Lately, it feels like everyone is on the verge of crashing out, especially with the craziness of what is going on in Washington due to… The post The Real Reason You Feel Like Crashing Out Right Now and How to Cope appeared first on Beauty Cooks Kisses.
Lately, it feels like everyone is on the verge of crashing out, especially with the craziness of what is going on in Washington due to the current administration. Whether it’s a viral video of someone losing their cool in traffic or a friend joking that they’re one minor inconvenience away from a total meltdown, the term has taken over our feeds. But while the internet might treat crashing out like a punch line, for those of us navigating high stress and burnout, it’s a very real mental health signal that we’ve reached our absolute breaking point.
What Does Crashing Out Actually Mean for Your Mental Health?
While it might start as a joke, crashing out is usually the physical and emotional result of a “full cup” finally overflowing. In psychology, this is often referred to as emotional dysregulation or a “amygdala hijack”—where the emotional part of your brain takes over before the logical part can catch up. In other words, it makes it harder to handle strong feelings.
When you feel yourself on the verge of crashing out, your body is usually sending you warning signals long before the outburst happens. Recognizing these signs early can be the difference between a minor setback and a major life disruption.
How to Tell if You’re Actually About to Crash Out
Look, we’ve all been there, but usually, your brain gives you a few “check engine” lights before the actual explosion happens. If you’re feeling any of these, you aren’t “crazy”—you’re just reaching your limit. Here is what it usually looks like when that crashing out energy starts bubbling up:
Everything is suddenly “too loud”: You know those days where even the sound of someone chewing or a polite email notification makes you want to throw your phone across the room? That’s not just a bad mood; it’s your nervous system redlining.
The “I don’t even care anymore” switch: This is the big one. You start thinking for example, “If I quit this job or say this mean thing right now, so be it.” When you stop caring about the fallout, you’re in the crashing out danger zone.
Your body is physically screaming at you: Check your jaw right now. Is it clenched? Are your shoulders up by your ears? Sometimes our bodies decide we’re crashing out before our minds even realize we’re upset. Just listening to the evening news and watching a political nightmare unfold daily is enough to give me a headache.
Brain fog turned up to 100: You’re staring at a screen or a grocery shelf and you literally cannot make a decision. Your brain is so fried from overthinking that it’s trying to shut down to protect itself.
You’re “doomscrolling” just to feel nothing: If you’re staying up until 3:00 A.M. watching other people crashing out on TikTok just to distract yourself from your own life, you’re basically running on empty and heading for a crash of your own.
How to Stop the Spiral Before You Crash Out
So, you’ve realized you’re in the danger zone with all that festering anger. You’re suddenly grinding your teeth or rubbing a stiff neck. Your emails, a conversation or even the television are annoying you, and you’re one minute away from a total crashing out moment. What now you may wonder?
The goal isn’t to “be perfect”—it’s just to lower the pressure in the room before the fuse hits the powder. Here is how I handle it when I feel the “crash” coming on:
The “20-Minute Rule”
If you feel that impulsive urge to send a spicy text, quit your job, or post something you’ll regret, tell yourself you can do it—just not for 20 minutes. Go drink a glass of water or walk into a different room. Usually, the peak intensity of a crashing out moment only lasts a few minutes. If you can outlast the peak, you can save yourself the headache later.
Sensory Grounding
When your brain is redlining, you need to “log out” of your thoughts and back into your body. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to help calm your nervous system. Another thing to try is just to splash some freezing cold water on your face. It sounds simple, but it’s like hitting the “restart” button on your nervous system.
Phone Down, Eyes Up
A lot of crashing out can be explained just by what we see online. If you’re already stressed, seeing other people’s drama is like pouring gasoline on a fire. Put the phone in a drawer. The digital world can wait while you fix your real-world peace.
Final Thoughts: It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
At the end of the day, crashing out is just a modern term for a very human experience: being overwhelmed. If you’ve had a moment where you lost your cool, don’t beat yourself up. We are living in high-pressure times and political chaos to the likes that we never experienced before, and sometimes the pressure just gets to be too much.
The best thing you can do for your mental health is to recognize the signs early and give yourself permission to rest before the “crash” happens for you.
How are you feeling today? Are you catching the signs early, or do you feel a crash coming on? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
The post The Real Reason You Feel Like Crashing Out Right Now and How to Cope appeared first on Beauty Cooks Kisses.
