What Does Crashing Out Mean and How to Deal With It?

Crashing out is a slang term used to negatively describe emotional overload or emotional dysregulation that presents as sudden, angry, frustrated, or distressing emotional outbursts or behaviors. These outbursts are typically followed by poor decision-making or choices that result in negative consequences in a person’s life.

Jump to Key Takeaways.

What Are the Signs You Are Crashing Out? 

The various signs associated with crashing out are correlated with poor emotional regulation or emotional overload caused by stress or mental anguish.

When someone experiences emotional overload or dysregulation, they may:

• Socially isolate from others
• Misuse substances
• Overindulge in unhealthy foods or start skipping meals
• Experience disproportionate reactions to minor annoyances or inconveniences
• Feel physically ill
• Develop poor sleep patterns
• Lash out at others, leading to strained relationships or the end of relationships
• Engage in dangerous behaviours, including unsafe driving or having unprotected sexual relations with others
• Quit a job impulsively
• Become violent and throw things, or get into physical altercations with others
• Post regrettable social media posts

What Can Trigger Crashing Out?

Many things can trigger crashing out, depending on the person. For some, a single major event such as a traumatic accident or the loss of a loved one can lead to crashing out. For others, many small events that drive stress can also lead to burnout.

For example, a person dealing with tension at home goes to get a coffee before work, only to find the line is long, potentially making them late. They may “crash out” from having to wait in line.

Preexisting mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, may also contribute to someone crashing out when a negative event occurs in their life.

Other potential triggers include:

• Feeling excessive and prolonged pressure to perform at work or school
• Facing financial hardship
• Focusing on global instability that causes stress

What Should You Do If You Are Crashing Out? 

If you are crashing out, it’s vital that you take action to cope with the stress that drove you to that point, as well as your ability to regulate negative emotions. To do so, you could:

• Engage in meditation, deep breathing, or mindfulness exercises daily.
• Exercise and eat a healthy diet.
• Ensure you’re getting enough sleep by creating and sticking to a sleep routine.
• Avoid engaging in behaviors that could make stress worse, like drug or alcohol use.
• Identify your stressors and write them down.
• Address any recurring issues that drive significant stress, such as a toxic workplace environment or marital conflict.
• Enlist the help of a therapist to help you develop coping skills and improve your emotional dysregulation patterns.
• Explore self-soothing measures and engage in those as much as possible when stress becomes unavoidable.
• Speak to a healthcare provider about potential medication routes you can take, such as antidepressants. 
• Try various behavioral therapies to improve emotional regulation.

Getting Help for Emotional Dysregulation

If you experience crashing out and it leads to negative consequences, getting help is an excellent approach to ensure that you can manage your emotions now and in the long run.

Support for emotional dysregulation and crashing out could involve seeing a therapist to learn new coping skills or engaging in therapies as mentioned above. It’s essential to speak with a healthcare provider if you experience crashing out, as there’s help available.

Key Takeaways

•  Crashing out isn’t a medical term, but rather slang used to describe emotional outbursts caused by emotional overwhelm.
• Crashing out can stem from big or small stressors, and are likely to occur in those who do not have developed coping skills, are under a lot of stress, or experience emotional dysregulation (being unable to control and cope with life’s negative events).
• Help available for crashing out, including interventions such as therapy, as well as learning how to regulate emotions better and practicing self-care during times of significant stress.