What Overstimulation Feels Like as a Highly Sensitive Person and How You Can Do Manage It
If you’re highly sensitive, you may be more easily overwhelmed by the flood of sensory inputs and emotional triggers than others. This is why it’s important to understand what overstimulation feels like with experience intense emotional reactions, exhaustion, and find yourself needing more and more alone time and isolation to recover.
The first time I heard about the highly sensitive person (HSP) trait, I felt a huge sense of relief and release of a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying. I felt seen, I gained a greater understanding of myself, and most importantly I was able to accept and be proud of my sensitivity and its own uniqueness. But then I had to learn and readjust to my sensitivities and find ways to cope with my own never-ending overstimulation.
Yes, overstimulation is not a new concept and can happen to anyone, but as a HSP you may find yourself in the overstimulation range more often than for others.
What is a highly sensitive person
HSP describes an innate trait that some people have leading to an increased central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. Read this blog post to learn more about HSP and common symptoms HSP’s experience. You can also take the questionnaire here to see if you may be highly sensitive.
Keep reading for a deeper dive around one of the main symptoms of HSPs - overstimulation and overwhelm. I wanted to go a little bit deeper on this topic not only because according to Dr. Elaine Aron - as a HSP, you are naturally going to be overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time - and also because it’s so prevalent in today's society and the women I work with.
What are the signs/symptoms of overstimulation?
As a HSP, I am all too familiar with how easy it can be to become overstimulated. I’m also super aware of my need for LOTS personal downtime for recovery. So. Much. Downtime! Overstimulation is not limited to individuals HSPs, it can happen to any of us! It is also common for other neurodivergences such as ADD/ADHD.
Overstimulation can manifest in various ways and can range from mild to severe, depending on your unique sensitivity as an individual, length of the exposure, and type of stimuli. As with most things people related, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing overstimulation.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with becoming overstimulated (other than it being frustrating and uncomfortable), especially in today’s world with all kinds of technological stimulations and focus on “busy-ness.” What’s important is being able to identify signs and symptoms that may be present both within yourself and in others so you can then begin to find ways to overcome and cope. These symptoms may come on gradually or all at once -
Difficulty ignoring loud sounds, strong smells, itchy fabrics, or other sensory information
A loss of focus as your thoughts may become scattered, making it hard to complete tasks.
Difficulty regulating emotions such as overwhelm, anger, irritability, anxiety
A general sense of discomfort including headaches, muscle tension, stomachaches, or even a racing heart
Fatigue and feeling physically exhausted even after short exposure
Difficulties with sleeping
Seeking solitude or isolation
Muscle tension and tightness, elevated heart rate, and lightheadedness
Learning effective strategies and techniques to manage overstimulation is crucial for highly sensitive individuals.
Overstimulation and the highly sensitive person
Some days and for some people, sensory information in their environment has little to no effect on your nervous system. On these days, for instance, you may have dishes all over the kitchen from the previous night, but you barely notice them. Your cats might be using your lap as a walkway to strut their stuff, but it doesn’t bother you. When someone is using a weed-eater next to your window, you don’t hear it. And your partner may be making that weird breakfast dish again, but you don’t smell it as much.
And then there’s days when these sensory experiences are super stimulating, revving up your nervous system to the point of overwhelm.
Just like with anxiety - your sensory inputs are not your enemy! The both serve a purpose and it can be life changing when you are able to find ways to enhance your relationship with your sensitive parts. Anxiety and sensory inputs are important to our well-being and survival; messengers that communicate our needs or warnings of danger. They cannot - and should not - be completely turned off. They may be super annoying but life would also be pretty boring (and dangerous!) without them.
In the beginning, it can feel like your sensitivities can make navigating your day-to-day life challenging and exhausting. Life’s stressors are difficult enough as it is, but with HSP’s, a little annoyance for one can become a full blown boiling point meltdown super quickly. When your sensitivities are on high alert, you may notice the following emotions -
anger
frustration
stress
panic
crying
complete shut down
Here’s an example -
Meet Emily, a highly sensitive person who works in a busy open-plan office. During the day, she is bombarded with the constant noise of phone calls, colleagues' conversations, and the sounds of printers and office equipment. She's also managing multiple deadlines, and the continuous pressure from her demanding workload. Emily considers herself very hard-working and dedicated to her job, but as the day progresses her sensory overload combined with the stress of her responsibilities, becomes too much to handle.
