I’ve decided to rebrand Corporate Files to ADHD Files. It’s more fitting of how ADHD can impact any area of life, and not just in the corporate environment. The format is also changing to a 2 part release for each episode.
Part 1 (this post) is a written piece, followed by Part 2, a podcast piece for paid subs. I’m splitting this out to be more inclusive of readership (i.e. those that prefer to read rather than listen, and vice versa) and to expand more on the ADHD challenges and symptoms in the podcast episodes. Sometimes words are better!
Today’s focus is on handling sensory overload in 2 scenarios:
Festivals
Going shopping (in real life)
Today’s focus 👇🏻
Let’s start with festivals 💃🏻
I love festivals. Typically, the more I like a situation, the more I can tolerate any intruding sensory overload. I’d much rather be at a gig / concert / festival than an all day meeting.
Shock.
Nevertheless, big crowds and thousands of simultaneous voices can stir the sleeping beast out of its slumber every once in a while. Here’s some challenges, and how I cope.
I went to Glastonbury this year. Unsurprisingly it was BUSY. Between seeing acts, there was a shifting seabed of people trying to go in 8 different directions at once. Gridlocked. I felt the panic stir in my chest, as my senses were quite literally overloaded. Let’s break it down:
Visual Clutter:
Problem: thousands of people in my eyeline morphed into one giant land mammal with thousands of arms and legs. And eyes. It’s a well known ADHD symptom that visual clutter can short-circuit the brain.
Solution: If I’m honest, the only reprieve was getting out of the crowd ASAP. I took a couple of breaks every 3 mins or so near a food van, or where there was some space to rest. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and anxious, finding the nearest metaphorical exit sounds like obvious advice, but it’s true. Taking this into a smaller social setting where leaving isn’t a good option, go to the toilet cubicle and breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. It’s great for calming oneself.
Hearing Havoc:
Problem: Imagine 10 people whispering and shouting in your ears at the same time. 100s of thousands of words assaulted my eardrums, forming a horrible partnership with the visual barrage on my cognitive function.
Solution: If you’re in a festival scenario, it can be hard to escape noise. If you’re stuck in a crowd when there aren’t any acts playing, try to focus on one sounds. Don’t resist it. Accept that one sound. Some good ones to zero in are the sounds of people talking, the hum of food vans, or distant music in another part of the festival. Feel your feet / steps on the floor - start mentally counting them; and finally, put some earphones in if you have them. In smaller social settings, follow the same advice as the Visual section above. 👆🏻
Now for… shopping 🛍️🙀
I wouldn’t wish a U.K. Primark Sunday shopping trip on anyone. It’s ripe territory for triggering sensory overload. Lots of people. Lots of noise. Lots of harsh lighting. Let’s talk about the challenges and solutions:
Let’s go to war with your ears:
Problem: Sound is produced in an enclosed area by other stressed families and people trying to get their shopping in. There’s also the beeps of the till, screeching tannoy announcements, and the general hum of a shopping trip. And crying kids. All of this can really stress me out.
Solution: Timing can help. A Tuesday 3PM shopping trip will be better than Sunday afternoon - if you work from home and can get away, try changing up the times so that the volume dial isn’t so high. If you can’t do a midweek day trip, maybe early on weekend or later in the night is a better preference.
Irritating movements:
Problem: It honestly feels like Formula 1 trying to bob & weave in between shopping carts, stray children and suddenly stopping families, as if they just used the emergency brakes. I sometimes have a short fuse to being irritated, and this is amplified with my other senses that are being attacked.
Solution: Timing your shopping trips to the quieter parts of the day is sound advice again. Other than that, try to slow yourself down by 10-20%. Sometimes, the fact I’m so frantic about leaving ASAP means I’m the one stressing myself out due to ‘braking’ too late around shopping aisle corners. I’m like a really anxious road runner. If I just slow down, I may not nearly hit 7 different trolleys. Phew.
That’s the write up of Part 1 done. I’ve had a splitting migraine today, so forgive me for its shortness.
How is your experience with festivals and shopping trips? Any stories and tips you want to share? Let me know!
The Part 2 Podcast expanding on the above comes out tomorrow! 🎙️
*As always, this content is based on my own personal lived experience of having ADHD, depression & anxiety in the working world, and I am not a medical professional. I recommend speaking to a GP with regards to the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.*
This is great! I actually just recently (like in the past few days) realized that my overwhelm in crowds might be a neurospicy symptom (I do have ADHD) and not just me being a diva.
I’m quite well traveled but this month has been my first time being a *tourist* in western Europe vs less crowded places. All of the amazing, unmissable sights are absolutely packed with people, so whenever I go to a popular tourist site I’ll make sure I only do a half day. I’ll spend maybe 3 hours at the site and spend an equal amount of time back at my hostel, doing nothing / recharging. And I also use your tip of taking little sideline breaks every 30 minutes or so!
When I go shopping I always go there one days and time that I know less people are around. Other wise I would break after 5min.