Sensory Overload: How To Reduce Injury-Related Symptoms.
Here’s a scenario for you. It’s Friday night, and you’ve been persuaded to get out the house and have a night out with your friends. Suddenly, the overpowering music kicks in. The smell of deodorant and perfume is far too strong for you to deal with. There are lights flashing everywhere, and you simply can’t handle it all. You want to get out of there. You NEED to get out of there. You’re suffering from sensory overload.
This condition can affect different types of people, but it’s very common in those who are suffering symptoms a mild brain injury. It’s something that can cause severe problems in simply leaving the house altogether. The brain can’t process everything that’s happening in the right way, causing a chaotic reaction that you can’t deal with.
It’s awful, but there are ways you can try and make it a little less severe for yourself. Of course, any brain injury is going to carry symptoms that can’t just be eliminated. However, you might be able to ease sensory overload issues with the following tips.
Lifestyle Changes
Ultimately, it’s a good idea to change your lifestyle from here on out. We can’t really tell you exactly how to do this; it’s all about how sensory overload affects you as a person. Understanding the signs of what ‘overload’ is in your view is important. When you start to understand what causes distress and what relieves it, you can start to change the way you do things.
We can understand that you’re looking for generalized tips, though. All-in-all, calming yourself with meditation techniques and living a quieter lifestyle should help. You’ll need to discover the rest for yourself.
Adapting Your Home Lighting
Let’s look at the visual aspects of sensory overload. Again – how lighting and colors affect a person with this condition will differ on a case-by-case basis. If you’re finding it tough to deal with the general brightness of everyday life, you can invest in dimmer switches, for example. You might even find that you need to wear sunglasses indoors. If you’re getting overwhelmed by an abundance of color saturation, tone it down. Go for more simple colors that won’t overly-stimulate your brain so much.
Slow Your Life Down
In general, it can be a good idea to simply slow your life down entirely. Firstly, you need to make sure you’re doing the basics. Are you living healthily? Are you eating the right things? Are you reducing stress as much as you can? Failing to do any of these can contribute to your sensory overload issues.
The more fatigue and pressure you bring into your life, the harder you’ll have to fight against your sensory overload symptoms. As much as we all like to keep working hard and pushing ourselves to the limit, we can’t afford to do that all the time. When dealing with an issue like this, that’s especially the case.
Invest In Noise Reduction Headphones
What about your hearing? A lot of people with sensory overload conditions find that their hearing is greatly affected by the condition. They’re super-sensitive to anything as their brain simply isn’t able to filter any sounds out. The best way to avoid this is to invest in noise reduction headphones or go with earplugs if they’re more preferable. Ultimately, you need to find a way of canceling out the loud noises as much as possible. This should also help you to sleep at night if you’re finding that noises are continually waking you up.
Ditch The Overpowering Odors
You’ll probably find that your sense of smell heightens too, which can be a huge problem in certain circumstances. In the confines of your home or your workplace, encourage others to be considerate of your needs. Want to use some candles? Great – just make sure they’re unscented. Ditch spray deodorants for roll-on ones. Think about the odors of the foods you’re preparing.
It’s important to note that some people with sensory overload issues actually like the odors of some things. If you’re finding that a particular incense smell is doing wonders for you, that’s great! In other cases where you can’t get away from bad odors, make sure you open windows and get as much fresh air as you can.
And remember, there is help at hand. Reach out to other people who suffer with the condition. Browse Google for the hundreds of pages that discuss sensory overload in detail. You’re never alone, and there are always people who are willing to help you.
