Recently, an unusual image got viral ( viral on LinkedIn ). An employee is seen working on her laptop while sitting beneath her desk in the picture.
In the text that goes with the image, the employee acknowledges, “Whenever I do this at work, I get strange glances.” But she points out everything her coworkers miss (e.g. noise, bright ceiling lights, and constant movement happening in her vicinity). Overstimulation, to put it simply, she writes.
This piece really speaks to me because I’ve spent the most of my career working remotely. I recall accepting an office job after a long period of remote work. I was aware that going back to in-person work would require some getting used to, but I was completely unprepared for how difficult it would feel to be surrounded by people, with multiple conversations taking place at once, people coming and going throughout the day, temperatures in the office that were constantly either too hot or too cold, and the sounds of twenty or more coworkers typing at once. Everything seemed really overwhelming and disorienting. I now see that what I was going through may have also been overstimulation after reading the LinkedIn article.
I predict that many people will experience similar feelings as they return to workplace settings and large social events after more than two years of epidemic living, and an expert concurs.
According to Gail Saltz, M.D. , the host of the How Can I Help? podcast and an associate professor of psychiatry at the NY Presbyterian Hospital Weill-Cornell School of Medicine, “the return” will undoubtedly “cause overstimulation” for certain people. There are many things at an office or large social setting that can induce overstimulation for someone who is sensitive to it, whereas you can more readily control your surroundings at home.
But how can you tell if your symptoms are actually the result of overstimulation? If so, how can you solve the problem? Everything you need to know about overstimulation, from its definition to how to manage it in your own life, is provided here.
WHO ARE THE OVERSTIMULATORS? According to Dr. Saltz, the term “overstimulation” is used to describe the sensation of overarousal in the mind or body that can happen, particularly for sensitive persons, as a result of the influence of their environment. According to the Child Mind Institute , it is fundamentally a sort of sensory processing disorder, which is trouble handling or processing data from your senses (sound, sight, taste, touch, and smell).
Dr. Saltz continues, “No one receives ‘overstimulation’ as a genuine diagnosis. Instead, it is a symptom. In other words, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a list of psychiatric disorders frequently used by doctors to diagnose patients, does not recognize overstimulation as an established medical diagnostic.
But that doesn’t lessen its reality at all. In actuality, anyone can experience overstimulation, but various illnesses, including anxiety, ADHD, autism, and more, may influence the likelihood or intensity of the symptom.
However, some anxious people don’t have a problem with being highly stimulated, according to Dr. Saltz. For anxiety sufferers, being overstimulated “may make them feel more nervous and to the point where they feel terrified.”
People with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), who already have difficulties focusing, may also be more prone to experiencing symptoms of overstimulation. According to PsychCentral , more sensory information can fight for their brains’ focus, making them more prone to overstimulation. “When there is a lot of stimulation around, people with ADHD find it difficult to focus on one subject and instead tend to take it all in rather than filter part of it out. They may become overstimulated after taking all of this in, “According to Dr. Saltz, But not all people with ADHD experience this, just as with anxiety.
According to Yon Na, Ph.D., an organizational psychologist and consultant at Yon Na Consulting LLC , people with autism may also be more susceptible to overstimulation. According to Na, persons who have autism react to stimuli in a different way than those who do not. “Therefore, neurodiverse individuals may have a lower threshold for stimuli, therefore their reactions are probably more intensely felt than those who do not have autism,” the study’s authors conclude.
CAUSES OF OVERSTIMULATION As the name implies, stimulation is the main contributor of overstimulation. People may experience overstimulation “basically anywhere there is a gathering of various sensory inputs (noise, scents, lights, people, bodily sensation) all at once ongoing,” according to Dr. Saltz. (Related: What Makes a Person Tired, Physically and Mentally? )
Office settings (especially those with open floor designs) can be particularly triggering when it comes to places that can cause overstimulation.
“On top of that,” says Na, “just the amount of information employees have to process and filter through, whether it’s via email, Slack, or text, all of these different methods of communication of communication contribute to overstimulation.” She adds that feeling like you can’t prioritize all the information you’re receiving is one piece of overstimulation.
People may experience overstimulation in a variety of situations, according to Dr. Saltz. “Schools, performances, social events, parties, amusement parks, etc. can all fall under this category. People can become overstimulated just much anywhere there is a concentration of various ongoing sensory inputs (noise, odors, lights, people, physical sensation).”
Basically, the brain can be adversely affected in some very serious ways when forced to process excessive amounts of information. According to Na, “the brain can only process so much information (that we are conscious of) at any given time.” “Our decision-making and subsequent actions might not be the best when the brain is overstimulated by one or more of the senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting)… We could act out aggressively or become quite upset.”
SYMPTOMS OF OVERSTIMULATION According to Dr. Saltz, people may use terms like “overwhelmed,” “panicked,” “anxious,” “uncomfortable,” “agitated,” or “restless” to characterize this sensation. “This may involve feeling uncomfortable in their own skin, to put it mildly. A person may become angry and overwhelmed as a result, shut down or check out, and appear unresponsive to other people. They could also come off as aloof and tense in this way.”
According to Dr. Saltz, the environment is what makes the difference between overstimulation and the various states people could go through (such feeling overwhelmed, panicky, or angry). When you get out of a situation that makes you feel overstimulated, your feelings ought to become better.
During times of overstimulation, people may have both physiological and emotional reactions, continues Na. In reality, overstimulation has two effects, according to Na. “From a physiological perspective, “you” might “sweat” a little bit or experience a flush in your cheeks. Mentally, you could experience anxiousness and find it difficult to concentrate.”
Overstimulation is typified by difficulty concentrating. Na continues, “There’s so much processing going on inside your brain that part of the reason you can’t focus is because of that. “It’s distinct from anxiety. The main distinction between being anxious and being overstimulated is that the latter makes it difficult for you to concentrate.” According to her, experiencing overstimulation can make you feel as though you are holding your breath or that your breath is accelerating.
HOW TO GET RID OF OVERSTIMULATION According to Dr. Saltz, there are numerous approaches one might use to lessen feelings of overstimulation. You might start by limiting the amount of interactions you have each day (think: avoid scheduling dinner with friends on days with multiple meetings). Furthermore, according to Dr. Saltz, you can arrange your office in a “relaxing fashion.” According to her, this could entail reducing the amount of clutter on your desk, listening to soothing or peaceful music, dimmer lighting, or even putting on noise-canceling headphones. (Related: The Mind and Body Benefits of Cleaning and Organizing)
Also, don’t be scared to remove yourself from a stressful environment. Do you suddenly feel as though everyone in the meeting is speaking at once? Take a breath of fresh air and some peace by going outside. According to Na, taking brief, talkative walks throughout the day can also help reduce overstimulation.
Communication of your limits is essential, whether it’s in a professional or social setting. For instance, if excessive stimulation is preventing you from concentrating at work, you should talk to your manager. Na advises that you talk to your boss about how being overstimulated is harming your performance and that you both attempt to find a solution that will help you minimize the problem (and, as a result, perhaps increase your productivity). Similar to this, discussing your triggers with your pals can spark ideas for joint activities that won’t leave you feeling overextended.
You may need to be resourceful and attempt a few different strategies to battle overstimulation in order to find what works best for you and the environment as a whole. In terms of managing overstimulation, the action shown in the LinkedIn post is a shining example of ingenuity, and as long as it works for the employee who posted about it, it’s a smart decision, in Dr. Saltz’s opinion.
