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What do you do when your brain feels overloaded?

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Sometimes I just sit on the porch and listen to the birds. Somehow that calms me. Or I go for a walk and look at flowers. I stop to enjoy their aromas too. If the weather is bad, I sit and enjoy watcing my aquarium fish.
 
Yes, definitely relate to that sense of overload/overstimulation. A bit like reaching saturation point so your brain kind of short circuits.

Probably the key thing I do is to take some time on my own, if at home is probably go to bed for a rest. Sometimes, if my brain feels really fried (but not in a really anxious way - more in a worn out way) I’ll really feel I need to sleep.

Otherwise, I think things that may help are probably the same sort of things that I would use for grounding/down-regulating.

So, breathing. And anything mindful (rather than mind full!) Listening to a guided meditation app. Pottering in the garden and looking at plants/flowers to see how they are doing. Stroking/playing with my cats. I also have a particular album I listen to in the bath, which sort of pleasantly washes over me when I’m feeling overloaded, which I find soothing. And, yeah, colouring. Colour by numbers especially do that I don’t have to make many decisions about colour choices. But I know you are much more artistic than me so perhaps choosing colours isn’t stressful for you!

When the brain is overloaded, I guess you either need something to relax/soothe/rest it or else find something different for it to focus on so that elements of the other stuff that have caused it to trip out quieten down and become more background rather than front or centre.

I do suspect you probably already have tools in your toolbox to help with this state even though you might have developed/might associate those tools with other states.

As an aside - one of the post-Covid after effects I’m still struggling with is brain fog and this seems quite common for people who didn’t just fully recover within a couple of weeks. I feel quite disorientated sometimes and also indecisive, forgetful, hard to concentrate...and my brain seems to get saturated more quickly than usual at the moment so I need to really pace myself and limit mental stimulation/input.
 
Thanks both :)

When the brain is overloaded, I guess you either need something to relax/soothe/rest it or else find something different for it to focus on so that elements of the other stuff that have caused it to trip out quieten down and become more background rather than front or centre.

out of the two I suspect the second will be where its at for me with this particular situation as the last time it happrned my usual tools for grounding only aggravated me more. But I shall try to test out all sorts.

And re post covid brain fog, defo a possibility here. Difficult to tell what is causing it for me and am so forgetful when it cones to what happened recently, what happened when etc.

But thanks for telling me I shall try yo keep an eye on that.
 
Ok, I'm going to offer terrible advice that works really well for me when I am terribly overloaded and there is no way to get out of the situation. I dissociate on purpose. With the pandemic, the civil unrest here, and moving, it's too much. My back is about to stop working, my leg is dragging from it. Dissociate! My mother has been trying to teach me denial for years, but I fall back on dissociation. Time flies and I get stuff done without paying attention. It works for me right now.
 
For me, dissociation (eg from pain) is my go to all my life to function, esp the worse it gets.

However just by a fluke @Teasel I woke up to this video cycling through on the computer and I really like this guy, I'm only at about 30 min in and tbh can't focus so have to listen again when I can. But the most imp parts were to hear he said, Mark Twain said something like, ~'I've had a lot of suffering in my life and some of it actually occurred' (I understand what he meant), and this guy quoting ~'There is more right with you no matter how much is wrong with you'.

I can't communicate well today, but I came across something else before, that said, and in which I guess I know/ intuit, that being mindful (for myself, or in areas of my life that don't just include at work with/ for others, etc) is not something I 'could' do or 'should' do, but something I must start to do if I want to survive. But the way he is describing it is the first time I can understand what it might mean in reference to a greater acceptance of one's self, not just awareness fine-tuned to other's needs (which is a good thing, but doesn't reduce self-hate/ self-rejection/ SI). His background explanation makes much more sense, because I suppose the 'now' is not something I identify being present in, though I at the same time am highly attuned to the 'nows' of others.

 
Yes @DharmaGirl I use very effectively for physical, try to for emotional but not as effective for me.

Sort of unrelated but saw that there are a bunch of videos on youtube from South Pacific Private, they say Australia's largest treatment centre. Heard one on cPtsd which was a good reminder/ overview. It reminded me that overwhelm needs to be broken down, and that mastering/ managing comes through doing the basics over and over and over.
 
Ugh. That is the worst. I describe it as a “full” feeling in my head, ready to burst from my forehead. Makes me want to squint. If I am in that state, my body tends to feel like crap as well. I will be anxious and might feel my chest buzzing. Maybe some typical light hyperventilation nonsense. I will be struggling through something difficult. Or was. This is when I need to meditate but when it is the most difficult to do so. Sleep however sometimes comes easier and I will choose that route. Tomorrow is a new day. However, there is usually some left over. But with God’s will, hopefully the issue can be tackled or accepted with a renewed perspective.
 
I near ya @DharmaGirl reckon I've dissociated decades away. Am damned grateful for it sometimes for sure.

But the most imp parts were to hear he said, Mark Twain said something like, ~'I've had a lot of suffering in my life and some of it actually occurred' (I understand what he meant), and this guy quoting ~'There is more right with you no matter how much is wrong with you'.

I like this :) Have stumbled across some similar sorts of talk in buddhist stuff about suffering. Very on the money. Is something I'm only just learning to put into practise I reckon.

being mindful (for myself, or in areas of my life that don't just include at work with/ for others, etc) is not something I 'could' do or 'should' do, but something I must start to do if I want to survive.

Can relate here too. I tell people I took up Meditation because I had to.

Haven't listened to that video yet, but have added it to my to watch list. Thanks

Sort of unrelated but saw that there are a bunch of videos on youtube from South Pacific Private, they say Australia's largest treatment centre. Heard one on cPtsd which was a good reminder/ overview. It reminded me that overwhelm needs to be broken down, and that mastering/ managing comes through doing the basics over and over and over.

Can you link me this video too?

The padt few days each time I felt overloaded, I've been trying to figure put a way to help me through it instead of my go to which is avoidance / dissociation. Which works great in the short term, is why is such an enormous habit for me. But unlike DharmaGirl I don't get sod all done when I dissociate.

So yeah one of the things I've tried doing is writing down a list of what need doing soonest and picking one of those things. It helps, is still really bloody hard even to do the simplest thing but shall keep trying. :)

Hope you can find that video you saw, sounds interesting :)

@Gamereign555 yes that sounds exactly right, and yep, sometimes bedtime is such a relief hey.
 
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