I am grateful for those who try to understand my weird symptoms and try to respect how I work to manage them for my benefit.

Navigating Sensory Overload: How I Cope with Noise, Light, and Fatigue in Everyday Life

I chose that feature image simply because it feels like how I feel when my senses go off the reservation.

Get back in your pond, ducks!

Maybe it is simply my new awareness that looks into that image and imagines a sensory assault team striking.

I chose that title because, well, I stopped doing my Gratitude Jar 2025. I couldn’t bring myself to stay in motion with it. It felt like a lot. It only took 2 minutes to write down a gratitude for the day and stuff it in the jar. I had a sense of overwhelming ungratefulness.

Grounded & Grateful: Receiving Understanding, Even When I Don’t Understand.

Ever have a moment where you realize that excessive background noise causes so much nervous system dysregulation that you become more photophobic based on all of the noise surrounding you?

No?

I certainly notice that. I could never have imagined that being a thing.

Well, as I become more aware of what does and does not trigger a feeling of intense unwellness, I find gratitude in:

The people who just quietly let me exist, despite the sunglasses indoors or walking around with noise-cancelling headphones (based on the sensitivity I’m facing).

Sometimes I just need to drown out the surrounding noises in the house.

I’m sure it seems odd to the others who live with me. Yet, they just let it be. No different. I’m just existing.

There is power in simply ignoring something that might seem odd. I love it.

Fluids & Function: Managing the Visual and Audio “Noise” of Sensory Overload

I can be doing something, totally fine, then suddenly get hit with an increase in photophobia. Because, well, light sensitivity can suck like that sometimes.

Sometimes a soft noise can become grating. Then, one after the other, my ears will start ringing before pounding with the beat of my heart.

That ringing is like, well, TV static. It’s not like a bell.

Sometimes that is even triggered by too much light sensitivity, too.

They seem to coexist and exuberate one or the other in unison.

If sound is particularly hard? Wearing my headphones without playing anything can drown out the right amount of noise to calm down my senses.

If light moonlights as visual lava? Wearing sunglasses for a short period can reduce the intensity just enough for functionality.

I am still learning a lot, as you can imagine. I never had true sensory overload before. This realization that most of my migraines start when I try to focus, get stressed, or experience sensory overload? That armed me with the knowledge I needed to learn how to create the right environment for myself so I can still exist.

I’m not some cave dweller. It’s not like I can hide in the dark with nature sounds forever.

Heck, I’m still trying to get the hang of my pain management routine. This is not something I needed to add to my “find comfort NOW” list of priorities.

Sensory Overload Self-Care Download

Self-Imposed Self-Care Sensory Tools:

Noise-cancelling headphones to (audibly) duct tape the mouth of all people who dare speak around me.
Blue light/Eye comfort filters to dull the joy from white.
Sunglasses to fight the enemy forces.
Nature sounds as a neutral auditory reset.
Soft nature sounds played exceptionally low through the headphones. That offers an audio hook to focus on when surrounding voices and sounds are too intense.

I am really good at adapting and trying things that will help me feel better. I have found that some of the above tricks I use are often taught to people with sensory issues. I must be on to something, right?

Final Thoughts

Are your senses running your life? There is a magic box below—write a comment and let’s talk about it! If this helped or resonated, please pass my thoughts along using the sharing options below. ♡

Have a great day everyone.

Special Thanks

Thank you for being here and taking the time to read about something that often feels invisible — sensory overload. Whether you relate personally or you’re trying to understand someone who experiences it, your presence matters. I’m grateful for every person who chooses compassion over judgment and who makes space for others to manage their world in whatever way helps them function. Just knowing you’re out there makes this journey feel a little less isolating.

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