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Advice on Managing Sensory Overload in Everyday Life

stevediaz
27 days ago

Hello

I'm struggling with sensory overload in my daily life and would greatly appreciate some guidance from the community. I often find myself overwhelmed by loud noises, bright lights, and crowded spaces, which can lead to anxiety and exhaustion.

I'm curious to know how others manage sensory overload and what strategies have been effective for you in coping with overwhelming sensory stimuli. Are there any specific techniques or tools that you've found helpful in reducing sensory overwhelm and maintaining a sense of calm? https://community.autism.org.uk/f/health-and-wellbeing [link removed by moderator]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights.

Warm regards,

Parents
  • 26 days ago

    The hardest distraction for me is smell. I have yet to find any strategy for that, outside of fleeing or carrying an industrial mask around which is, well, yea.. it's weird.

    My strategies are (nothing is 100% effective but I can come close sometimes)

    •avoid busy times.

    •NC headphones

    •Sun glasses

    •If I can't avoid the crowd I distract with an audio book or music on the head phones and find a small personal space to claim in my head.

    •avoid being around those too bright or strobe-ing lights.

    •repeat saying or doing something over and over that is task oriented like "The next thing, just the next thing. the next thing.." or "aisle 12 aisle 12 aisle 12 aisle 12.., on the right on the right..." while looking at a map in my head.

    •Sometimes in overwhelming situations I must navigate to get to a certain goal, like the goat cheese at a busy farmers market for example, I imagine myself as a sort of game piece on a gameboard, navigating a mine field of distractions. I see myself from above and replace the actual setting for a simplified bird's eye view.

    I hope you can get creative and find some that work for you or borrow freely from the rest of us. I am hoping to pick up a few tricks here on this thread!

Reply
  • 26 days ago

    The hardest distraction for me is smell. I have yet to find any strategy for that, outside of fleeing or carrying an industrial mask around which is, well, yea.. it's weird.

    My strategies are (nothing is 100% effective but I can come close sometimes)

    •avoid busy times.

    •NC headphones

    •Sun glasses

    •If I can't avoid the crowd I distract with an audio book or music on the head phones and find a small personal space to claim in my head.

    •avoid being around those too bright or strobe-ing lights.

    •repeat saying or doing something over and over that is task oriented like "The next thing, just the next thing. the next thing.." or "aisle 12 aisle 12 aisle 12 aisle 12.., on the right on the right..." while looking at a map in my head.

    •Sometimes in overwhelming situations I must navigate to get to a certain goal, like the goat cheese at a busy farmers market for example, I imagine myself as a sort of game piece on a gameboard, navigating a mine field of distractions. I see myself from above and replace the actual setting for a simplified bird's eye view.

    I hope you can get creative and find some that work for you or borrow freely from the rest of us. I am hoping to pick up a few tricks here on this thread!

Children