I have made it my mission to take an optimistic look at every aspect of being autistic. However, no matter how I look at it, there is always one group of traits which I just can’t put a positive spin on: information overload, sensory overload and plain old overload, overload.
It wasn’t my intention to write about this today, but with a recent move to London changing my routine and flipping it on its head, I keep finding myself unable to think about anything else as whenever I settled down to write an article all the new sounds, sights and even tastes (e.g. the gross London tap water) build up in my mind, overloading it and leaving me drained.
Not being one to waste an opportunity though, I have decided to postpone the original article I had planned for today and instead discuss the various techniques which I have implemented to help calm myself down this week – as I have no doubt that, with summer officially starting this week, these tips may help other autists who are going to be put in unfamiliar situations over the next few months.
5 Tips for Dealing with Overload:
Before we dive right in with the today’s tips, it’s important to remember that autistic overload is a very different beast to ordinary stress. Whereas stress is something which persists and comes from uncomfortable situations, overload can be something which happens out of seemingly nowhere, being set off by something which may be invisible to everyone else.
Overload can even result from an event which an autist may be looking forward to; such as my move to the capital city and therefore, unlike stress, the solution often focuses more on removing the autist from the problem, than removing the problem from the autist.
Now with that out the way though, let’s get on with those tips:
1. Create a Worry Tree
(Photo Credit: With an Open Heart)
So, this first tip may seem rather exclusive to autistic people who can be described as more independent, but if you do find yourself in a position where you are capable of creating a worry tree, then it can be an incredible technique for beginning to alleviate any outside factors which are causing you to shut down (and if not, then no worries as the other tips on this list are much more inclusive).
A worry tree (as seen in the picture above) is a branching chart which helps users make sense of what it is that is affecting them most and then offers suggestions on how to tackle this issue head on. In my experience, a worry tree can help to rationalise what it is that is affecting a person so much, as half the time being overwhelmed is a result of not understanding what it is that is that is causing the feeling.
I do want to point out that one criticism of the worry tree is that it can be quite time consuming to implement (and fairly useless when you are looking to avoid overload immediately), but nethertherless, given the right circumstances, it can be a great starting point.
2. Just Eat
Did you know that your brain consumes 20% of all the energy from food you eat? It does this so it can stay in tip top shape when helping you to make sense of the big wide world and it’s why eating should be a top priority before and after you begin to feel overwhelmed.
Studies (such as the one linked here) have also shown that, although having a sweet pick me up can be a great instant way to deal with feeling deflated, it is ill advised, as eating lots of sugary foods can also delay the processing of ideas. This means that all those chocolates and other treats, which look so appealing at first, often impair us in the in the long run.
That said, this isn’t an entirely bad thing, as it opens up the opportunity to distract yourself with a long, varied meal by taking you out of the situation and into a calmer one.
3. Go have Fun (and don’t feel GUILTY about it)
One of the things I have noticed most in the past week is how quickly my mind jumps into flight mode when I start to feel overloaded. As such, I have spent many hours watching TV, reading books and playing countless hours of Super Mario, to distract myself with familiar concepts during times of feeling overwhelmed.
This almost works, but annoyingly I always find that when I pick up my game controller to relax and disappear into the mushroom kingdom, I make myself feel defeated as I am all too aware that I should be seeing the sights in London and not hiding in my new bedroom with the plumbing brothers. This is why I have included another part to this tip: ‘don’t feel guilty about it’
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, taking a break isn’t quitting! It’s recharging our batteries so that we are prepared for our next round with the world, it’s conserving energy for the fights when it’s needed and it’s essential for a healthy mind. As always, I want to remind parents and carers who may feel overloaded by an autist’s needs that this applies to you too. There’s nothing wrong with having some ‘me time’ and everyone is likely to come out better for it.
4. Go to Sleep
In many cases, overloading is caused by the brain being too slow or too fast to process what is going on around us, as it causes are brains to become fried as the constant information builds up, sending us dizzy until we eventually shut down or react in an uncontrollable way. That’s why one of the easiest ways to get over this is to sleep it off.
During sleep our brains shrink in size to let the processing of information pass from region to region quicker and, as such, it can make those links between information that an autist can often struggle to transfer become much easier. Not to mention the whole procedure goes on in our subconscious, meaning that 9 out of 10 times your body and brain will have reset by the time you open your eyes.
As overloading is something which can happen at any time, I recommend investing in some sleeping aids, especially for autists for whom the benefits of sleep can be a struggle to explain. In the past I have been prescribed melatonin but realistically there are many store-bought aids which will do the trick, as well as the age-old medicine of warm milk (at least that always works for me).
5. Create a Timetable
I have tried to avoid repeating any of the techniques which I mentioned in my stress article, but the truth is when it comes to helping someone with autism it’s impossible to over appreciate the benefits of creating a good plan.
Creating a plan or a timetable offers similar benefits to a worry tree in that it allows us to rationalise what is going – but instead of being purely reactionary, a prepared schedule can help avoid it all together.
Although this may not help everyone, I have found that when creating timelines this week it has helped me greatly when I have included activities which have already taken place and look back retrospectively. This not only streamlines things and allows me to picture what is coming up, but it helps to calm my nerves about any upcoming obstacles if I can already see the one(s) which I have tackled.
Carry on the Conversation.
For anyone looking for more ideas for coping techniques make sure to check out the article I did for Mental Health Awareness Week and if you yourself have any advice for helping to reduce overload, make sure to leave a comment below.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
