When the Noise Is Too Loud and the Day Is Too Long

This past weekend was exhausting.

But would I do it all over? Absolutely!

Ah, motherhood.

We had prom on Saturday night (see the picture above of my beautiful girl and her date!)—hair, makeup, photos, snacks, emotional high of seeing your baby all grown up in a dress she picked herself—and just when I thought I’d made it through the marathon, Sunday hit me like a freight train.

We were up at 5am to leave for my daughter’s last dance competition of the season. I packed the bags, filled the water bottles, double-checked the costumes. Nick had drill this weekend, so it was all on me. We didn’t get home until 11pm!

By the time I crawled into bed, I couldn’t feel my body. Not in the relaxed, post-yoga way—in the completely dissociated, shut-down, heart-palpitating kind of way.

My ears were ringing.
My head felt ready to explode!
The lights, the sounds, the crowd, the pressure—it was too much.
I ended the night with a pounding migraine and a racing heart, teetering on the edge of “losing it.”

I’m a mom. I’m a helper. I’m an OT.

But I’m also human.

And even though I talk a lot about regulation and routines, I want you to know that it still happens to me too. The sensory system isn’t just something that affects kids—it affects us. Especially when we spend every day giving, anticipating, absorbing, juggling.

And let’s be real—this time of year is A LOT.

School events.
End-of-year parties.
Graduations.
Concerts.
Field days.
Final projects.
Social overload.
And the never-ending snack runs and laundry loads no one else seems to notice but you.

So if you're feeling like you're one email away from a breakdown, you are not alone.

What Helped Me Come Back From the Edge

That night, as I lay there in the dark with my head pounding and my body shaking, I realized I’d blown past all my own cues. I ignored the tight shoulders, the clenched jaw, the irritability, the mental fog. I kept going until my body had to stop me.

Here’s what I did—and what I’ll keep doing—to care for myself when I’m on the verge of sensory crash:

1. Recognize It Before You Snap

The biggest shift? Naming it. “I’m overstimulated” is way more helpful than “What’s wrong with me?”
Even just whispering to yourself, “My body’s asking for a reset” can soften the shame spiral.

2. Lower the Input—Fast

I turned off everything.
No music. No scrolling.
I drank water, sat with a weighted blanket, and put a cool cloth on my head.
No fixing. Just quiet.
Just less.

3. Breathe Like You Mean It

I did a super slow 4‑7‑8 breath. In for 4. Hold for 7. Out for 8.
It pulled me down out of fight-or-flight just enough to think again.

4. Ask: What’s the Smallest Possible Next Step?

Instead of trying to “solve” the overwhelm or write a better to-do list, I asked:
What’s the one thing that would feel like kindness to my nervous system right now?
A shower? A cry? Laying on the floor and not moving for 5 minutes?
That night it was brushing my teeth and crawling under the weighted blanket. That was enough.

Mama, I See You

If you’re reading this and nodding—maybe with a lump in your throat—you are not broken.
You're just carrying a lot.
You’ve been so strong for everyone else that your nervous system had to shout to be heard.

You don’t need to push through.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to pause long enough to ask your body what it’s really needing.

Sometimes the strongest thing we can do is whisper “I’m done for today” and let ourselves rest.

P.S. If Sensory Overwhelm Is Running the Show…

If you’re ready to understand what’s happening in your body (and your child’s), and get real tools to calm the chaos before it crashes, I created something for you.

✨ My 3-Day From Chaos to Calm Roadmap is a simple, powerful starting point.

You’ll learn: