What does it mean to be overstimulated?

Australia Broadcast Center

4 hours ago

It's 5pm. The dog is barking. The kids are screaming. The TV is blaring. And the oven is beeping.
This is peak overstimulation for Meghan Flood.
The 29-year-old from Blackwater/Gangulu Country in Central Queensland is a stay-at-home mum to children aged two and four.
Her husband works long hours, and they have no family support, with their loved ones back in Tasmania/Lutruwita.
"I struggle daily," says Meghan.
Overstimulation, also called sensory overload, is when the brain receives sensory input at an intensity or duration that exceeds an individual's capacity to effectively process it, says Sara Quinn.
She's a clinical psychologist and president of the Australian Psychological Society.
It's not a diagnosable condition, Dr Quinn says, but an experience that is "very much dictated by a person's capacity".
"What might be seemingly manageable for one person, or even positively stimulating for one person, may for another be an experience that is quite overwhelming or overloading and stressful."
She says overstimulation is likely on the rise in modern life.
"We're living in an increasingly technology driven world, with less time spent outdoors in environments that might be restorative."
Sensory overload reflects a mismatch between what the environment demands of somebody and their capacity to process it, says Dr Quinn.
It can be related to light, sound, taste, touch, and smell.
Dr Quinn says what causes overstimulation is highly subjective, but more typical triggers include loud sounds like music or fireworks, busy crowds, or strong smells.
"For others, especially in children, we see the sensation of a particular type of stimuli on skin like scratchy material.
Family coach Hélène Gatland says people may also experience overstimulation when there are too many demands at once, such as chores, work and "kids asking questions", or a cluttered or chaotic environment.
Dr Quinn says things may lead to feeling teary, distressed, stressed, anxious and confused.
"Other people might experience irritability, agitation and even anger."
As people attempt to escape or mitigate overstimulation, their emotional state may change.
"For children, it might manifest as a tantrum, meltdown, or withdrawal or anxiety in adults," Dr Quinn says.
There can be physical signs, too, such as headaches, muscle tension, or fatigue, says Ms Gatland.
Anyone can experience sensory overload, and what we can tolerate may differ from time to time depending on a range of factors, explains Dr Quinn.
For example, when someone is fatigued or stressed.
It can also be associated with mental health conditions, and neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD, says Dr Quinn.
"Someone with anxiety might have heightened sensitivity … as we know for people with neurodivergence there can be difficulty filtering sensory input, which might lead to being more easily overstimulated.
"We know that individuals who are in throws of dementia, actually experience impaired sensory integration."
Meghan says sensitivity to overstimulation has increased with each child she's had.
Ms Gatland says parenting young children can be a really demanding, noisy time of life.
"You only stop when you sleep, if you can go to sleep.
"It's a 24-hour job … and if you don't have time to rest, it gets much harder."
People in high-pressure jobs might find sensory overload common, she says.
"If you have to do lots of decision-making at the same time, or you have a meeting and someone is calling you and someone else is asking you a question — that can be very overstimulating."
Meghan says her strategy for dealing with sensory overload is locking herself in the bedroom.
"But it's just a band-aid," she says.
Ms Gatland says taking micro-breaks, even pockets of five minutes, can help people experiencing overstimulation.
"Step outside, sit in the car for a minute alone.
"If you can take five minutes just to tap into your nervous system, using techniques like breathing or massaging yourself, that will help calm you."
Noise-cancelling headphones can also be helpful for people triggered by noise, she says. Earplugs may suffice.
"It's about lowering your sensory input — turning off the TV when no-one is watching and it's not helping the household."
Tidying up cluttered spaces, whether at work or in the home, may also help, as well as dimming lighting, and creating "nice" spaces to be in.
Dr Quinn says creating visual "quiet" can be as important as adjusting sound.
She recommends reducing our digital exposure, by putting our phone on do not disturb and turning off app notifications when suitable.
And spending time in nature will help improve intentional restoration, Dr Quinn says.
"Taking off your shoes, walking barefoot on the grass. Taking a walk around your back garden. Even small things, like having plants around your workspace."
For parents who can't be alone in that moment, take the kids outside with you, she suggests.
Ms Gatland encourages people to communicate what they need to those around them, whether it's their kid, partner, or colleagues, for example.
She says it's helpful to remember overstimulation is a normal human response.
"It's not a failure, it's your body telling you to pause and recharge, not push through."
Those who need more support should talk to their GP or reach out to a psychologist, says Dr Quinn.
"Primarily we want to shift them from a sense of loss of control towards greater psychological flexibility … and give them strategies to manage stress."