Hello Aspies,
In this post I will be giving you tips on how to recognize and deal with sensory overload.
First you maybe thinking what is sensory overload. Sensory overload happens when you’re getting more input from your five senses than your brain can sort through and process. Think walking into a grocery store and getting overwhelmed by the smells, and sounds of all the people talking at once, add the bright lights. This is all too much info for your brain to handle.
Say you get a good night sleep and but after you outting to the store, you feel exhausted, your eyes are watery and you feel like you cant focus on anything and all you do is want to lay down and rest. These are all signs of sensory overload. You brain does not know how to process the information.
Now the first thing I reccommend you do is once you get home is, to find a quiet place and that comfortable and dark, and take a rest, tell you eyes feel and mind can focus a little bitter. It’s ok if you sleep for hours, its your mind resetting from the overload.
Some of the symptoms of sensory overload are:
- difficulty focusing due to competing sensory input
- extreme irritability
- restlessness and discomfort
- urge to cover your ears or shield your eyes from sensory input
- feeling overly excited or “wound up”
- stress, fear, or anxiety about your surroundings
- higher levels than usual of sensitivity to textures, fabrics, clothing tags, or other things that may rub against skin
https://www.healthline.com/health/sensory-overload#causes
Now sensory overload can lead to a meltdown which is your brain rebooting.
A good example of this is: Say you have a son or daughter. You job is to get them ready for school, but your get up late and am in a rush.. So you have them shower, than get dressed. So as they are rushing, they are not fully dry, you throw on a shirt with a itch tag, than get them on a noisy bus and than they have to sit through school with all the kids and teachers talking.. It gets too much and some kids can handle it till they get home,but some cant and have a meltdown in school.
The best way to cope with sensory overload is to know your triggers. It will take time but as you work at it you will learn to listen to you body and avoid getting sensory overload.
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