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Key Takeaways
- Overstimulation, also known as sensory overload, occurs when an autistic individual receives too much sensory input. Overstimulation is, at best, uncomfortable and, at worst, physically painful.
- Each autistic individual has different triggers, so it’s important to identify your own set of triggers.
- During moments of overstimulation, autistic folks may benefit from using calming techniques like deep breathing or stimming.
- Creating a sensory-friendly environment can help prevent overstimulation, and using sensory tools and resources can also alleviate it in the moment.
- Practicing emotional regulation techniques may help autistic individuals cope more easily with overstimulation.
Introduction to overstimulation and autism
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or experienced physical discomfort because of bright flashing lights or the buzz of a crowded room, you may have gotten a glimpse of what overstimulation feels like for an autistic person.
Put simply, overstimulation (also known as sensory overload) occurs when sensory stimuli become too much to handle. There’s just too much sensory information overwhelming your brain. Every sound, color or scent piles up until it feels like everything’s in overdrive. It can range in severity from mildly uncomfortable to physically painful. Research has found that about 90% of autistic individuals struggle with sensory processing, which can lead to feeling overstimulated. Some autistic people will also have co-occurring sensory processing disorder, which deepens the impact of unpleasant sensory stimuli.
Understanding and managing overstimulation is important because it allows us to recognize the warning signs and use effective coping mechanisms. Whether you're a loved one to someone with autism or an autistic adult yourself, learning to notice and reduce sensory overload can make a huge difference in everyday comfort and overall well-being.
Identifying triggers for overstimulation
The first step to learning how to deal with overstimulation is to identify what your triggers are.
A trigger refers to an event or sensation that causes a strong emotional response. Neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals alike have triggers, and each person’s triggers are individual to them. For autistic individuals, a trigger can be a sensory experience that leads to overstimulation.
Sensory triggers can include:
- Loud or conflicting sounds, such as loud music playing in a store or hearing several different conversations at once
- Strong smells, like different meals when seated in a restaurant
- Foods with extreme flavor profiles, such as those that are very spicy or very sour
- Bright, flashing or fluorescent lights
There’s really no shortage of things that can trigger overstimulation in autistic individuals. Everyone’s sensory challenges are different—what may be a normal sensory experience for one person may be extremely anxiety-inducing for another.
For example, I get overwhelmed very easily by strong smells, specifically food smells. Eating in a restaurant is nearly impossible for me. However, I have plenty of autistic friends who enjoy dining out and can easily cope with the sensory stimuli that accompany it.
How to identify personal triggers
One of the best ways to identify personal triggers is to keep a log of times when you’ve felt overstimulated and note the circumstances. For some, this means keeping a physical journal for taking notes. For others, it may be more of a mental list. In any case, keeping track of when you felt overstimulated and what was happening around you at the time may help you pinpoint things that make you feel overwhelmed.
You can also consult your friends and family members. If you’ve been near a loved one when you were overwhelmed, try asking them what they noticed in the moments leading up to overstimulation. They may notice something you’ve been missing. For instance, my husband was the first to notice that I often got headaches after spending time in the kitchen of our new house. His observation helped me realize that the cool-toned overhead lights were really overstimulating for me.
Practical calming techniques
When it comes to managing autistic overstimulation, there are a variety of calming techniques that can help soothe sensory overload and reduce related anxiety. These techniques include breathing exercises, mindfulness and stimming.
Deep breathing
Research suggests that deep breathing helps calm the mind and body during stressful moments. Overstimulation can trigger a stress response in the body, such as a racing heart rate, sweating and muscle tension. This is known as the fight-or-flight response. Deep breathing exercises can help autistic individuals in managing overstimulation and anxiety. Some soothing deep breathing exercises are:
- Diaphragmatic breathing: Also known as belly breathing, this exercise involves focusing on deep breaths that expand the belly rather than the chest. To try this, sit comfortably with one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Slowly inhale through your nose so that your belly pushes your hand out, then exhale slowly through pursed lips. This technique helps activate the body’s relaxation response.
- Box breathing: This technique involves breathing in for four counts, holding your breath for four counts, breathing out for four counts, and then holding your breath again for four counts.
- 4-7-8 breathing: An alternative to box breathing, this technique involves breathing in through your nose for four counts, holding your breath for seven counts, and breathing out through your mouth for eight counts.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of staying grounded in the present moment. Mindfulness can help autistic individuals cope with overstimulation by regulating sensory input and offering a sense of calmness. Mindfulness techniques for sensory overload include:
- Doing deep breathing techniques like the ones above, paying close attention to the breath
- Listening to a guided mindfulness meditation
- Practicing yoga, which combines mindfulness with movement
- Mantra meditation, which involves repeating a mantra, phrase, or word to help you stay grounded
Stimming
Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behavior, is a tool many autistic people use to help themselves self-regulate. Stimming includes a spectrum of behaviors that stimulate the senses, such as body movement, using fidgets, playing with comfort items or vocalizing. Stimming is one of the more stigmatized forms of autistic expression, and many autistic individuals try to suppress their stimulatory behaviors. However, stimming does help autistic folks regulate and cope with stress, including during times of overstimulation.
