Hi there,
I'm Dr.
Misty and I am really glad you are here.
If you are listening to this,
Your system is probably overloaded.
Maybe the lights were too bright,
Or the sounds were too sharp,
Or the energy in the room felt too heavy.
Maybe the day asked more of you than your sensory system could give.
Whatever brought you here,
Nothing about your experience is wrong.
You are not dramatic,
You are not overreacting,
And you are not failing.
You are simply overwhelmed,
And that is something we can support together.
Before you adjust to anything,
Notice the position your body is in right now.
You do not need to fix your posture.
You do not need to be still.
You do not need to arrange yourself perfectly.
Let your body stay exactly where it is for a moment.
You are allowed to arrive without changing a thing.
Take a slow breath in through your nose if that feels comfortable,
And let the breath fall out however it wants.
You do not need to push the air out.
Just let gravity help it leave you.
If your breath feels shallow or tight,
That is completely okay when you're overstimulated.
Your breath will settle as your system settles.
Bring a small amount of attention to the space around your body.
You do not need to look around unless you want to.
Simply sense the shape of the room,
The walls,
The air,
The way the environment holds you.
When you feel overstimulated,
Your brain can feel like it's buzzing or stretched thin.
Orientation helps your nervous system understand that the intensity is not happening right this minute.
It helps your mind come back into the present moment where things are steadier.
Let your shoulders drop just a little.
Even one small release is enough.
Your shoulders have probably been reacting to sensory input for hours,
Lifting and bracing without your permission.
They can let go a little right now.
If they do not release,
That's okay.
Your body is still listening.
Bring your attention to your jaw.
Overstimulation loves to show up here.
Let your teeth separate slightly.
Let your tongue rest low in your mouth.
Let your muscles around your cheeks soften.
You do not have to force anything.
Think of this as giving your jaw permission to stop working so hard.
Now bring slow awareness to your eyes.
If your eyes are open,
Let your gaze soften.
If they're closed,
Let the eyelids feel heavy and supported.
So much sensory information comes through our eyes and they often get tired long before the rest of our body does.
Imagine a gentle shade being pulled over them,
Creating a softer light,
A softer world,
A softer moment.
As you breathe,
Imagine the space just behind your forehead cooling and loosening.
Sensory overload often makes this part of the mind feel tight,
Crowded,
Or electric.
Imagine a slow wave moving across it,
Smoothing the edges,
Clearing a path for calm to return.
Let your breath drop into your chest,
Not deep,
Just lower.
Let your ribs expand slightly on the inhale and soften on the exhale.
Imagine your chest acting like a safe container for everything that feels like too much.
There is room here for all of it.
Nothing needs to be pushed away.
Bring your awareness to your hands.
Notice whether they feel tensed,
Shaky,
Restless,
Numb,
Or tired.
Any of these sensations makes perfect sense right now.
See if your hands want to open a little or rest somewhere comfortable.
Imagine a gentle weight pressing into your palms,
Grounding them,
Anchoring them,
Letting them know they do not need to stay on high alert.
Now bring your attention to your belly.
Overstimulation can make the belly tighten or flutter.
You do not need to relax it,
Simply let it be as it is.
Imagine a warm,
Steady light resting inside your belly,
Offering quiet reassurance.
The warmth does not demand anything.
It simply exists with you.
Let that warmth move slowly downward into your hips.
Let your hips be heavy.
Let them be supported by whatever you're sitting on or lying on.
Imagine the weight in your hips pulling some of the intensity out of your upper body and letting it drain downward where it can settle.
Bring awareness to your legs now.
Notice any tension or restlessness in your thighs.
Imagine the muscles in your legs softening around the bone,
Slowly releasing the pressure they have been holding all day.
Let that softening travel into your knees,
Then into your calves,
And then into your feet.
Imagine your feet sinking into the floor or the bed.
Imagine the surface beneath you drawing the overstimulation downward and out of your system.
You do not need to visualize anything specific.
Just imagine a sense of heaviness where your feet meet the world,
As if they are floating Earth is helping hold you steady.
Now take a slow breath and imagine your whole body as one connected shape,
Not separate parts working against each other.
One whole system trying its best.
One whole system that has been dealing with too much.
One whole system that deserves care.
Let yourself feel the very first signs of relief.
Maybe your breath feels a little slower.
Maybe your body feels a little heavier.
Maybe the edges of the world feel a little less sharp.
Maybe nothing has changed yet and that's okay too.
Sometimes the shift happens quietly and without drama.
Slowly bring attention to the space just around your body again.
Imagine a soft boundary forming there,
Giving you a little distance from the world.
This boundary is not rigid.
It's not a wall.
It's more like a warm,
Gentle bubble that creates a cushion between you and everything that was overwhelming you.
Inside this bubble,
Things are quieter,
Softer,
Less urgent.
Imagine this bubble thickening around your ears,
Your eyes,
Your skin.
Imagine it lowering the volume of the world,
Dimming the brightness,
Softening every texture.
This is your sensory buffer.
You can carry it with you whenever you need it.
Take another slow breath and let your attention settle into your chest again.
Remind your body that it does not need to absorb anything new right now.
The world can wait.
You can take this time to come back to yourself.
Let your body feel supported.
Let your breath feel simple.
Let your mind feel spacious again.
You do not need to return to full capacity right away.
You only need enough to feel steady.
And when you feel ready,
You can gently wiggle your fingers or toes.
Or you can stay resting exactly as you are.
There's no timeline.
There's no expectation.
You're allowed to take as long as your system needs.
I'm Dr.
Misty,
And thank you for letting me guide you through this.
