For Highly Sensitive, Neurodivergent Adults: 4 Things Making Your Sensory Overload Worse

Constant overstimulation, burnout, and meltdowns don’t have to be your norm. A neurodivergent therapist shares 4 simple changes that can help you regulate your nervous system and develop a flexible capacity to handle stress.

What is sensory overload, exactly?

Sensory overload is a state where your senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – are bombarded with more information than your brain can process.

It’s as if your brain’s circuit breaker flips, causing a system overload. Or you might imagine your brain as a sponge, completely saturated with water and unable to absorb a single more drop of liquid.

This experience is unique to each individual. What might be a minor annoyance to one person (the refrigerator humming from a room away) might be unbearable to another, leading to meltdowns or shutdowns in the nervous system.

Sensory overload can manifest through any of the senses – sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and more.

Here are some examples:

• fluorescent lights

• subtle buzz of computers, refrigerators, and other appliances 

• scratchy tags on clothing

• the feeling of certain fabrics (velvet, wool, the static cling of some materials)

• the overlap of multiple conversations in a loud restaurant (may be headache-inducing)

• overwhelming sweetness of a sugary drink

• overwhelming spiciness in a meal

• smell of artificial fragrances (strong perfumes, air fresheners, cleaning products)

• flashing lights and sirens of emergency vehicles

• taste of metallic silverware

• visual clutter of a messy room

The duration of sensory overload ranges from a few minutes to several hours to entire days. And for a nervous system in distress, even a few minutes of sensory overload may feel like hours.

Sensory overload is particularly common for highly sensitive and neurodivergent people (autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, etc.).

This heightened sensitivity may stem from specific neurological traits – such as heightened awareness of subtle details in the environment; or a bottom-up processing style that makes it difficult to filter out irrelevant sensory information.

Beyond individual neurological differences, the world itself has become increasingly overwhelming.

We are constantly bombarded with sensory input – from the 24/7 news cycle to endless social media notifications. 

It makes sense that many of us feel overwhelmed. Ongoing political, global, and climate crises impact us collectively and individually, adding layers of emotional, physical, and existential stress. This, of course, exacerbates sensory overload.

These 4 things can make sensory overload worse for highly sensitive, neurodivergent people.

1. ignoring early warning signs in your nervous system

2. dehydration

3. over-scheduling

4. checking the news 24/7 (especially in these times of collective trauma and global crises)

Here’s what to try instead.

1️⃣ Listen to early signs

Learn to recognize when your nervous system is approaching a state of overwhelm.

🚨 Signs may include: racing heart, thoughts slowing down or speeding up, sweaty palms, body tension, yawning, headache, increased fidgeting, changes in body temperature, or subtle shifts in energy and mood.

The earlier you can notice, “I’m feeling overwhelmed 🫠,” the sooner you can identify your needs and act on them. This might look like:

• taking a sensory break — putting on noise-cancelling headphones; closing your eyes or putting on sunglasses; allowing your body to move, stretch, shake, or stim in other ways; lying down in a dark, quiet room

• exiting the situation early (social gathering, work event), if possible

• stating your needs & requesting an accommodation (i.e., Could we talk in a quieter space? Could we turn off the bright light in the corner?)

2️⃣ Drink lots of water

A dehydrated body is more sensitive to stress.

If you tend to forget to drink water, find a way to make it fun and easy. Maybe you squeeze a lemon in your water bottle for an extra fresh taste 🍋, or set timers throughout the day to remind you to drink. ⏲️

3️⃣ Don’t cram too much in a day. 

Prioritize your rest. 💤 You don’t have to say yes to everything. 

Remember: In addition to the length of an event itself (ex: 30-min phone call), your nervous system might need additional time to task-switch (prepare for the call) and recover (process the call, before switching, again, to the next task).

All this task-switching takes up energy, and you only have so much energy in a day. 🔋🪫 

Next time you schedule an event, consider the amount of buffer time you’ll need before and after. No more back-to-back meetings!

4️⃣ Be mindful of news consumption 

Our nervous systems are not wired to process the volume and intensity of news content that we are exposed to each day. 🔥

Too much information can be dysregulating and overwhelming to the point that it reduces our capacity to meaningfully process what’s happening or make clear decisions.

🗞️ To stay informed and involved in a more sustainable way for your nervous system, consider limiting your news intake to specific times (ex: 5-5:30pm on weekdays, instead of random, multiple times every day).

Take extended screen breaks as needed (X hours, X days). 

IN SUMMARY…

These 4 simple changes can help you regulate your nervous system and develop a flexible capacity to handle stress and overwhelm. As with any change, they may time to implement and become a regular habit. Be gentle and patient with yourself, and remember that intention and consistency are more important than perfection, when it comes to:

1. listening to your nervous system & noticing early signs of overwhelm

2. drinking more water

3. creating a more balanced schedule that accounts for task-switching & recovery periods

4. monitoring your news consumption & titrating it to more sustainable levels

Need a nervous system reset right now?

I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves, through brain-body therapies (Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS) that are quicker & more effective than traditional talk therapy.

Therapy in Colorado + Coaching Worldwide 

Take the first step toward healing your nervous system.

About the Author

Liz Zhou is holistic trauma therapist providing therapy services in Colorado & coaching services worldwide. She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults and couples heal from the past and connect with their authentic selves. Liz’s specialties include EMDR, IFS, Brainspotting, psychedelic integration, and trauma therapy intensives for individuals and couples.