Her heightened sensitivity to the noise and the pressure at work lead her to feel overwhelmed. Emily begins to experience physical symptoms such as tension headaches and an intense need for solitude. She knows she needs to find a way to manage this constant overstimulation to maintain her well-being but then her boss comes in requesting a report be completed in by the end of the day followed by a co-worker wanting to complain about the stinky fridge.
Next - Meltdown. This may look like Emily completely shutting down or becoming irritated with a co-worker responding with a snippy remark or completely ignoring her. She may storm off into another room or not be able to continue performing tasks. It is not each individual thing that is the problem for Emily, rather the culmination of events and stimulations that become overwhelming.
How to reduce overstimulation -
Establish Boundaries
While setting boundaries can be a struggle for many, it tends to be particularly challenging for highly sensitive persons (HSPs), usually due to the anxiety associated with conflict or their heightened emotional sensitivity towards others. It’s vital for your mental well-being to be able to communicate your needs, leave situations you don’t feel comfortable in, and enhancing a sense of control by making your own choices. Learning to say no to additional commitments when you feel overwhelmed and prioritizing self-care is an easy and impactful way to prioritize your own needs.
For more tips on how to effectively set boundaries, head over to this blog.
Identify Triggers
Recognizing triggers that lead to overstimulation can help you prepare for them. You may not know all of your triggers or they may change over time, and that’s okay! Beginning the process of gaining self-awareness can strengthen your brain muscle to continue to gain helpful awareness.
Create a Calm Environment
At home and work, create a calming environment paying attention to lighting, colors, and clutter. Use noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs to help off-set noises. Finding ways to reduce that stimulation is key. There is no one-size-fits-all for overwhelming stimuli, so identifying your own personal sources of stimulation is a helpful first step. Here are examples from my personal life and others around me -
Loud Noises and sounds - Music, tv (or both at the same time), appliances, videos playing on a phone or ipad, loud pots and pans while cooking, sirens, trucks, clocks, raised voices, multiple people talking at once.
Crowded Places - Highly crowded places, such as busy shopping malls, concerts, or packed public transportation
Bright Lights and sight - Intensely bright lights, especially fluorescent or strobe lighting, clutter, anything obstructing your vision
Strong Smells - Examples include perfumes, cleaning products, or certain foods (think broccoli or tuna)
Emotional Situations - High emotional situations (ie - arguments) can be overwhelming due to heightened empathy
Time Pressure - You may find it difficult to focus and perform under time constraints and tight deadlines
Touch - Scratchy clothes, too-tight clothes, tags, dry skin
Complex Decision-Making - Multiple factors to consider can lead to analysis paralysis and overwhelm
Social Pressure - Social gatherings increase the the need to navigate social dynamics and engage in small talk - not something HPSs love
Multi-Tasking - Handling multiple tasks simultaneously increases cognitive load and leads to stress
Being overly scheduled - Too many commitments and reduce time needed to de-stress and recharge
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices, however big or small allow you to stay present and attuned to you emotions. This can help you identify and address overstimulation before it gets to a point of complete overwhelm and harder to cope with. It can also bring you greater sense of self-awareness, emotional regulation, resilience, and overall well-being.
Plan Downtime
Relaxation and downtime is vital for the highly sensitive person’s well-being. It works as a form of prevention, because relaxation practices help to reduce the amount of baseline stress from which you operate. Schedule regular breaks during the day to rest and recharge. Even short moments of solitude can help you regain your balance.
Communicate Your Needs
Openly communicate your needs to friends, family, and coworkers. Let them know when you need alone time or when you're feeling overstimulated. Encourage their understanding and support.
Utilize in the moment coping skills
Use deep breathing
Take breaks
Use mental affirmations and challenge unhelpful thoughts - here are free affirmations to get you started
Call someone you trust
Bottom line
Everyone is susceptible to overwhelm. but as a HSP, you are more susceptible than other folks. This can be frustrating or annoying at times due to the enhanced sensitivity to everything around you. Overstimulation can be a slow burn, which is why it is crucial to consistently check in with yourself learn ways to better manage your overstimulation.
Therapy can help
If you feel like you’re getting stuck along the way or want more guided support, it may be time to seek a consultation with a therapist. Contact Real Well Therapy here or call 512-686-7009.
Want to learn more about how anxiety therapy can help you? Click here!
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Disclaimer: the information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or a substitute for professional consultation. If you are experiencing emotional distress, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional.
