I’m posting this in three groups: Depression, Anxiety, and ME/CFS, because I don’t know where to pinpoint the problem.

I have a problem with sensory overload. In the past, I referred to it as being cloudy headed, floaty, or having a headache. That’s not quite it. 

It’s being overwhelmed, foggy, and unable to process information. My senses, my eyes and hearing and smell and touch and taste, my brain, thinking, things moving around me, it all becomes a meaningless cacophany of colors and noise. It becomes difficult to concentrate or understand what’s going on, thoughts are slow and sluggish. It’s hard to recall past memories or information I know is there, and logic moves slowly. It’s difficult to learn anything (school). My brain is foggy. 

I become very cranky. I hate it when people talk to me in this state because their words are more meaningless noise that I have to process and understand and, worse, answer to. In this just, I just want to escape into sleep or laziness. I cover my ears or my eyes. I look at the floor. I listen to music. I snap at people who come near or an completely unresponsive. 

I notice that my brain tends to go foggy in several instances. 

1. Sleep. Every morning when I wake up, my brain is really foggy, and I have to wait a bit before things become clear. Even nodding off for five minutes triggers a wave of fog that won’t go away for hours.

2. Position of my head. If I’m sideways or upside down, putting my head down or sleeping in a weird way, it tends to happen. I wonder if that has something to do with blood flow to the brain. 

3. Too many things happening. If I try to concentrate on too many things at once, like when I’m anxious, or am multitasking, it tends to happen. This is like the sensory overload thing I was talking about earlier. I get overwhelmed with everything that’s happening and my brain just decides to say no. Too many people talking in class. Chatter. Noise. Crowded places. Piles of homework, a messy area. Trying to keep track of social interactions.

4. New or unfamiliar places or situations. 

That’s all I can think of for now, but this problem has really been bothering me for a couple years. It happens often, every day, for a sizeable chunk of it (even the whole day at times, or half of it). It decreases my ability to be productive and reasonable. Usually it’s not as bad as I described above, and I can work around it. 

It tends to go away when I’m cheerful, or when I’m able to concentrate on something for a while (like homework, art, a book, music). I suppose it’s a way of grounding myself.

Still, when I’m staring at work that I need to get done fast with my head completely clouded over, there’s no way I can think of to make it lift.

Has anyone experienced this or has found ways to manage/alleviate it? I’d like to hear from fellow souls.