Could you be on the verge of "crashing out?"
The term “crashing out” has been rising in popularity among TikTok users, and refers to the idea of “losing it” or “snapping.”
In light of the trend, mental health experts tell TODAY.com why more people seem to be “crashing out” and how to address the emotional response to being overwhelmed.
Ahead, learn the meaning of “crashing out” and how to address the feeling.
What does ‘crashing out’ mean?
Though social media has recently popularized the term, “crashing out” as an expression isn’t new and can be derived from African American Vernacular English.
According to an Urban Dictionary entry from 2019, to “crash out” means “to go insane and/or do something stupid.”
TikTok user @lizarragabooks explained in a video that “crashing out” means “something just made you so mad or upset, you’re about to make a decision that you might regret later.”
User @bfdghost described crashing out as reacting without any “type of thought behind that — just straight action.”
For example, he said in a video, “if somebody steps on your shoe accidentally, you just keep pushing. (During) a crash out, you turn around and just start swinging for no reason at all.”
Why do we crash out?
“Crashing out” is likely due to two factors: high stress and low dopamine, licensed clinical social worker Niro Feliciano tells TODAY.com.
Feliciano explains that there’s been a “huge increase” in chronic stress reported among adults and children nationwide in the past 10 years. This stress can eventually lead to a “crash out.”
“You’re feeling so stressed and overwhelmed that you either are reactive or unproductive and unmotivated,” she says.
The low dopamine levels, which is also a contributing factor, likely come from increased screen time, according to Feliciano.
“When we’re overwhelmed, when we’re stressed or burnt out, we look for ways to self-soothe and self-medicate. One of those ways (is) screens,” she says. “Even when you’re not stressed out — when you’re bored, when you’re overwhelmed, screens have become such a function of our existence, and they’re manipulating our dopamine pathways.”
Feliciano explains that when a person is caught in sudden high then low dopamine levels, the body’s ability to regulate the chemical goes out of balance. This can lead to feelings of “irritability, withdrawal, anxiety, depression, which again puts that in that state of reactivity or overwhelm.”
“Your ability to cope with stressors in that low state is diminished,” she adds.
“Crashing out” is another way of saying “emotional dysregulation,” psychologist Dr. Jill Stoddard tells TODAY.com.
“If something triggers you and you snap, you get that release. You get maybe a moment of feeling self-righteous. Or just venting, letting it all out and, in the moment that you do that, you do actually feel better. The problem is it typically has a cost.”
How do I know if I’m about to crash out?
The first step to recognizing a “crash out” is awareness, Stoddard says.
“You need awareness, first and foremost,” she says. “You can’t change if you don’t have awareness of what you’re doing and what it’s getting (to) you.”
According to Feliciano, here are some tell-tale signs a person might be on the verge of a “crash out:”
- Being short with people
- Feeling reactive
- Increased irritability
- Lack of motivation for the things a person normally enjoys
- Not wanting to go out or see people
- Lack of productivity
- Not thinking clearly
- Feeling overwhelmed or “frozen”
- Feeling tearful or crying more than usual
What to do if you're crashing out
If a person feels like they’re in the midst of a “crash out,” Stoddard shares one simple first step: Take a deep breath.
“I know this sounds incredibly simple, but there is so much power to taking one deliberate breath,” Stoddard says. “Because in that space where you take a breath, a deliberate breath, you have a place to make a choice.
“So, it can help get off that autopilot, just snap reaction, where you have a little bit of space to make a choice,” she continues.
After the breath, Stoddard says to take a look at what triggers you personally — such as social media, certain social interactions or bad news — and do your best to avoid those. She says this is a good time to start setting boundaries around what your mind and body need.
“I always encourage people to really focus on the person they want to be, the life they want to live, and setting boundaries around that,” she says.
Feliciano advises being proactive, if possible, to avoid ultimately “crashing out” by working on dopamine balance. However, she says this can be done at any point in time.
Whether in the middle of a “crash out” or feeling like one could be coming on, Feliciano similarly says to take a break.
A break from screens specifically can be extremely helpful in regulating dopamine, Feliciano says, adding that it's one of the first pieces of advice she gives to her clients.
“Don’t go to your phone, don’t consume mass amounts of social media and news in the morning,” she advises. “If you can get out and take a walk in nature, that’s one of the best things you can do to get into your parasympathetic nervous system.”
Feliciano explains that a “crash out” typically happens when a person is constantly operating from their sympathetic nervous system, or “fight or flight” mode. She says this not only impacts mental and emotional health but also leads to long-term physical ailments.
For a person who is “crashing out,” Feliciano says it’s important to learn to operate and make more decisions from the parasympathetic state when the body is at rest.
“Even just starting your morning by sitting for five minutes and doing some longer exhalation breathing, thinking about something pleasurable, setting an intention for the day on how you want to be can make a big difference,” she adds.
In terms of increasing the body's natural dopamine response, Feliciano advises reading a book, connecting with friends in person and exercising.
“Medications work for some, but studies say exercise works for everybody in terms of balancing mental health,” she says.
Feliciano warned, however, that if a person is feeling any of these symptoms, specifically “if you lose your joy for things that you’ve loved before” for two weeks or more, they should seek professional help.
