​

My friend’s mouth is moving and sounds are coming out, but my brain is comprehending about 50% of it. Inside, I’m scrambling. What are we talking about? How should I respond?

Then it hits me.

“Wait,” I say. “Can we turn off that fluorescent light?”

We’re sitting in my living room, and it’s occurred to me that the lights are way too bright. Bright enough to give me a headache.

We turn off the fluorescents and replace it with a calmer blue lighting.

Ahhh. My nervous system immediately sighs with relief. Much better.

We continue our conversation, and this time my attention is fully focused (and processing) my friend’s words.

​
This happens to a lot of us living in highly sensitive nervous systems: the dreaded sensory overload.

Has this ever happened to you?

• You’re chatting at a cafe, but there are so many conversations happening around you (not to mention bodies moving around and emotions in the air), you can’t focus.
• You’re trying to think in peace, but the hum of the refrigerator, or cars honking outside, derails your processing.
• You feel uncomfortable & overwhelmed by simply existing. Your happy place is a dark room where you can burrow under the covers for 24+ hours.

Many of us experience the world intensely, leading to discomfort, pain, or a lot of I'm-fine-but-not-actually-fine moments.

Sensory overload shows up differently for each person. Maybe the lights are too bright, the sounds too loud or grating, or the smells too intense. Or all of the above.

​

One part of unmasking is learning to take our sensory needs seriously — instead of dismissing ourselves as “weird” or “too sensitive.”

That’s why, as soon as I noticed the fluorescent light causing overwhelm in my nervous system, I brought it up and requested an accommodation. My friend happy obliged, and this expanded my capacity to stay in the conversation.

This is a small example of how to honor our sensory needs. (Of course, it’s not always so straightforward or simple. But isn’t it nice when it is?)

​

A few questions to reflect on:

• Which of your senses tend to get overwhelmed first? Sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste?
• What’s one small way you can honor your sensory needs today?

​

Talk soon,

​

P.S. You might like this blog post: For Highly Sensitive, Neurodivergent Adults: 4 Things Making Your Sensory Overload Worse

P.P.S. If you're feeling overwhelmed & burnt out, and need help taking care of your nervous system, I'd love to support you. I offer ​Nervous System Healing Intensives​ — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.

​

​

Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy — for folks who are looking for something different than weekly therapy; who need longer than 50-min sessions to go deep & get to the root of the issue.

👉🏽 If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call.

​ P.P.P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe ​HERE​.

I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves.

💗 Need a nervous system reset? —> Join me for a Calm Place meditation.
📚 Curious to learn about neurodiversity + holistic healing? —> Peek at my blog.
🗞️ Want to catch up on old newsletters? —> Check out the archive.

​​