First of all, alike, that response was everything I was struggling to verbalize. To offer my autistic two cents- autistic people take in way more information from the world at large than neurotypical people. As a result, a lot of us struggle with various forms of processing (audio, visual, etc.) when our nervous system can't take in and process any more external information, our brains become overwhelmed. For me, it feels like I'm suddenly surrounded by a whirling tornado of sandpaper, screaming in my ears. My vocal cords lock, and all I can do is keen and wail. I lose sight of my surroundings, and all my muscles contact. Standing is physically impossible. It takes every ounce of cognizant thought I have to keep myself from hurting myself. I'm fortunate in that the worst times have been at home, and my husband has developed a routine of putting a tv in whatever room I'm in, putting on my most calming show, leaving me my soft fuzzy pj's, a drink, and a snack, before quietly waiting nearby, out of sight. But every autistic person experiences their world differently. That's what my meltdowns feel like as a result of more inputs than my system can process. It's kind of like repeatedly sticking a branch in your bike tire until the spikes break. Anxiety and panic attacks happen as a result of a perceived fear of that. Ie- the thought of grocery shopping makes me anxious and gives me panic attacks. The act of shopping is such an assault on my nervous system, that it causes my system to become overwhelmed leading to totally restaurant collapse.