Published April 1, 2026 03:56PM
It’s easy to feel stressed as you navigate your day, especially if you have a lot going on. But focusing on what’s behind that stress—and identifying what you’re experiencing—can go a long way toward alleviating it. Namely, are you overwhelmed or overstimulated? These aren’t the same thing.
“There is a difference between being overwhelmed and overstimulated, but there can be overlap,” says Thea Gallagher, clinical associate professor of psychology at NYU Langone Health. “Sometimes when you become overstimulated, you then become overwhelmed.”
But it’s normal to be unsure which reaction you’re dealing with. “The concern of being overwhelmed versus overstimulated absolutely comes up a ton in therapy,” says Hillary Ammon, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Women’s Emotional Wellness.
Here’s how to tell the difference and, more importantly, what to do to manage these uncomfortable feelings.
How to Tell If You’re Overwhelmed vs. Overstimulated
On the surface, these sensations can look and feel the same, but the difference lies in what’s causing them.
What It Means to Be Overstimulated
“Overstimulation has to do more with sensory experiences,” says Aaron P. Brinen, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “It’s not purely sensory, but it’s a physiological experience.” (Meaning, your body has a physical reaction to something.)
“Everyone has an individual amount of ideal external stimulation, such as how much quiet they need in order to return to rest, amount of time spent socializing in person, or how much novel material they can learn before they lose capacity to absorb and comfortably tolerate the situation,” says Karen Lynn Cassiday, psychologist and clinical assistant professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences.
When you exceed your usual capacity, like there’s too much noise or you’re rushing around, you can feel overstimulated, she explains. You can even feel overstimulated by your own thoughts, Gallagher says. “If you have ADHD or a lot of thoughts going off, that can feel overstimulating as well,” she says.
What It Means to Be Overwhelmed
“Being overwhelmed has to do with your sense of ability to manage things,” Brinen says. “When you’re overwhelmed, you believe that you don’t have the capability to handle all the things in your life that you’re trying to manage.” You can be overwhelmed in a variety of scenarios, but this mental state is more likely when you have trouble prioritizing tasks or a tendency to be a perfectionist, Cassiday says.
Ultimately, “overwhelm has more to do with how you’re thinking, and being overstimulated has to do with how you’re feeling,” Brinen explains.
How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed or Overstimulated
Once you’ve figured out whether you’re dealing with overstimulation or being overwhelmed, you can work toward a solution to lower stress. But the remedies are slightly different for each.
If You’re Overwhelmed
Brinen recommends taking action. “Get everything out of your head and put it in front of you,” he says. “When you write everything out, it’s usually much less than you think it is.” Then, he suggests coming up with a plan for how you’re going to tackle things.
Brinen suggests “chunking” your to-do list into smaller, more manageable pieces. Then, take a break to clear your head before diving into your plan. “Get out of the environment that you’re in,” he says. “That could be simply getting outside, going for a short hike, or wandering out into the garden.” He also recommends deep breathing to help lower your stress levels.
If you’re overwhelmed but don’t have the capacity to take action in the moment, Gallagher suggests “planned worrying” (aka worry time), which is designating a later time to sit, allow yourself to worry for a moment, and then come up with a plan to deal with it at a later time. According to research, postponing your worries can reduce worry intensity.
If You’re Overstimulated
If you’re feeling overstimulated, Cassiday recommends getting away from the source of the stimulation so you can be quiet, stop processing, and rest. “Overstimulation tends to make people feel irritable, wired, tired, and in need of escape to solitude and/or quiet surroundings,” she says.
Nature walks, according to a 2022 review, are associated with improvement in both depression and anxiety symptoms. That said, Gallagher suggests taking a “tap-out,” where you can go outside and relax. “Nature has a way of being calm and is typically less overstimulating,” she says. Gallagher recommends looking at water, if it’s nearby, or just checking out some nearby trees. “It can help you feel more grounded,” she says.
Ultimately, therapists emphasize that everyone experiences these sensations. “We all get overstimulated and overwhelmed from time to time,” Brinen says. But if you find that you’re regularly feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated, he suggests consulting with a mental health professional to do a deeper dive. (It’s more common to feel regularly overwhelmed and overstimulated when you have ADHD, autism, or a processing disorder, Ammon points out.)
Still, if this is an occasional thing for you, Ammon recommends just taking a break. “The standards we have for our way of life can lead to feeling overstimulated and overwhelmed,” she says. “That’s just because you have a lot on your plate—a lot of Americans do.”
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