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✨ Chapters:
0:18 Introduction to Sensory Overload
0:42 What is Sensory Overload?
1:36 The Connection Between Sensory Overload and ADHD
2:04 The Triggers for Sensory Overload
4:24 Managing ADHD & Sensory Overload

Hi 👋 ! My Name is Alice, I created The Mini ADHD Coach in August 2020 when I was just diagnosed with ADHD at 29.
After years of questioning, therapy, burnout, and chaotic career path changes, I finally understood why I struggled with so many things.
So I decided to share what I learned to raise awareness around ADHD and help the ADHD community thrive.

💕 To learn more about ADHD, visit https://www.theminiadhdcoach.com
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What is Sensory Overload?
Sensory overload for us with ADHD can occur when experiences like loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, or rough textures start to feel overwhelming. Picture walking down the street and suddenly you're hit by a strong perfume or cigarette smoke - it can be a lot for us to process. Or think about being in a grocery store with bright lights and loud music, it can make us feel irritated and make a simple task feel like a challenge.

Not only can this affect our mental state, causing feelings like anxiety or restlessness, but it can also have physical impacts. It might speed up our heart rate, cause headaches, or even make us feel nauseous. This sensory overload can sometimes leave us feeling fatigued or drained, which is why it's so crucial for us to understand and manage it.


The Triggers for Sensory Overload
Lots of outside influences can affect us with ADHD. We can think of these triggers in five main groups: what we hear (auditory), what we touch (tactile), what we taste (gustatory), what we see (visual), and what we smell (olfactory).

Auditory Triggers
Auditory triggers are the sounds we pick up, like blasting music or loud chatter. We can experience sensory overload from loud noises like construction sites or bustling streets and from quieter sounds like scratching or repeated clicks. It's all about how our ADHD brains perceive and process these sounds.

Tactile Triggers
Tactile triggers are about how things feel against our skin. Weird textures or uncomfortable materials can overwhelm us. It could be rough stuff like sandpaper, scratchy sweaters, or even slippery or sticky surfaces. Our ADHD brains can be a little extra sensitive to these tactile experiences.

Gustatory Triggers
Gustatory triggers are all about taste, often tied to food. Trying new dishes or dealing with certain flavors or textures can sometimes feel overwhelming for us with ADHD. We might find ourselves leaning more towards foods with milder or smoother tastes or eating the same thing again and again.

Visual Triggers
Visual triggers come from things we see, like bright, flashing lights or messy patterns and colors. Driving through bustling cities or looking at cluttered spaces can be a trigger for us. Our ADHD brains sometimes prefer a little less chaos in our visual field.

Olfactory Triggers
When it comes to smells, our ADHD brains can be extra sensitive. For instance, the smell of food cooking - be it something pungent like garlic or onions or even the smell of bread baking - might be overwhelming for some of us. Even natural scents like a strong pine forest or intense floral perfumes can be a lot for us to process. It's all part of the rich tapestry of our sensory experiences.

Managing ADHD and Sensory Overload
As people with ADHD, we have various ways to handle sensory overload. The key is figuring out our triggers and creating strategies.
If loud sounds bug us, noise-canceling headphones can help. We can use them to block out excess noise or even play soothing sounds, like a quiet melody.

If bright lights are the issue, we can opt for sunglasses outdoors or dim our computer screens.

Comfortable clothing, like a soft cotton shirt, can help with tactile triggers.
Mindfulness and breathing exercises can also be beneficial, helping us calm our ADHD brains and reduce stress.

A supportive environment is essential too. Having understanding friends around or seeking therapy if needed can go a long way in managing ADHD and sensory overload.

The bottom line is while sensory overload can be tough for us, identifying and strategizing for our triggers can help ease the stress it brings.


🎬 Credits
Animation: John Norman Santos