This could be stress at work, a partner treating you badly for too long, or a child who has bad a big long tiring day who goes into meltdown mode.
As adults we might yell or scream or swear, or continue to hold it in and become very unhealthy or negative. As a child it tends to result in tears, defiance and tantrums.
My child had such a meltdown recently. We'd had a big eventful day that resulted in lots of physical activity and lots of energy being spent. Needless to say the little one was tired by around 4pm. Just before dinner was served he went into meltdown mode. Crying profusely at nothing in particular. The end of the world had come.
I knew straight away they were overtired and needed to go straight to bed. Others around me wondered if sending him to bed without any dinner was a good thing to do while I knew it was the best thing to do. Dinner would have been hard work and my child couldn't' do any more hard work. They were too teary to even make it to the dinner table.
My little one was put in bed with a bottle of cold water and some soft relaxing cuddle time. At first the crying continued because once meltdown starts it's hard to turn off. Eventually they settled down and slept. They woke up the next morning bright and bubbling and happy to be awake, as children often do.
As a parent it's all about how you handle the meltdown. First you must remember that we all have them (some more than others) and it's normal to feel overwhelmed at times. Don't berate your child or punish or hit them for their meltdown. Be as sympathetic and as understanding as possible. It's ok to let the meltdown play out so long as no one is in harms way.
One of my children was a tantrum thrower. Always with the tantrums any time something didn't go their way. They were easily upset too and often got emotional quite quickly. For example after their first day of school I asked my child to take off their shoes and it was the last straw of an already exhausting and emotional day. They hit the deck, arms and legs flailing, crying, complaining they couldn't do it. Poor love. I took the shoes off for them, took them to their bedroom with a cold bottle of water and left my child there to cry it out. Quite often my child will work through the tantrum, get it out of the system and come out when they're settled. Other times they would fall asleep and wake up later - sometimes happy sometimes not.
Still, I never berated, scolded, hit, punished or got angry. It was just a quiet moment in the bedroom because they need to learn how to work through overwhelming situations ourselves.
Quiet time in a room doesn't always work. Each child is different in how they meltdown, how often and what triggers them. Some need extra cuddles. Some need space. Some are just going to be buggers about it no matter what. Stay calm, stay cool and try to remember you own most recent meltdown and put yourself in their shoes.
If you feel your child has issues, such as anxiety or stress, seek guidance such as a school counselor.
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