I used to suffer from severe migraines. When I would feel one coming on, I was become very quiet (probably from the knowledge of what the symptoms meant and what was coming). As the pain deepened, so did my mood and my wanting to get away from everything and everybody. My way of handling them was to take my medication (if i did in enough time to stop or lessen the migraine attack) and then retreat because I knew that I could not 'fight' this. I was too sick to really care about what anyone else thought. I just wanted to be alone. You are right - the condition wins. All I could do was go along for the ride and just keep thinking (when it didn't hurt too much to even think) that 'tomorrow at this time, the migraine would be gone....'

I don't know how anyone could disguise a migraine! I sure couldn't. So, yes, that was an 'Overwhelm' situation for me.

Yet, in thinking about this post and how I handled pain, I would become very quiet, go way within to myself, and just exist. My physical body was there but I don't know where the other part of me went. It was the only way I could handle pain or even 'overwhelm' in certain situations. Kind of like what my husband calls - 'the deer staring in the headlights look.'

I sometimes try to hide "overwhelm" from people but I don't think I do a very good job of pretending. I can't even try to pretend with my family members ... it's all too obvious.

I hold alot in because I dont want to be a burden to anyone. And I have some family members that say Im feeling sorry for myself ( but again they also have had a tough life and issues there dealing with) Just recently Ive been in the possition that I have said whats really going on with me and thats a big step for me to let others feel who I am and for me not to just run and hide. They still have a hard time understanding me but thats okay I dont understand me sometimes ha ha . But they are listening at least and thats possitive and makes me feel pretty good. I was abused when I was young so I learned as self preservation to seperate from the pain. Its a good thing and also it can be a not so good thing. Generally when Im overwhelmed now I state verbally this is to much for me and excuse myself cant handle all the drama and even more so dont want to and I guess thats okay right??

I used to try to hide my overwhelm. I think it was before I fully understood that I was overwhelmed though if this makes sense. I used to have severe panic attacks and I think possibly when I was overwhelmed since I did not understand what was happening I would get these terrible attacks. It took years for me to understand they were panics. I think I hide my overwhelm from people sometimes. I had an overwhelm yesterday. My husband understands me when I get this way, so I tell him. He knows all the right things to say. He's learned over the years just how to help. I no longer have the severe panics, so grateful, and also very grateful for my husband. He is the only person on this earth who even begins to understand me! LOL!

I might try to hide it (because I'm the only one in my group/house/meeting with IT, but I should know I can't. Mine comes out as grouchiness, every time. I'm getting better though ... now when I have houseguests, I go to bed early and let everyone else stay up and talk. Or I'll find a way to escape the crowd for a while, which helps.
Thanks for posting this, you've helped me realize a few things!

P.S. I am usually very vocal when other chronic things are coming on (with my lupus) so I don't know why I hide being overwhelmed. Maybe because it seems like I can't cope with things, a failing of sorts. But I don't hide lupus symptoms at all. weird.