STIMULATING STUFF: 5 WAYS TO HANDLE SENSORY OVERLOAD
It’s completely normal for life to leave us feeling a little overwhelmed from time to time. But for people who are susceptible to sensory overload, finding tools to manage feelings of over-stimulation is super important (I should know – I’m one of them!)
If you’ve followed me for a while, you may have heard me talking about sensory overload before. It’s something I experience quite a lot – and while we all have our own ways of slowly ‘coming down’, I’ve also been able to pick up a bunch of handy techniques for when you’re next feeling it creeping in.
What is sensory overload?
Simply put, it’s when one of more of your senses take in more information than your brain can deal with.
While it does tend to be more prevalent in those with a neurodiversity (such as autism or ADHD) or condition such as PTSD, stress, anxiety or fibromyalgia, this overstimulation presents differently for everyone. For some people it will happen daily, and for others it will only happen in times of strain or stress. Either way, you’ll have almost certainly experienced it at some point!
5 signs of over-stimulation
So, what does sensory overload feel like, exactly? Here’s five of the key signs to look out for (then we’ll go into what you can do about them!)
#1 CRAVING QUIET 🤫 - We all need some peace and quiet, but this is a little different. The signs we’re looking for here are when you come home from work and struggle to speak or interact. Maybe you want to take some time in a darkened room or just curl up in silence. It might be how you’re left feeling after a high energy day filled with talking and noise, or where you’ve had to ‘mask’ to play your professional role. I get this a lot because I’m teaching, talking and “performing” in front of people a lot in my job as a coach!
#2 BRAIN FOG ☁️ - When your to-do list is long, you have a stressful job, you’re a high achiever or live a busy, high-energy, commitment-filled life, your brain can start to feel very ‘full’. You might feel like your head is cloudy or cotton-wool-like, you might feel like your thoughts are racing and the need to just press pause on it all becomes very strong.
#3 NOISE TOLERANCE 😖 - Do you ever wish people or places came fitted with a handy mute button when they get a bit much?! Maybe you also experience jumpiness at loud noises, or feel like life’s giving you a few more decibels than everyone else (Even as I write this there’s a baby screaming which is nobody’s fault but… where’s that volume controller when you need it!!)
#4 FEELING IRRITABLE 😤 - Sure, it’s called being human sometimes, but there’s definitely days where I’ll come home and get wound up by literally every. little. thingggggg. It might be sounds, movement, your environment, your spouse… or seemingly nothing at all.
#5 PHYSICAL SENSITIVITY 😓 - Do you ever find yourself desperately needing to wear softer clothing or feel aggravated by certain textures? It might be a sign you need to wind down. I have a particular affinity for fleecy materials – it really brings me comfort when I’m feeling over-stimulated.
5 things that can help
Whether you feel some or all, infrequently or often, here’s some simple ways you can try to de-escalate those feelings the moment they begin:
# 1 FIND SUPPORT 🫂 - If you live with a partner or friend, it’s good to tell them you experience this sometimes – that way, they can give you the space you need. My other half is super supportive and usually talks at me for a while instead of asking me questions – or just leaves me in silence for a bit!
#2 REDUCE NOISE 🔇 - If you’re sensitive to noise, try removing yourself from the space for a while. If you can’t, or you’re travelling, give noise-cancelling headphones a go. I recently discovered Loop Earplugs and honestly, they’ve been a game changer for me! I wear them in cafes when I’m doing some work as well as on the tube to drown out all that excessive train noise.
#3 TRY MINDFULNESS 💆 - It can sound a bit wishy washy but seriously, take a moment to focus on the here and now. Even if it’s just for a few moments, actually connect with everything you can see, hear and feel. Pick up an object nearby and just look at it, feel it, squeeze it… be fully engrossed in it for a minute. When I need to calm down, I do this or I go out onto my balcony, or outside and listen to the birds, look at the clouds, or examine the trees. Believe me, it really works!
#4 PRACTICE BREATHWORK 🧘 - Breathing techniques such as the very simple ‘Inhale 4 seconds, Exhale 6 seconds’ can help to down-regulate the nervous system and calm us down because it stimulates the Vagus Nerve (the nerve respoinsible for our rest and digest system). Similarly, things like alternate nostril or box breathing can be really helpful, as they need mindful attention and help us focus away from what’s stressing us out.
#5 PRIORITISE DOWN-TIME 🗓 - When you’re feeling more relaxed, take some time to consider how to help overstimulation from happening regularly and affecting your daily life. Look at your time management, your working hours, sleep habits, holidays, exercise routine and work on creating pockets of time in your day where you’re not overloaded with information and sensory input. It’s so easy for our nervous system to get stuck in flight mode so finding things that ease it down in our days and weeks is essential for keeping burnout at bay.
I really hope this short blog has helped you in some way and maybe even validated the experiences you may have had in the past or are having now. There’s never one size fits all with helping these symptoms but there are always ways to lighten the load. Soon I’ll be writing a blog about when sensory overload pushes us into a freeze state and how we can get ourselves out of that state of being. Keep your eyes on my socials and your emails for when that lands.
If you'd like any support with managing your own symptoms then don't hesitate to get in touch. Breath-work and well-being techniques can play a huge role in reducing symptoms associated with autism and ADHD as well as anxiety, stress and many other conditions.