When there’s a traffic jam in your brain

Sometimes it feels like there is too much going on. The light, the sound, the smell of coffee, someone talking, a chair sliding. For most people, these are background noises, vague details that fade into the distance. But for others, every stimulus is equally important, without filter, without pause.

What is stimulus processing or sensory information processing? Throughout the day, our brains have to process millions of stimuli. What we see, hear, smell, taste, or feel, but also what is happening inside our bodies: our breathing, hunger, a full bladder, tense muscles. Everything is sent to the brain, which has to decide: what is important and what is less important and can wait?

Fortunately, our brain usually does this automatically. It filters out the unimportant stimuli. This means you don’t feel your socks all day long, you don’t hear the fridge humming, and you forget you’re hungry while you’re having a good conversation. Until that filter malfunctions.

People with sensory processing issues experience the world differently. Their filter sometimes lets too much through or too little. Sounds can be louder, light can be brighter, touch can feel more intense. And that is exhausting. Imagine trying to follow a conversation while every tick of a clock, every sound from outside, and the pattern of someone’s blouse all seem equally important. There is literally a traffic jam in your brain.

This overstimulation can lead to restlessness, tension, or the familiar fight, flight, or freeze responses. The body reacts as if danger is imminent.

Fortunately, there are ways to help the body regain its calm. Deep pressure, such as a firm hug or a Squease pressure vest, can calm the nervous system. It sends the body the signal: you are safe. And when the body knows that, calm and space are restored in your brain.

Stimulus processing is something we all do, 24 hours a day. But for those who find it difficult, a little help can make the difference between chaos and calm.