Article #2 - Managing Meltdowns

In the previous post, hubby mentioned that he will be sharing articles that wifey had posted before in the e-newsletter group. And there you go for the month of MAY!

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For this article, it is not about household but more on emotion meltdown where all parents will be interested in. 


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Since February is the month of love, I thought what better to write about than emotions. I won’t go into the science of things, instead I would like to focus on a type of emotion more heartfelt – “meltdowns”.

An official definition of a meltdown would point to something of a larger scale such as:

• a catastrophic collapse, like in an economic breakdown, or
• a nuclear situation whereby fuel in the reactor core overheats and melts from within or explodes.

Although emotional meltdowns aren’t as disastrous in impact, I find it quite similar in nature to the definition - where there is an accumulation of energy (buildup of stressors) before the flare-ups.




I’m sure most people would have experienced a meltdown firsthand, or at least witnessed one. They come in all sizes and magnitude – from a toddler’s outburst, to a teenager with whacky hormones, a stressed out executive on a deadline, and let’s not forget the mom or aunt we are familiar with who is experiencing menopausal hot flushes and possibly horrible mood swings.

I was just thinking – can we really blame our hormones when things go south? Are hormones the main culprits for emotions spiraling beyond our control? Some may say it’s actually the reverse, that emotions causes the hormones to go haywire. I believe it is all interrelated, more like a cycle that propels one another.

Take for example in situations of fear or stress, there will be a surge in adrenaline or cortisol production in the body respectively, and this elevated hormone levels in turn fuels the emotions with corresponding physiological reactions like a pounding heart rate or increased blood pressure. It is only when you attempt to calm down and take deep breaths that you feel you are slowly regaining your senses and composure.

Why would I say this is heartfelt? This is pretty much because my 3+ year old suffers from a condition called precocious puberty whereby she has elevated levels of hormones being produced in her body. We’ve gone through a few months of tests at the hospital and her hormone levels are 6 times above average. You can imagine her as a stick of dynamite - a small spark or trigger could generate enormous meltdowns.

Before you dismiss that as bad behavior or poor self-restrain etc., let me share, when such meltdowns occur, it is mostly involuntary and my daughter is not in control or aware of what she is doing. It is quite different from a toddler who intentionally throws a tantrum to seek attention or get what he wants.

To manage my daughter’s hormone levels, we are currently on a 4-weekly injection at the hospital. However, right after the jab and a week before the next jab is due, virtually ANYTHING can set her off. Something as minute as holding her left hand instead of right hand while shopping may cause a meltdown, so we tread cautiously around her.

She has always been the happy and chirpy child until she was diagnosed at age 2+. It was tremendously helpful that before we were able to commence treatment, my trusty YLEOs helped soothe and calm her down effectively for many months. Here are just a fraction of the essential oils that I’ve used:

• Peace & Calming for her bedtime regime;
• Lavender & Valor when she hurts and bumps herself during meltdowns;
• Release was particularly helpful for her emotionally and physically;
• Ruta Vala was superb in ensuring a good night’s sleep;
• Rose, needless to say, was uplifting and brought balance to her moods;
• Cedarwood and Frankincense combination, in an attempt to help her pituitary gland (which controls most hormone functions);
• Raindrop technique massage, which I feel helps with most things. We personally experienced improvement in viral fevers, backaches, numbness and even emotions.

Definitely we couldn’t live our lives as before. We pay more attention to what we eat now, and scrutinize the products we use in our daily lives for any endocrine disrupting compounds that mimic hormones in our bodies. There are so many things to take note of I think this warrants a write up on its own. Stay tuned!