sensory overload at work

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Does anybody have any strategies for dealing with sensory overload at work, in the moment? I work at a job where I can't leave the room and get somewhere quiet if things overload on me, and I need a way to stop hearing and seeing things without actually checking out. It's usually not an issue, but every once in a while it is, and when it is, I get a little nasty.

Using earplugs can be a help if there are noisy people around you.

You can also ask your boss for a quieter place to work.

What kind of job do you have?

Chewing gum has done wonders for me at work.

I would agree with ear plugs, if you don't have to listen. They have gotten me through many near-meltdown situations.

I do need to listen at my job; it's actually very important to my job to listen. I work really hard at it. What does chewing gum do? I wonder...I used to like chewing gum when I was younger. I think I'll try it!

When I was still working at my last place of employment, part of my job was to help customers calling for technical aid with their machinery we had produced.

In the office I was in there were usually 6 other desks and a bunch of noisy (usually younger) coworkers.

I could ask them to be quieter when I was speaking to customers, and they would appear to be contrite, but that only lasted about 15 minutes and then something else would turn the bunch of them to loud and louder conversation (too many people for the room size, I think). I was freaking out.

But then I found a gadget at Radio Shack that, when noise around it reached your pre-set volume level, would start beeping and flashing LEDs.

Miraculously, it worked, and my coworkers learned something about consideration, and I was able to work till retirement.

Anachron, I used chewing gum today for the first time, and it helped me feel cool and collected! Thank you.

I also at one point closed my eyes for a second or two, pretending to read a piece of paper that was in my hand. It felt so amazing, and it gave me just enough of a break that I could get back on track once I opened my eyes.

I'm really grateful for all of the info on this site; it's helping me so much.

I use concert grade ear plugs. They help me to hear what I need to hear and ignore what I don't. It's helps slightly. Takes the edge off. I just ordered a white noise machine to help a bit more. I can't do anything about the other sensory issues, so I'm doing what I can with the noise. Do you think a white noise machine can help drown out some unwanted noise issues?

I am very happy to hear that it helped.

The funny thing about gum for me, is that for more than half my life, I was outspoken about my hatred for gum. I thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. Something you chew, but don't eat. And, it was stuck all over schools and other surprise places. I completely hated it until, I got into a professional environment and there was a lot of money and people and cameras all looking at what I was doing. I must have been starting to freak out when a friend tapped me on the shoulder and said, "here, have a piece of gum". It gave me just the leverage I needed to hold everything together.