Mindfulness for the Overstimulated Neurodivergent Brain
For neurodivergent people , the world doesn’t just exist around you, it’s like it is happening TO you.. A flickering fluorescent light isn't just a nuisance, it’s a physical hum in the skull. A crowded room isn't just busy, it’s a chaotic flood of sensory data that the brain struggles to filter.
When the nervous system reaches a state of sensory overload, the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex) goes offline, and the survival brain (amygdala) takes over. In this state, traditional sit-and-clear-your-mind meditation practices feel completely unattainable or even a little distressing.
Instead, we can use Somatic Anchors. Tangible, physical points of focus within the body that act as an emergency brake for an overstimulated system.
Why ND Brains Can’t Just Tune it Out
To understand sensory overload, we have to look at the brain not as a camera recording the world, but as an intricate set of machines working together to predict the world around us.
Throughout the day, your brain is bombarded by millions of bits of information. The tightness of your waistband, the hum of the refrigerator, the flickering of a screen, the sound of a car, and the subtle tone shifts in a conversation, how fast your heart is beating, if you’re hungry or thirsty. It is a constant flow of data from everything that is going on around you at any given moment. We are never truly quiet, still, or alone.
A neurotypical (NT) brain uses a "top-down" predictive network to handle this, while a neurodivergent (ND) brain relies on "bottom-up" processing in the moment.
The Predictive Gap
In a neurotypical brain, the Predictive Coding system acts like a high-level filter. It says: "I already know what waistband feels like, so I will stop sending that signal to the conscious mind." This is called habituation. The NT brain creates a model of the world and only alerts the person when something deviates from that model.
In many neurodivergent brains (particularly in Autism and ADHD), this predictive network functions differently:
The "Precision" Problem: The ND brain often assigns high precision or importance to every incoming signal. Instead of the brain assuming the fridge hum is background noise, it treats the sound as new, relevant information every single second. Great for pattern spotting. Awful for sensory filtering.
The Bottom-Up Flood: Without a strong predictive filter, the brain processes the world bottom-up. You see the individual leaves before the tree. You hear the clinking of a fork as loudly as the person speaking to you. Everything feels loud at the same volume, making it hard to focus on the thing you’re being asked to focus on (eg work, a conversation, a movie, a task).
Real-Time Processing Lag: Because the brain is trying to manually process every single detail in real-time - rather than relying on pre-built shortcuts - it quickly runs out of bandwidth. This leads to the sensory bottleneck.
What Is Being Processed?
When we talk about sensory information, we aren't just talking about the five basic senses. An ND brain is juggling multiple complex streams at once.
Exteroception (The Outer World): Light, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
Proprioception (The Body in Space): Where your limbs are and how much force you are using.
Interoception (The Inner World): Heart rate, hunger, thirst, and the "feeling" of emotions in the body.
Neuro-Cognitive Load: Processing the hidden rules of social interaction and subtext.
Think of it like you’re streaming a game that you’re trying to play, while streaming a movie you want to watch, while streaming your favourite band. And you’re doing all of that while you’re trying to make sense of a conversation, you’re doing a complex work task, and you are hungry, thirsty, or need a wee, and your clothes feel to tight and too hot. But your feet are cold. And there’s a weird… smell?
The Cost of Hyper-Systemising
Because the ND brain can't easily predict what comes next, it stays in a state of hyper-vigilance. This is why unexpected changes to a routine feel so physically jarring (and can lead to meltdowns). The brain has used a massive amount of energy to build a manual map of the day, and a sudden change throws that map away, forcing the brain to start the exhausting process of real-time data collection all over again.
Sensory overload isn't a "sensitivity" or a lack of willpower. It is the result of a brain that is actually processing more data than it has the biological energy to sustain.
The Bottom-Up Approach to Regulation
So if ND brains are processing all that information in real time, meaning every tiny detail is being taken in before we see the bigger picture, we need a different approach to regulating. Sitting in stillness isn’t going to cut it. At least not right away.
When we are overstimulated, our cup is full. To regulate, we don't need more thoughts; we need to shift the focus from the external chaos to internal safety through the senses of touch, sight, and sound.
The "Heavy Hand" Compression (Deep Pressure)
Deep touch pressure (DTP) signals the brain to release serotonin and dopamine while lowering cortisol.
The Anchor: Take your right hand and place it firmly on your left shoulder. Do the same with your left hand to your right shoulder.
The Action: Squeeze firmly and drag your hands slowly down your arms toward your elbows. Repeat this deep pressure motion.
Why it works: It provides a clear boundary of where your body ends and the loud world begins.
Peripheral Softening (Visual Regulation)
Overstimulation often causes tunnel vision which signals to the brain that there is a threat, keeping the body in a state of sympathetic fight-flight.
The Anchor: Find a single point in front of you to look at.
The Action: Without moving your eyes, start to notice what is in your peripheral vision, the walls to your left and right, the ceiling above.
Why it works: Engaging peripheral vision is physiologically linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. It tells your brain, "I am safe enough to look around."
The Low-Frequency "Hum" (Auditory Grounding)
When the world is too loud, creating your own controlled sound can mask the unpredictable external noise.
The Anchor: Your own vocal cords.
The Action: Take a breath in, and on the exhale, make a low "vooooo" or "mmmm" sound. Focus on the vibration in your chest and throat rather than the sound itself. If you can’t make a sound where you are, then a long sighing exhale can be just as soothing.
Why it works: This vibrates the vagus nerve, the internal nerve of relaxation that runs from your brain to your gut.
Creating Your Sensory First Aid Kit
Mindfulness for the neurodivergent brain is about functional accommodation, not "zen." You can practice these anchors anywhere—in a bathroom at a busy restaurant, while sitting at your desk, or while at the supermarket.
Bright Lights
Palming: Cup your palms over your eyes (no pressure on the lids) to create total darkness for 30 seconds.
Loud Noises
Proprioceptive Input: Push your hands against a wall as hard as you can for 10 seconds, then release.
Social Burnout
Temperature Shift: Splash cold water on your face or hold a cold beverage against your inner wrists.
I also like to create an actual first aid kit. I prep it before I go out and carry it in my bag. My sensory kit has in it:
Essential oil blend that is relaxing - I like vetiver, lavender, clary sage, cedarwood
Essential oil blend that is stimulating - I like peppermint, lemon, rosemary
Loop earplugs
Noise cancelling the ear headphones for really busy environments where I don't need to talk to anyone
Sunglasses
Fiddle toys to stop me skin picking
Travel crossword puzzle book if I have to wait anywhere (I hate waiting)
The Goal: Returning to Center
You may not be able to control the flickering light or the loud crowd, but you can build a sensory sanctuary within your own skin. By using these physical anchors, you aren't just calming down, you are actively rewiring your sensory processing to find safety in the present moment.
