It's been a while since I really fell to pieces at the end of a long day. But I know the feeling, and I instantly recognized it when a colleague with young children told me about a concept called "after-school restraint collapse."

The term, coined by the parenting expert Andrea Loewen Nair, describes the way kids can hold in their feelings all day at school and then release them by melting down at home.

After-school restraint collapse isn't a formal diagnosis, but it's a "common phenomenon," said Rosanna Breaux, an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Tech.

Could it be that adults do this, too?

Absolutely, said Kathryn Humphreys, an associate professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University -- though we're more likely to be irritable or tense than to throw an all-out tantrum. That said, we might pick a fight with another member of our household, she added.

If you regularly melt down after a long day, experts share ways to head off the collapse.

Recognize when you're white-knuckling it all day.

Do you go from one task to another without pausing? To avoid an implosion, make a point of taking "microbreaks," or brief pauses where you change location, even just to get a drink of water, during the day, Dr. Breaux said.

A review of studies published in 2022 found that short breaks reduced mental fatigue and promoted well-being among workers. Taking microbreaks is good for your physical well-being too, and can help you to avoid dead butt syndrome.