It can feel impossible to manage overstimulation, especially in this sensory overloaded world we live in. This post includes 5 ways to manage overstimulation in your daily life.
1. Learn your overstimulation triggers and warning signs
Becoming aware of your triggers and warning signs can be a really helpful way to manage overstimulation. This is because you can put things in place to help you cope.
You might be wondering what are triggers and warning signs? Triggers are different things that can cause you to become overstimulated e.g. loud environments. Warning signs are things which show you that you are starting to become overstimulated e.g. you start to feel overwhelmed.
Examples: If you know that your trigger is the loud music in the supermarket, you can make sure to bring your earplugs or noise cancelling headphones.
Maybe your warning sign is a headache. When you notice one starting, you could have a glass of water or go to a quiet area to have a moment to yourself.
2. Control the controllables
It’s not always possible to control everything that causes you to feel overstimulated. However, it can be helpful to focus on what you can control.
Examples: You know that spending long periods of time on a screen can make you feel overstimulated. So, you make sure to set yourself a timer to remind you to step outside or make a cup of tea.
You want to get fitter but worry that a busy gym might feel overwhelming. So, you decide to go when it’s quieter, or go for a run outside instead.
3. Develop portable coping strategies as a way to manage overstimulation
We know now that it’s not always possible to predict or avoid when we will become overstimulated. Therefore, having portable coping strategies, which you can easily do when you’re out, can be really helpful.
Examples: Grounding techniques can be really handy, because you don’t need to have any resources. All you need is your senses. The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is a useful one to save. It involves taking a few breaths before noticing:
5- things you can see (you can look outside or around the room)
4- things you can feel (the texture of your chair, the wind on your face…)
3- things you can hear (people chatting, traffic, bird song…)
2- things you can smell (maybe an essential oils roller in your bag or a tissue with a spritz of your favourite perfume or aftershave)
1-thing you can taste (a good excuse to always have your favourite snack in your bag!)
4. Setting boundaries with ourselves and others
Boundaries are different things that we put in place to protect ourselves, our needs and our energy levels. This is an important life skill to master for anyone, but particularly if you are looking for ways to manage overstimulation. It can be difficult though, especially if you struggle to put yourself first or identify as a people pleaser.
However, there’s a reason why they say on planes to put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. By focussing on what we need first, we can then be in a better position to help others.
Examples: Setting a boundary with yourself might look like limiting how much activities you sign up for in a week to ensure that you have some time to rest. Setting a boundary with someone else might look like asking your partner to have some quiet time when you get home from work, so that you can decompress before interacting with them. Both of these are really useful ways to manage overstimulation.
5. Seek professional help
Lastly, if you are finding that overstimulation is often interfering with your daily life, it might be helpful to seek professional help. Speaking with your doctor or a mental health professional can be a way to receive additional support with this. Sometimes it can be difficult to identify your triggers and warning signs on your own. For some people, working with a therapist can be beneficial, because it can help you to understand yourself better, become more self-aware and accept any difficulties so that you can begin to make changes and move forward in your life.
Curious about finding ways to manage overstimulation? Want to understand yourself, your triggers and your warning signs better? Let’s have a chat to discuss your unique needs and see whether therapy might feel helpful for you… Book an appointment below.