Feeling overloaded can happen to the best of us, even if you typically have a cool head about things. According to a consumer survey from Best Therapies, 71% of Americans experience overstimulation. And those numbers increase by generation. A whopping 85% of those who are Gen Z report feeling like they have a low bandwidth to handle things, 82% of Millennials feel that way and so on.
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What Does 'Overstimulated' Mean?
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“Being overstimulated is not a character flaw—it's a capacity issue,” she tells Parade. “I like to look at it like our body is giving us information that the system is flooded, and when we are flooded, our tolerance narrows.”
“Small things can suddenly feel really big. Your patience shortens, and you may feel irritable, teary, restless or desperate for space,” she says.
While feeling overwhelmed like this can happen to anyone and everyone, it can come up more often for those with certain diagnosable mental health conditions. Dr. Sarai says that individuals who have anxiety, attentional difficulties or neurodivergence and trauma can often experience this loss of emotional bandwidth.
What's the Difference Between Overstimulation and Sensory Overload?
“Sensory input can contribute to overstimulation, but it also encompasses relational tension, multitasking, emotional labor, decision fatigue or unprocessed stress,” she explains. “You can be sitting in a quiet room and still feel emotionally overstimulated if your internal world is loud.”
If you or someone you love is feeling overstimulated, they may snap in response to something minor that usually wouldn't bother them, according to Dr. Sarai. This doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily “angry.”
2. Withdrawal
If you're feeling overloaded, you may also feel “irrationally irritated” by noise or questions, as Dr. Sarai puts it.
4. Tearfulness
When you’re overstimulated, Dr. Sarai says you may have trouble making even the simplest decisions.
6. Needing to be alone
Overstimulation isn’t just emotional. As mentioned, it can definitely be physical as well. Dr. Sarai states that this can show up as physical tension, which can include clenching one's jaw, having tight shoulders or pacing.
8. Difficulty communicating
9. Shutting down
Those who feel overstimulated might “shut down rather than engaging in conflict and attempting to repair,” Dr. Sarai says.
How To Calm Down When You're Feeling Overstimulated
It can feel impossible to achieve any feeling of tranquility when overstimulated, but you should try your best to feel a little calmer, or at least get close to your usual baseline of emotions. It can be taxing on the body and mind to be overwhelmed for a long period of time.
She adds that a key principle is remembering that you cannot solely cognitively reason your way out of a physiologically activated state—you have to calm the body first.
She also says that therapy can be incredibly helpful in calming yourself down while overstimulated “because it helps increase self-awareness and expands nervous system capacity over time.”
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Sources:
Dr. Chelsea Sarai, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of the Brentwood Therapy Collective.Best Therapies: “Overwhelmed and Overstimulated: Survey Reveals Impact on Mental Health”Hence then, the article about 9 signs someone is emotionally overstimulated not actually angry according to a psychologist was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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