The term “crashing out” has been circulating online for some time now. It’s a phrase to describe when a person is at their wits’ end — they’re having a breakdown, they’re stressed and maybe even throwing an adult tantrum over something.
Social media has popularized the term with Gen Z using it regularly to express severe emotional distress.
“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,” explained one TikTok user responding to a commenter that asked, “What’s a crash out?”
And nearly half of those born between 1997 and 2012 suffer from mental health issues, with one in three taking prescription medication for it, according to a 2024 Harmony Healthcare IT study.
But according to experts, “crashing out” isn’t the best way to regulate emotions.
Niro Feliciano, a licensed clinical social worker, told Today.com that “crash outs” can occur from high stress and low dopamine.
“You’re feeling so stressed and overwhelmed that you either are reactive or unproductive and unmotivated,” she told the outlet.
The expert said people who “crash out” snap in an unexpected way to get a 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.”
Rebecca Hug, a clinical counselor and core faculty member in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Phoenix, agrees that people shouldn’t view “crash outs “as a coping mechanism.
“This mindset discourages the development of essential skills like self-regulation, resilience, and perspective-taking,” Hug told Vox in an interview.
If you’re unsure if you’re having a bad day or if you’re on the verge of “crashing out,” pay attention to these tell-tale signs, including being snippy and short with people, feeling reactive, not feeling motivated or productive and isolating yourself.
If you nodded your yes to the above symptoms, first and foremost, take a deep breath.
“I know this sounds incredibly simple, but there is so much power to taking one deliberate breath,” psychologist Dr. Jill Stoddard told Today.com. “Because in that space where you take a breath, a deliberate breath, you have a place to make a choice.
In addition to breathwork, it’s recommended to talk to a licensed therapist to learn healthy tools to regulate this emotional distress.
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