I have trouble telling what the pain in my stomach is telling me, so I pretty much only just realized how bad my body hates certain sensory and social stuff. It’s as though my insides were on fire and the only way to slightly affect it is to cry (and obvi get away from the noise). I thought it was just anxiety or under stimulation before, but no, those are separate things. I have spent hours today doing various self care type stuff (meditation, being in nature, exercising, mindfully eating, yoga nitra, massage, taking a bath, fun things on the internet, positive stimulus of other sorts, zoning out), and the feeling’s still there. I don’t even mask. How do you deal with having to be in a sensory hell for hours of the day? How do you calm down? Please don’t say drugs.
Context: ADHD often makes people struggle with interoception and being able to relax.
Starting with the classics: box breathing (breathe in 4 seconds, hold 4, out 4, hold 4) is a great way of centering yourself and steadying your heart rate. I'm also big into visualization. I have a very vivid imagination. As such I've been able to visualize mechanisms inside of myself and connect them to my feelings as a way of adjusting them. I envisioned a tightening clock spring attached to the inside of my sternum that I could loosen with a key. I even mimed turning it to help me. I visualize stress and frustration as static electricity crackling around my head and heart that I gather into my hand and forcibly discharge to the ground as lightning bolts, paired with a long slow breath out. Focusing on these images helps me get away from the sources of stress around me.