The Impact of Sensory Overload on HSPs

Do you know how Sensory Overload impacts you? You might be surprised that it is often the culprit of symptoms of anxiety, irritability, sleep issues, exhaustion, and even loss of productivity, creativity, and focus.

Quick Definition: Sensory overload is when our senses take in more information than our brain can keep up with processing. 

1. Problem: HSPs not living to their fullest potential and the world needs you 

2. Purpose: educate and validate that Sensory Overload is a real experience & give you tools & support 

3. Offer solutions for you to live your best life (helps teens and children too!)

From a poll: Sensory overload feels like:

• Someone turned the volume up on everything

• Feeling out of control

• It’s like I can’t handle one more thing in my head. I become very irritated, and short-tempered. I sometimes also feel like I am overcome with anxiety.

• Emotional and verbal shutdown, inability to concentrate, headache, fatigue, irritability, feeling trapped, need to escape

• There is too much of everything, and it's all coming at me . . . sights, sounds, smells, colors, actions, people, thoughts, pressure. My mind and body try to shut it all out. . . . I start to shut down . . . go numb and blank . . . need to get away . . . to quiet and peace

• It's like electricity and light pulsing through my body, brain, and soul. Pure exhaustion and weight that I want free of. Makes me want to run and hide anywhere calm and peaceful

• I feel like I’m in a daze and can’t really process what’s going on around me completely. Feels like my head is all foggy. It’s all overwhelming, and I can’t figure it out.

• I can't think straight. My mind reels. A kind of slow panic. The feeling I need to escape as quickly as possible

• DRAINING. Mental and physical energy is completely depleted

• A bit like a panic attack. I get shaky, my chest tightens, and it’s hard to breathe. Instantly drained of all energy. And if I can’t remove myself from the situation, the room starts to spin, then I completely shut down.

• Migraine

• I always say my spidey senses are on overload!

• Head pounding, energy drained, overwhelmed, anxious, emotional, tears will no doubt come.

• I feel like my inside is spinning out of control with increasing anxiety. I want to run away to a safe and quiet place..

• Heart palpitations, migraine, vertigo, anxiety, claustrophobia. The brain shuts down and goes into survival mode. Chaos! Circuit overload!

• It starts as exhaustion, then escalates toward a panic attack. I also get extremely spacey. I have difficulty focusing on anything and make stupid mistakes. Afterward, I am exhausted, and it can take me several days to recover

• Cognitive and physical fatigue

• Feeling raw and exhausted but being unable to relax

• Anxiety: Like you’re underwater.  Intense!!!!!

• Irritation and exhaustion.

• The overwhelming feeling of the need to get away from the person talking my head off 

• Suffocating

• Can’t breathe or make decisions

• Like my brain is pulsating or vibrating

• My vision starts to blur, and I often get a headache. I get anxious, and I have a hard time focusing

• Heart starts racing abnormally; heavy feeling in the brain; want to run away from the meeting, complete energy loss 

• Like your brain is pushed to its absolute limit

• My system goes into shock. I get dizzy, I can’t process ANYTHING mentally. My heart pounds, I may get nauseous. then, probably collapsed on the ground sobbing uncontrollably

We take in more data than the majority.  When our brain is overwhelmed by this input, it enters the fight/flight/freeze mode making us want to flee or fight or we might shut down. Once that is activated everything changes! 

• We release chemicals into the body that can make our heart race, shift how our body uses oxygen and how it functions in general. 

• We might feel unwell and overwhelmed and lose access to our cognitive brain, lose focus and memory, have an emotional reaction/meltdown/anger burst/irritability.

• we might get digestive issues, rashes, headaches, migraines, and other short-term, long-term health issues.

Imagine that happening every day and what impact that might have on our health! Sensory overload is really hard sometimes and this is just a portion of our experience. 

Solutions:

• Acknowledge

• Normalize 

• Validate

• Mindset shift You aren’t “too sensitive”, the world is too loud and chaotic. You are born sensitive because the population needs a group of people taking in more data and who have higher levels of awareness. But society is not set up for our sensitivity levels and can often cause sensory overload (think about how loud garden equipment is or loud cars or motorcycles, bus brakes, airplanes, announcements, alarms), etc

• Practice self-compassion instead of judgment (5 pounds vs 1000)

• Be alone a couple of hours daily in quiet nature Try this Spend a few days alone in a quiet and peaceful nature setting and discover who you are without sensory overload! It’s life-changing to realize you can feel so much peace and bliss in nature. Plus creativity increases when you aren't in overload!

• Practice “HSP” Self-care (balance lowers sensitivity challenges) 

• Advocate for your needs 

• Live consciously to lower sensory overload 

Fortunately, there is a lot that we can do that helps and brain training is a form of activating particular calming centers in the brain through simple practices you can do at any time and anywhere. I have created a brain training course online that teaches HSPs these techniques and most have noticeable improvement within the first 2 weeks! It’s amazing how particular types of self-care can make a huge difference for us!

I recommend taking my online course that helps with Sensory Overload: Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety, and Overwhelming Emotions.  

Julie Bjelland is a Psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, host of The HSP Podcast, and Founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community, whose mission is to create a paradigm shift where sensitivity is embraced, valued, and honored. Julie offers multiple essential resources for educating, inspiring, and empowering HSPs. Register for her free Masterclasses and profoundly transform your life in her courses and community. Her HSP Dating Group is a safe space bringing together conscious, kind, caring HSPs (both Hetero and LGBTQ+). Her HSPs in Business Group supports and empowers sensitive people to grow heart-centered businesses, share their voices, and be part of the change the world needs. Explore Julie’s website dedicated to supporting HSPs and download a free letter to give medical and mental health professionals about high sensitivity. ❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)