@theautisticcoach@actuallyautistic For me, guessing the level of stress on a scale from 0 to 10 (10 being the highest possible) usually does the trick. If (not when) I notice that there's something wrong. Which, to be honest, mostly happens through others reacting strangely to things I do.
@theautisticcoach@actuallyautistic it's often a pretty external thing - I'm also very impulsive and have poor interoception, so often it's a retroactive realisation
My mum said when I was younger, that it's when I stop complaining that you gotta watch out for - I think that's a clear sign I'm no longer able to process
@loops@theautisticcoach@actuallyautistic i'm similar - i'm not that good at self monitoring at the best of times, and the more overwhelmed i am by sensory input, emotional stress, pain, etc, the less i can think clearly, communicate effectively, and make decisions. so i can tell if i'm doing ok, but if i'm not ok, i can't figure it out and/or can't express it. i need someone else who can recognize that i'm struggling and help me escape from the offending situation.
@theautisticcoach@actuallyautistic When I become disregulated, my overriding drive is to find solitude because I can't mask effectively any more and as a child my parents would punish me severely for melting down in front of others. When I start prioritizing solitude over things like food, water and sleep I know there is a problem. If I don't find time to get back to center, I will eventually start prioritizing solitude over things like going to work
@apicultor@theautisticcoach@actuallyautistic I interpreted the question as about how we know when we are regulated, becoming dysregulated, close to dysregulated and fully dysregulated, rather than a quantitative number on a scale.
For my part, knowing these things helps me know when I can assess my situation and change it or move so that I don't become more dysregulated.
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