I've started using a five-point anxiety scale to prompt myself on helpful strategies... and it's definitely reduced my meltdowns! Below I explain what this is, how to make one, and share a template so you can build your own.
I know what I struggle with. I know what helps me. So... why do I still end up in a meltdown at the end of some days for no apparent reason?
Honestly, I think most of the time I just forget. I get drawn into my work, or socialising, or watching Miss Marple... and I ignore the tiny creeping signs that I'm getting a bit anxious, or that my senses are a bit dysregulated. Because I don't want to be distracted. It's annoying to have to switch. I can just ignore it.
Riiiiight up until I can't.
A friend recently talked me through how to build out a five-point scale, to help notice those early warning signs. So I can take some evasive action before I'm too far on my way to a meltdown.
I didn't know how it would turn out, but I am SO glad I did it. I had no idea how often I was ignoring those early signs... and now, with it all spelled out in black and white, it's very hard to argue the "ah, just ignore it" line, when I can see what the stages beyond that low-level dysregulation look like.
It is all based around the anxiety curve. You may start off at a 1, but things can gradually (or not-so-gradually) escalate to a 5, unless you take some evasive action.
There's much further to "come back down" if you've made it all the way up to a 5 without intervening, so spotting the early signs and taking action when you're still on a 2 or a 3 is much better!
Obviously, this isn't always possible, sometimes things escalate very suddenly and are outside of our control. But, often, there are some early warning signs that it pays to understand.
In this document I've shared an illustration of that curve, as well as a step-by-step on how to build out a scale, my own example, and a blank copy in case you want to try it yourself. The permissions on the file are set to "view", so you'll need to take a copy of that blank slide, or print it out, to use it.
Here is the five-point scale document.
Lauren x