Feeling Overwhelmed and Overloaded?

I call this problem the "Kendall’s on a Saturday" effect. In Manchester, we have Kendal’s, a large department store. The Harrods of the North. When people with head injuries go into a store like this, they often find they can’t stay for more than 10 or 15 minutes. There’s just too much information to process. They say "I go into this place and I feel I’m going to jump out of my skin . . . I just can’t handle all the noise . . . I JUST HAVE TO GET OUT." It doesn’t happen only when going shopping, either. It can happen in noisy situations (playing loud music) or crowded settings (busy restaurants). They also say being around young children can overwhelm them. What is happening in the brain? People with head injuries frequently have to cope with situations where there is too much information because their brain cannot process it like they used to be able to do. When overloaded, some people become irritable or develop headaches. In large groups, some people with head injuries can’t filter out one conversation from the next and become overloaded (they can only handle one conversation at a time). What to do about this problem? In the early stages of recovery, many people have to change their lifestyle. For example, many find themselves not going to bars or noisy restaurants anymore. Many people now go to quieter restaurants or choose activities that are not as noisy. The problem is, you can’t always choose quiet situations. For example, Christmas or New Year’s Day is very stressful for people with head injuries. There may be many people in the house talking, the rugby or football may be on the TV, and the kids may be running around. If you have to handle overload situations, TAKE BREAKS! Find a quiet place and take a nap for an hour. You may have to go out to your car or go for a long walk by yourself. Inform your family members about this problem. They can try to help you cope with this. Some people have resorted to wearing ear plugs (for a noisy work environment or going to a football or rugby game or a concert). If you can’t use ear plugs, try limiting your exposure to overload situations. It’s not always overload from sound; some people have visual overload. Typically, very bright lights may cause overload. When you go from a dark building to the bright light outside; you may be briefly shocked. With a head injury, the shock is 10 times greater and you may not adjust. What to do? Buy the darkest sunglasses you can find. Most often, the cheapest sunglasses work the best. This will also help those who get headaches from bright lights. Visual overload can also occur from having to process too much information. For some people, finding their favorite breakfast cereal in a supermarket that has over 50 different cereals can cause the same overload. One suggestion is to try shopping at a smaller store and stick with that store.

I call this problem the "Kendall’s on a Saturday" effect. In Manchester, we have Kendal’s, a large department store. The Harrods of the North. When people with head injuries go into a store like this, they often find they can’t stay for more than 10 or 15 minutes. There’s just too much information to process. They say "I go into this place and I feel I’m going to jump out of my skin . . . I just can’t handle all the noise . . . I JUST HAVE TO GET OUT." It doesn’t happen only when going shopping, either. It can happen in noisy situations (playing loud music) or crowded settings (busy restaurants). They also say being around young children can overwhelm them.

What is happening in the brain? People with head injuries frequently have to cope with situations where there is too much information because their brain cannot process it like they used to be able to do. When overloaded, some people become irritable or develop headaches. In large groups, some people with head injuries can’t filter out one conversation from the next and become overloaded (they can only handle one conversation at a time).

What to do about this problem? In the early stages of recovery, many people have to change their lifestyle. For example, many find themselves not going to bars or noisy restaurants anymore. Many people now go to quieter restaurants or choose activities that are not as noisy. The problem is, you can’t always choose quiet situations. For example, Christmas or New Year’s Day is very stressful for people with head injuries. There may be many people in the house talking, the rugby or football may be on the TV, and the kids may be running around. If you have to handle overload situations, TAKE BREAKS!

Find a quiet place and take a nap for an hour. You may have to go out to your car or go for a long walk by yourself. Inform your family members about this problem. They can try to help you cope with this. Some people have resorted to wearing ear plugs (for a noisy work environment or going to a football or rugby game or a concert). If you can’t use ear plugs, try limiting your exposure to overload situations.

It’s not always overload from sound; some people have visual overload. Typically, very bright lights may cause overload. When you go from a dark building to the bright light outside; you may be briefly shocked. With a head injury, the shock is 10 times greater and you may not adjust. What to do? Buy the darkest sunglasses you can find. Most often, the cheapest sunglasses work the best. This will also help those who get headaches from bright lights.

Visual overload can also occur from having to process too much information. For some people, finding their favorite breakfast cereal in a supermarket that has over 50 different cereals can cause the same overload. One suggestion is to try shopping at a smaller store and stick with that store.