We all have life storms, and when we get rough times and we recover from them, we should celebrate that we got through it. No matter how bad it may seem, there’s always something beautiful that you can find.–Mattie Stepanek. In our suv’s rear view mirror, I could see the clouds darkening behind us. The in car driver child ‘s backseat mirror reflected M’s uneasiness of the changing weather. Out of the changing weather, lighting flash and the sounds of thunder rung loud. However, before I could even see or hear such storm, M had begun to manifest an emotional meltdown. He proceeded to cry/scream hysterically and wildly moving his arms/legs. In this state of mind, he threw his tablet and straws at me. Fortunately, M was secured in a three point harness for his safety and mine. As our vehicle was over come by the storm, M’s emotional mental state escalated into screeching screams until his nose started to bleed. In those moments, I kept encouraging M to pray for help as I drove carefully to our destination. Noteworthy, I do try to monitor the weather each day especially in trying to be prepared for storms with M. However, we all know some storms are more difficult than others, we can only hope such storms be short in their duration. Hence in the parking lot, M and I waited out the storm. I begun to praying out-loud for help in calming down M’s emotional state. Often, I am afraid he will accidentally shatter the car window with his hand/head because of his distress. True being confined in a car during a stressful situation was not ideal, on the other hand, being in a public unfamiliar space with M while he was experiencing an emotional meltdown would be more dangerous. From experience, M need time to regain control over his emotions. Honestly, there is no set time for how long M regain control regulating his mental state. There has been times he required over three hours of adjusting his emotional outburst meltdown during a storm. Yes, that has included him jumping up and down on a trampoline, running up/down hallway, screaming/crying, closing and opening doors, throwing himself on the floor, lashing out at mom, throwing things, etc. while the storm proceed until it finally stop. Of course these actions from M still occur with weighted vest, calming music, a cancellation headphone, weighted blanket or stuff animal being available to aid M in self-regulation. In my confession, I would rather face such storms with M in the safety of our home verses in the unknown. Believe it or not, M seem to sense a storm coming even when we’re at home. His demeanor would change quickly like a light switch. Often, he would look out the window and start to cry. Thus, I would check my weather app and sure enough a storm was coming our way. If we have to go out with M during a storm, it would take a whole lot of energy/strength and patience/holy spirit just to get him out the door. My hope is one day M would be no longer traumatize by a storm but rather be accepting that storms are a part of life. Hence, M master the sailing ship of his emotions with Jehovah, God’s guidance into a peaceful state of mind…embracing hope after a storm.
Simply an autism mom,
M's Story 