How to recover from sensory overload?

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I am wondering if anyone knows ways in which to beat sensory overload from overtaking my mood and behaviour, and how your able to get back to Earth again when experiencing them, as all my life they've caused havoc and meltdowns.

An example recently I was going to meet some new people and my family were shouting in the morning (noise is a really distressing thing for me and lots of Aspies of course) and then I had to go on the bus for 90 mins to meet those people and you might know how noisy and annoying the bus can get. I then had to go into the nearest toilets in the very crowded shopping centre which was very loud and so much going on at once as it was a weekend. So when it came to meet these people I felt I was half-in half-out the conversation because of the overload I experienced beforehand which got frustrated from, though I really wanted to be present in the conversation and still felt absorbed in my thoughts even though I tried to convince myself not to beforehand.
And after I met them I still felt p*ssed off and exhausted because the amount of noise I experienced even though it was ages ago it happened. And then I had to go back past the horn-blaring cars and sirens in the city then take the bus 90 mins back again.

I just keep experiencing situations which bother me or upset me and replay them over and over again in my head and they still affect me long after they originally happened. It affects my mood and ability to enjoy things and been something that's happened since I was very young as I remember when I was like 7 I caused a scene at school because the class was so noisy.

So I wanna know if anyone knows any secrets (if there is) to lessen sensory overload and stop it from controlling you and your feelings and behaviour. I tend to avoid certain situations in fear this will happen and I will cause a scene.

Thanks for any help.

I sympathise with what you're describing. I feel the same way.

I carry earplugs and earphones when out in public. Then if something is too loud I can dull it down with the earplugs. This really helps because although I can't get rid of the sound altogether it does give me some control over how loud it is. In places where it is busy with lots of people as well as noisy, like on a public bus, I wear earphones connected to the MP3 player on my phone and listen to audiobooks - mainly Harry Potter and Star Wars stories. Because these stories are part of a special interest for me they help me to ignore what's going on around me quite effectively and this gives me a very welcome break from too much sensory input. The other thing I do is to frequently excuse myself from situations which I find difficult - just popping to the loo for 5-10 minutes or going for a quick walk outside can really help. The final thing which helps me is that I try to manage how much 'busy/loud/people time' I have in a day. On days where this is quite difficult I try to give myself quiet time alone before and after to recover.

None of the things I do takes away the problem of sensory overload but they do help me to manage it and cope with it.

I deal with it by choosing not to do the sort of stressful activities you described. Going out in public and meeting people in a noisy shopping mall would be a nightmare for me. If that's not your idea of fun, then you don't have to subject yourself to it, and it's within your right to simply avoid those kinds of situations.

A stressful, noisy home environment is harder to escape though. Earplugs can only block out so much, and it's super stressful when people fight. If this is a chronic problem, you might think about seeking a quieter living situation.

I've had to make these difficult choices myself, to get away from unhappy home situations, and limit my socializing to the internet. But I can attest that it works, and I am much happier and saner these days.

Avoidance of the overload of course is the best prevention.

But once you have sensory overload, try this:

1. Remind yourself it's not lasting forever. This is useful for a stressor of short duration: a friend's noisy chewing of their meal, the janitor vacuum cleaning the office.

2. Some slow breaths can really help restore you. If you know how to meditate, use your breath to focus on clearing your mind. If you don't know how, there's no time like the present to learn.

3. If you can find a distracting activity to take your mind off the sensory stressor, that is useful too. Or engage in your favorite, yet socially acceptable, stim. (Might want to carry a stim toy with you.)

I went to a school for children on the spectrum, and they had headphones for some of the students to help block out distressing noises. Although there is nothing wrong with sitting on a bus (or any other public area) with a pair of headphones that are not attached to anything, we unfortunately live in a society where people frown upon anything abnormal, so it would be safer if you wore headphones attached to a phone or other device that plays music you like. It's a matter of shutting out the distressing sensory input, and possibly replacing it with soothing sensory input.

I just recently discovered that breathing exercised helps me a lot once my sensors have become overloaded and calms my mind. I will be taking up Yoga classes to learn better breathing control as I'm sure it will go along way in helping me out.

Avoidance of the overload of course is the best prevention.

But once you have sensory overload, try this:

1. Remind yourself it's not lasting forever. This is useful for a stressor of short duration: a friend's noisy chewing of their meal, the janitor vacuum cleaning the office.

2. Some slow breaths can really help restore you. If you know how to meditate, use your breath to focus on clearing your mind. If you don't know how, there's no time like the present to learn.

3. If you can find a distracting activity to take your mind off the sensory stressor, that is useful too. Or engage in your favorite, yet socially acceptable, stim. (Might want to carry a stim toy with you.)



Absolutely! all the above ....

I also find that a deep breath in through the nose then out through the mouth also helps and ontop of that when i feel my internal glass getting too full, i take a deep breath in and a slow exhale and often find this helps a little


Also for many years i would force myself into social situations only for it to be quit a painful experience.. I have recently started to enjoy my own company at home and trying to eliminate the guilt of enjoying my own space and not forcing myself out in uncomfortable social situations... Remember we have all grown up with certain expectations of what social normality is, and i think its this that plague many on the spectrum... In essence it is reversing these ideologies and starting to feel comfortable with your own, rather than an expectation of what we grew up brain washed to believe! Do what makes you feel comfortable and happy! ... If at times you feel overwhelmed, dont feel guilty to having to excuse yourself, or feel bad finding a darker corner to observe from, or even going home and closing your door... As long as it is not effecting your life in a too negative way, do what feels right for you! as only you will ever truly know whats best for you in that respect


Also some foam earplugs might help if in crowded noisy places, or headset and music,

and add sunglasses to the list as well, especially in a mall with flouros ( not too sure if they effect you or not?) Not only does it help with the light sensory issue, it can also act like a barrier to hide behind, psychologically it helps me to quit an extent.