social settings because my brain is processing too much at once.  I replay conversations in my head long after they’re over.  As someone who craves silence after an outing, I need that time to recover and feel like myself again.  

But sometimes, it’s not quiet at all.

A Recent Meltdown

I recently flew to Portland to visit friends, and when I returned to home, I experienced an autistic meltdown walking through LAX.  It wasn’t pretty or calm.  It was raw, unforgiving, overwhelming, and uncontrollable. I was crying through the airport, talking to myself, screaming down the hallways. My body felt like it was on fire from the inside out.  All of the panic, exhaustion, overstimulation, everything colliding at once.

I ended up spotting someone who seemed willing to help me, but I still felt like I wasn’t going the right way to exit the airport because the signs said otherwise.  My brain was in panic mode, and I thought I was being misled.  I couldn’t stop the gushing tears or the anger bubbling up inside me.  When the person who was helping me snapped at me for yelling, I lost it even further. My emotions spilled out faster than I could control them.

I tried asking for help again, but the person I reached out to didn’t understand my behavior. I could see the confusion in their eyes, maybe even fear.  It only made me cry harder.  I lost my reading glasses somewhere along the way because I was so disoriented and overwhelmed.  It was one of those moments where I felt both visible and invisible at the same time—seen for my “meltdown,” but not understood for my pain.   

What I Wish People Understood

And that’s what I wish more people understood.  That meltdowns aren’t tantrums. That overstimulation isn’t a choice.  That when a neurodivergent person cries, panics, or shuts down, it isn’t because they’re being dramatic — it’s because they’ve reached their breaking point.  

I used to think that I needed to hide these parts of myself.  But neurodivergence isn’t something that can be “fixed” or masked.  My brain is just wired to feel things differently

My brain simply works differently. It feels deeply, processes intensely, and reacts strongly to the world around it.  And while that difference can sometimes make life harder, it also gives me profound empathy, creativity, and emotional depth.

Understand more about autistic meltdowns: https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/autistic-meltdown-adults

“Before you judge a meltdown, understand it’s not defiance — it’s distress.”

Dr. Devon Price