“When ADHD Overstimulation Meltdowns Happen, Give Us Grace – and Space”
I was 15 when I experienced my first overstimulation meltdown. I was at the mall with my family, fresh out of an argument with my dad over dental pain meds, and tired from the school day, none of which helped my mood.The mall was chaos.
It was December, so everything was decked out in bright lights and brighter colors. The same five cheesy songs played on full blast over the loudspeakers.
The halls were packed with loud holiday shoppers who kept bumping into us (and us into them). My sweater, perfect for chilly weather, weighed down on me indoors while my winter coat over my arm made me even more warm and sweaty.And then, in the middle of the food court that reeked of greasy food and fake pine fragrance, my 3-month-old twin brothers started screaming.
Everyone nearby shot us dirty looks, my head hurt from the noise and the smell and the heat and —I snapped.“Will you SHUT THEM UP?!”My dad and stepmom looked at me like I was the jerk, and not the victim.“Is this about your mouth?” Dad asked. “I told you to ask for more meds.”That sums up every experience I’ve had with overstimulation or sensory overload: I’m too tired or upset to regulate my emotions, I’m assaulted on all sides with stimuli, I can’t stop anything, and people around me act like I’m crazy when I can’t take it anymore.[Get This Free Download: Am I a Highly Sensitive Person?]From an outside perspective, it probably does look like I’m insane.
United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
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