If you find yourself feeling overstimulated, try stimming. You can rub your hands together, wiggle your body, hum or even sing to yourself. There’s no shortage of safe ways to stimulate your senses and soothe yourself.
Creating a sensory-friendly environment
Once you’ve identified your triggers and which soothing behaviors work in the moment, it may be helpful to adjust your environment to be more sensory-friendly. Creating an environment that caters to your individual sensory needs is one of the best coping strategies for overstimulation. To do this, you can:
- Install a dimmer to control the brightness of overhead lights
- Use lamps, string lights or other alternative light sources
- Use diffusers or wax melters to fill the room with soothing scents
- Use noise-proofing materials to dampen outside noise
- Have plenty of soft, comfortable seating
Using sensory tools and resources for sensory processing
Although you can create your own sensory-friendly environment at home, you can’t always control what you encounter out in the world. That’s why it’s important to understand the tools and resources that are available to you when you’re in public spaces or other spaces where sensory input is outside of your control.
Sensory tools
Sensory tools are items that you can use to limit sensory input that you find unpleasant and introduce pleasant stimulation. Sensory tools can address all five senses and include things like:
- Visual: Sunglasses can be used as a sensory tool to limit input from sunlight or bright overhead lights. If visual stimulation is comforting for you, a visual tool like a miniature figurine or brightly colored clothing can provide something soothing to look at.
- Auditory: Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones can help you quiet any overwhelming sounds when you’re out in public. Alternatively, using headphones can provide a pleasant sensory experience by allowing you to listen to your favorite songs or soothing white noise.
- Olfactory (scent): A facial covering, such as an N95 mask, can block out unpleasant or overpowering odors. Or, wearing perfume or skin-safe essential oils on your body can provide a welcome scent to focus on.
- Gustatory (taste): Some autistic individuals don’t like strong flavors. Having your favorite comfort snack on hand can provide sensory relief if you’re hungry but can’t access a palatable food option. Alternatively, some autistic folks love strong flavors. Having an especially spicy or sour snack readily available can offer some pleasant sensory stimulation for those who enjoy it. Some autistic individuals may prefer oral sensory tools, like chewable jewelry, as well.
- Tactile: Fidget toys, soft clothing and weighted sweatshirts/hoodies can all provide comforting tactile sensations. At home, you can use a weighted blanket, which can also be soothing.
Sensory self-care kits
One of the best tools you can use is a sensory self-care kit. A sensory self-care kit is a portable set of items that helps prevent overstimulation and eases discomfort. These kits are fully customizable and DIY-able and can be tailored to your own triggers and sensory preferences. They can include any of the sensory tools that are best suited to your needs.
Sometimes, however, even with the aid of coping mechanisms or a sensory kit, a situation is just too overstimulating. In those cases, sensory breaks may be necessary, and it's okay to step away momentarily or even exit the situation completely, if it's safe to do so.
Emotional regulation strategies
For many autistic adults, managing overstimulation isn’t just about calming the body—it’s also about keeping emotions in check. Many autistic adults struggle with emotional regulation—the ability to manage and control your emotional state. Emotional regulation strategies can make a big difference in managing that overwhelming swirl of feelings when sensory inputs are too intense. Here are some strategies that might help:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: A form of talk therapy called CBT is one of the best ways to improve emotional regulation for autistic individuals. CBT involves reframing thoughts and altering thought patterns and may help autistic adults feel more regulated long-term. Plus, therapists can adapt CBT to be more affirming of autistic individuals and their unique ways of thinking.
- Aerobic exercise: Exercise is very beneficial for your mental health. Try intentionally moving your body each day. This doesn’t have to be intense weight-lifting or long-distance running—walking through nature or dancing to your favorite songs are also good forms of exercise.
- Sleep: Getting plenty of sleep is important, since it helps to decrease stress and improve emotional regulation.
- Engaging with special interests: Special interests are not only an integral part of the autistic experience, but they can also boost feelings of happiness, reduce stress and help autistic folks emotionally regulate.
How Prosper Health can help
Overstimulation is a part of life for many autistic people. Though there are many ways that autistic people can support themselves through moments of overstimulation, a trained therapist can help them develop coping strategies and improve their ability to emotionally regulate during overwhelming moments and beyond.
Prosper Health offers neurodiversity-affirming therapy for autistic adults struggling with overstimulation and other mental health concerns. 80% of our clinicians either identify as neurodivergent themselves or have a close connection to neurodivergence. We work with most major insurers and can usually offer appointments within a few days. Our compassionate therapists use evidence-based practices during sessions and tailor their approaches to best fit each client's needs.
If you’re autistic or suspect you might be, get started with us today!
Sources
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6997554/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27995346/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3830422/#S6
https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/sites/psych.ucsf.edu/files/EMOTION%20REGULATION%20SKILLS%20MANUAL.pdf
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