You know that buzzing feeling? Not a literal buzz in your ears, though sometimes it feels like that, too. It’s that internal electric hum where your brain feels like a browser with fifty tabs open, three of them are playing video ads, and you can’t find the mute button. You’re over stimulated.
It happens fast. You check a notification while drinking coffee, the TV is blaring news in the background, and your toddler is screaming for a juice box. Suddenly, you aren't just busy. You’re vibrating. Your heart rate climbs. You might feel irritable or even physically itchy. This isn't just "stress." It's a physiological state where your nervous system has reached its bandwidth limit and started dumping cortisol into your bloodstream just to keep up.
What Does Over Stimulated Actually Mean?
Let’s get nerdy for a second. Your brain has a filter called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). Its job is to decide what matters. Is it the sound of your own breathing? Usually no. Is it the smell of smoke? Definitely yes. But in 2026, our RAS is getting absolutely pummeled. When we talk about being over stimulated, we’re describing sensory overload. This is when your five senses take in more information than your brain can process at once.
Think of your brain like a funnel. Information pours in from the top. Under normal circumstances, it flows through smoothly. But when you add high-speed internet, noise pollution, flashing lights, and the constant pressure of the "attention economy," the funnel overflows.
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Dr. Sharon Saline, a clinical psychologist who specializes in ADHD and neurodiversity, often points out that for many people, the "off switch" for sensory input is naturally a bit sticky. But honestly? Even if you’re neurotypical, the world is now designed to keep you in a state of mild agitation.
It’s Not Just in Your Head
Your body reacts to overstimulation like it's a physical threat. Ever notice how you get "hangry" or snap at someone for no reason when the room is too loud? That’s your amygdala—the brain’s fire alarm—taking over. It doesn’t know the difference between a saber-toothed tiger and a group chat that won't stop pinging. It just knows it's too much.
The Surprising Signs You're Redlining
Most people think being over stimulated looks like a panic attack. It can. But usually, it’s much more subtle.
You might find yourself staring at a wall for ten minutes, unable to decide what to cook for dinner. This is "executive function fatigue." Your brain has used up all its decision-making fuel just filtering out the background noise of the day.
- Physical Aversion: Sometimes, clothes start to feel "wrong." A tag on your shirt feels like a saw blade. A waistband feels like a vice.
- Audio Sensitivity: You find yourself turning down the car radio so you can "see" better while looking for a parking spot.
- The "Buffer" State: You’re physically present, but if someone speaks to you, there’s a three-second lag before you can process the words.
I’ve been there. You’re at a grocery store, the lights are too bright, the music is a weirdly upbeat cover of a 90s song, and there are too many brands of cereal. You just want to drop the basket and walk out. That is a classic "over stimulated" response. It's your brain's way of saying system failure.
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The Digital Dopamine Loop
We have to talk about phones. It’s unavoidable. The average person checks their phone hundreds of times a day. Each notification is a tiny hit of dopamine followed by a tiny spike in cortisol if it’s a work email or a stressful headline.
This creates a cycle of "micro-stressors." Individually, they’re nothing. Combined? They keep you over stimulated from the moment you wake up until you try (and fail) to fall asleep at night. Your brain never gets to reach "baseline." It stays in a state of high alert, waiting for the next pounce of data.
Why Some People Feel It More
Genetics play a huge role here. If you’re a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) or have ADHD, your "gatekeeper" cells in the brain are a bit more relaxed. They let everything in. The texture of the carpet, the hum of the refrigerator, the subtle change in your partner’s tone of voice—it all gets processed at high volume.
But even "chilled out" people have a breaking point. Environmental psychologists have found that "urban fatigue" is a real thing. Living in a city provides a constant stream of low-level stimuli—sirens, traffic, people—that wears down your cognitive reserves. You might not notice it day-to-day, but your brain is working overtime just to keep you sane.
Breaking the Cycle: Real Solutions
So, how do you fix it? You can’t move to a cabin in the woods (well, most of us can't). But you can manage the load.
First, identify your primary "over stim" trigger. Is it visual? Auditory? Social? For me, it’s noise. I started wearing high-fidelity earplugs—not the foam ones that block everything, but the ones that just turn the "volume" of the world down by 15 decibels. It was a game changer. Suddenly, a busy cafe felt like a library.
The "Low-Dopamine" Morning
Most of us reach for the phone before our eyes are even fully open. Don't. You’re basically inviting 8 billion people into your bedroom before you’ve even had water.
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Try a "low-stim" hour. No screens. No podcasts. Just coffee, maybe a book, or just staring out the window. Give your nervous system a chance to boot up slowly. It sounds "woo-woo," but the biology is sound. You're keeping your heart rate variability (HRV) in a healthy range before the day's demands kick in.
Sensory Weighting and Grounding
When you feel yourself starting to peak—that feeling of "I'm going to scream if one more person touches me"—you need to ground yourself. Occupational therapists use "heavy work" for this. It sounds weird, but pushing against a wall or doing five pushups sends proprioceptive input to your brain. This "heavy" signal is grounding. It overrides the chaotic sensory noise and tells your brain where your body is in space.
Actionable Steps to Decompress
Don't wait until you're having a meltdown to act. Integration is better than intervention.
- Audit Your Notifications: Go into your settings. Delete every notification that isn't from a real human being. You don't need to know that a clothing brand is having a 10% off sale in real-time.
- The "Dark Room" Reset: If you're feeling over stimulated, find a dark, quiet room. Lay on the floor for five minutes. No phone. The floor provides firm pressure (grounding), and the darkness removes visual noise.
- Monotasking: Stop eating while watching YouTube. Stop walking the dog while listening to a podcast. Pick one thing. Do that thing. Your brain will thank you for the lack of context-switching.
- Scheduled Boredom: This sounds miserable, but it's vital. Spend 10 minutes a day doing nothing. No "productive" thoughts. Just exist. It trains your brain to handle lower levels of stimulation so that the "normal" world doesn't feel so overwhelming.
- Temperature Shock: If you're spiraling, splash ice-cold water on your face or hold an ice cube. This triggers the "mammalian dive reflex," which instantly slows your heart rate and pulls you out of a high-arousal state.
You aren't broken because the world feels like "too much" sometimes. It is too much. Recognizing when you are over stimulated is the first step toward taking back your focus and your peace. Start by turning off the TV background noise today. Just see how it feels.