Autism and Overstimulation

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A lot of times I feel overstimulated at work when the kids are loud. I am in a noisy environment for over 2 hours straight. This makes me feel stressed and tired afterwards. I can handle it, but when I'm all done with lunch duty and I can sit down and have my own lunch, I feel relieved to be able to relax for 45 minutes. I also have another job a couple of evenings a week which can get stressful sometimes, even though I love it. I'm wondering if there's any tips for relaxation I can do on my off nights to build up a tolerance for the next day's noise. I started laying down in bed early and watching TV which is nice. Should I turn the TV off maybe a half hour before I go to sleep and do some breathing exercises without any noise or sound. Should I maybe try to pair it with a gentle abdominal massage? I read those promote digestion and sooth stress. Is all of this a big waste of time? Any input would be appreciated.

I also get overstimulated. When there's a lot of things going on around me, I can get very hyper.

So what do you do about it? Are there relaxation techniques you know of to reduce your stress?

When I get overstimulated, mostly from work, the effects can last for hours. The best thing that I like to do is go to a quiet place, turn off all unnecessary lights, and read a book. Listening to music, for me, David Bowie, is also a way that I can come down from overstimulation. I also take naps on my days off, which helps me to recharge from the overstimulation of my family. So, to summarize, anything I can do that doesn't involve interacting with other people, and is something that I enjoy is how I come down from overstimulation.

Back before I retired I worked in an office environment and I had a desk. I kept a few fidget toys on/in my desk. They helped (and I could fidget while still thinking).

I often find myself playing with my hands and biting my nails as a way of stimming. I often have to stop myself from doing these things in front of people so I can appear more normal. I think this might be contributing to my fatigue. Plus, being on my feet for many hours a day makes them sore and in need of some love.

Overstimulated for me is when I get engaged in something like writing a story, and I become overloaded with a bunch of ideas and become too motivated to work. Sometimes if I have the room to myself and it is quiet, I will have me a glass of chocolate milk while I try to attend to my writing. I am in the process of writing a horror anthology (Project 1) and a a prequel to an existing horror novel (Project 2). As incredible as it is for me to believe, I actually have finished a 2 hour musical and a 140,000 work of my memoirs.

My focus is short, so even on my beloved interests I can only work on them in short doses. I get right into something, then get up to go to the bathroom, then get distracted by something else. And then my partner asks what my writing/colouring stuff is doing all over the floor. I'm like "sorry, I got a bit sidetracked".

Different things can help different people destress & relax but in general it's better if you can indulge in a relaxing interest instead of doing something you dislike. You'd have to try them yourself to know for sure if these various tips can help you or not, or you'd have to know yourself to have an idea of what can likely work & not work. I would probably try one idea at a time for a week or so. When something doesn't seem to help after a bit it's time to drop it & move on to another idea. When one works try sticking with it if you can & perhaps try something else with it to see if the effect can be even better.

I feel like I've become much more prone to overstimulation as I age, I've been having to keep my PC monitor and cell phone on nearly the lowest brightness setting, and loud noises have become far more aggravating, I had been working as a school janitor for around 6 years, it wasn't until I got laid off that these issues became noticeable. I've always been bothered by loud noises and certain textures, but haven't really dealt with full blown overstimulation until recently

As a school janitor, surely you can relate to my environmental concerns. 120 kids all sitting in the cafeteria at 9 different tables talking loudly. When one calls my name, I have a difficult time understanding what they need most of the time. Being in that environment for over 2 hours straight often leaves me feeling tired afterwards. A few months ago I mentioned that to my social worker who suggested I practice guided breathing at home so that I will be good enough at it to do it at work or during any stressful situation. I did it a few times, but I'm not fluent with it. 2 things I have started doing some nights to relax before bed are giving my back a quick once over with my brush to get rid of any pesky itches and gently rubbing my stomach in slow circles with my fingertips. It's nice to do these things at bedtime because I don't like scratching my back in front of people or giving myself a massage. I prefer to wait until I'm in my own room.

I worked second shift, the kids would be gone by the time I was there, it was very peaceful

I count to 10 and think about nature.

I like that idea. Do you do any breathing exercises too while you're counting?

I responded to this thread earlier, but I think I misread the intent of it. On looking at the original post, I can relate to it -- most definitely -- when too many things going on around me, yeah, I get overstimulated in the sense that I get overwhelmed. I need to have some quiet time from time to time.

Why does the television always have to be on? I don't understand it. From the time the first person in the house, other than me, sits down, the television is on till dark. If I am alone in the house, I often just leave the television off and work on reading or my writing. Sometimes I just sit and meditate.

I mostly only get overstimulated in social situations where others are getting loud, or acting rowdy or chaotic. In those situations I tend to get kind of hyper & energetic. It's like I feed off others energy which can be a good thing but there is a couple downsides. One is that I may get out of line & act in ways I shouldn't; that was more of a problem when I was in elementary & middle school because I was usually the one singled out to get in trouble. The second is that my energy & hyperness wears off after a bit & there's kind of a crash where I kinda minorly shutdown & feel drained & tired & get sluggish. When I was working I would focus my attention & energy from overstimulation into doing my work. The three jobs I had were menial labor stuff. I was usually able to avoid most of the crash till after I clocked out.