So when ever i am reminded by a friend that i am lonely or with out love (my ex whos now my best friend is a terrible offender) i tend to shut off from the world and retreat into my mind becoming quiet and unresponsive. I also tend to shut off when i fail at something i thought i was going to succeed in or when i am reminded that i have no talent. And i was wondering if anyone else does this?
Yes, I'm totally guilty of both those things. I can't go into details because it's late and I'm very sleepy, but you are definitely not the only one who does that.
I do the same thing. Also, if I start thinking about being gay (and all the possible problems) I sorta shut down, too.
It is a form of depression and it's intended to be a good thing. Many animals do this, not just humans, including my dog who will shut down for hours on the very rare occasion that I yell at her. It is the body saying, "I'm doing something that is producing a very bad result and I don't really know how to deal with it but I probably should stop doing it so I'm just going to shut everything down now to be safe." It's a defense mechanism. Now, this can become a problem for two reasons. One is if you are prone to being in the "down polar" mood state in which case you naturally shut down too often. If you end up spiraling down too far you can get into a situation where you can't avoid depression. The other is if you are in a highly stressful situation where the defense mechanism of depression is working nominally but is engaging to often due to the constant stress of the situation (like in the case of a child being repeatedly raped by an adult living in the house with them). This is part of a PTSD pattern and can also combine itself with a fight-or-flight response to create some really horrific symptoms. I met someone who was being treated for this in group therapy and I think it has to be one of the worst things a person can experience. But in your case you are probably experiencing a normal or perhaps slightly elevated amount of low-grade depression due to some reasonable circumstances in your life. But because it has gotten your attention enough to comment on, I think it would de reasonable to take some precautions to make sure you don't experience it too often in the future. Avoid the things that make you feel this way if you can. Also, avoid blaming yourself. Break big tasks or decisions into smaller steps (this is my personal favorite). Stay healthy and get a lot of exercise (I know, everyone should do this but it might be particularly important for you to do it). Help others (probably the best treatment for depression). Avoid drugs and alcohol. Surround yourself with friends you can share your feelings with. Get lots of sleep but never lay in bed awake.
I do it too. Then again, I pretty much shut down the majority of the time, because I am indifferent to what's going on around me and I don't want to spark a fight or get into an argument. So I just shut down for a while and just "exist". Monraffe, your post is awesome! :eusa_clap
I don't know if it's considered "shutting down", but if I'm in a group of people (more than 1 on 1) and trying to explain something, I sometimes get very self-conscious and have trouble speaking fluidly. I'm not stuttering, but I talk in shorter sentences like I'm just trying to get the words out quickly. This even happens with people I am comfortable with and have known for years. This has caused me issues before. The only foolproof way that I have found to get around this is to explain things having had only a few hours of sleep the night before. If I can get so tired that I can't worry about what is going on around me or what people are thinking, then I can speak fluidly and on topic. Obviously, this isn't a great solution as it has other consequences too, but for the occasional speech, it has worked so far. I really don't like relying on that though since it can be dangerous to be running on only a few hours of sleep and it only benefits my speaking in groups. The other thing that I have found gets me out of the house when I'm feeling introverted is that I repeat to myself (not out loud) that "no one cares about me". Obviously, I know this is not true, but repeating this several times actually calms me down and makes it easier to get out.
Well, I am kinda always like that. I'm just a quiet person. But don't forget. No one is without talent. Everyone is better at something than someone else is. And in whatever you do, there are always chances, so not succeeding is just as common as success. ^_^
i would say i have been shutting down at least once a day as when i ever things get too frustrating or i perform worse than i thought i shut down and i have been going through this situations quite a lot recently. i don't think it helps that i am empathetical, for example if i am surrounded by people who are greiving i shut off and isolate my self often putting in head phones and turning up my music loud because grief is a powerful emotion and i do every thing i can to not let it enter my system.
I do this as well. My therapist used the term social turtle for me when it comes to personal issues I am uncomfortable talking about, such as intimate details about how I accepted being trans, my parents rejecting me because they don't believe that being a transexual is a real thing, etc. You may want to talk to a therapist if you haven't already. They can help you come out of your shell. I also have ADD, and this furthers that so.. . yeah.
