LATE BLOOMERS - TOO LOUD, TOO BRIGHT, TOO MUCH: A neurodivergent guide to sensory overload

Episode Date: February 25, 2026

Does the world ever feel too loud, too bright, or just… too much? In this episode, we’re diving into sensory overload from both the ADHD and autistic perspective. From squeaky pens and big lights to food textures, shouty music, and sweaty feet (yes, really), we share the everyday things that send our nervous systems into meltdown.We also talk about masking, diagnosis, and what happens when you finally give yourself permission to stop forcing your way through discomfort. Why do certain sounds or textures feel physically painful? Why does everything suddenly feel more intense after diagnosis? And how do these sensory struggles impact your work, relationships, and mental health?Most importantly, we explore how understanding your sensory needs can change your life — and your relationships. Because once you know what overwhelms you, you can start building a calmer, safer, more neurodivergent-friendly world around you. 💛

Does the world ever feel too loud, too bright or simply too much today? We are talking about sensory overload for those of us who are neurodivergent. This is late bloomers where we are getting our lives together. Eventually brought you by our amazing sponsor, Loop Earplugs. So sensory hell. Are you ready to talk about it? I am. I am ready actually because this is something.

that does, you know, some of the big topics we cover in this can affect you sometimes. This affects every day, I would say. There's something happens every day that I'm like squirmy on the inside. That is the definition of sensory overload being squirmy on the inside. So you're going to bring us five from the autistic lens. I'm going to bring five from the ADHD lens. And by the way, whenever I talk about sensory stuff, there's always people in the saying that they think I'm autistic as well and I've never addressed it and I'd like to

address it. I have done every single online quiz numerous times. I've done about six different ones, all the different tests and it never ever comes up. I don't, I don't see it in any way you being artistic. I'm highly sensitive and sometimes there's a There's an overlap. There is an overlap. I did once, by the way, guys, just years ago, wonder whether I may be so high. I don't even know if you know this.

I found a website. I think it was like embrace autism or something. And I booked an appointment to speak to someone. And they sent me the forms to fill out. You just never did it. And I paid 300 quid. So if that's not age agency. I didn't know about that.

No. But look, we don't know the lines between. between the two are blurry, there's sometimes crossover, that's okay. I would add, I've got five on my list, I would add partner wasting money is a sensory issue for me. I'm joking. Is it wasting or is it living? Well, how is that living? What, you talk, me doing little treats?

No, spending £300 and then she's not doing the form. Sorry, I've totally forgotten. You'd moved on, Simpson. Right, there you go, not autistic. Do you want to kick us off? Sure. This is a, this has only really come to light. And I know it sounds really crazy, but this has only come to light since I've been diagnosed this one. But I feel it's so hard now and you need to just do it. I don't know why it doesn't affect you. But like wet, gross,

mushy food in the sink, like in the food collector bit. Because you obviously have to pick that up and put it in the bin, rather than mash it down the plug hole, which I found out you were doing, by the way, since you taking control of it, what I didn't realize is that meant you just tipped it upside down in the sink and then mashed it down the holes.

So we might have a drain blockage soon enough. But no, that texture where it's all like gooey and mash and I can't even. Sorry for that sound effect, everyone. What's weird is for 20 years of your life? you did just get on with it. Maybe you didn't like it, but you never noticed. No, but it was like autopilot.

It was like, and I think I can put this down to a lot of my life. A lot of my life was just running on autopilot before my autistic diagnosis. And now I'm like conscious of things. It sounds, it almost doesn't make sense to me. But since that, I'm like, oh my God. And it feels different. I suppose it's like a mission to be you or unmasking or, unmasking or whatever it is.

It's very real anyway. So many ways you can describe it. I see it as you were highly masked for so long. You've now been kind of questioning that mask, allowing some little cracks. Then you get the diagnosis. And then you actually, it is. It's permission to be like icked out by food in the sink. And by the way, this isn't like, it's not like an attention thing because it happens on my own.

Like if you're out in a student, now I'm doing a kitchen. I'm like, and like I have to sit down and I'm like, oh, no, I'm not touching that anymore. I'm going to abandon this job. I don't think it's an attention. No, I know. Yeah, but it just, it doesn't make be in my mind. It's like, I need it to make sense and it doesn't fully to me at the moment. Okay. Number two. You can't pause for this long. It's a podcast.

I know you're doing it for dramatic impact looking at me. No, I'm doing it because it makes me feel a certain way. It is unvarnished ceramics pottery. So like clay, like before it goes in the kiln? Yeah, I don't know the exact word. It's like, say we are shopping for groceries. I've wandered into the home aisle.

I've seen like a lovely plate. Yeah. And I pick it up and it looks and it looks. and it looks like it might be smooth. And then it's like micro sand peck. Yeah, I know what you mean. Chalk, but evil. It just sends shivers down my spine.

And I can't, I cannot touch it or. So if the plates were stacked on top of each other and you started spinning one round, that like, well, see, the noise is horrendous like five out of ten, but it's touching unvarnished. ceramics. Right. It's the feeling of it on my thought. I can't explain it, but I'm absolutely horrified by it.

That's really, that's really interesting. You're going to say weird. Slimy, gross stuff. I get that. But like, that's quite dry and it's not, like, for me, it's not, like, offensive to touch, but obviously for you it is. It's, yeah, I can't explain it. And by the way, I love ceramics.

So it also feels. was particularly cruel. Cruel to the ceramics. No, to me. Oh, yeah. Okay, yeah. I might see a little vase that I love and I touch it and go,

oh, no, I'm scared of that. Yeah, okay, fine. Should we go number three? You did this to me before this episode of the podcast, actually. So it's squeaky pen. Oh, my God. I can't even think about it.

Squeaky pens. So you were writing the cards. You actually wrote in the right way out this week. And that like, well, that's it. I can't explain it anymore. That's squeak. It makes, it gives me a physical feeling inside my body that's pretty unbearable. Yeah.

It's a certain kind. It's a kind of thick, juicy pen. Like a felt pen. A felt tip pen on a shiny card surface. Yeah. Juicy on shiny. Juicy on shiny. I know exactly the sound.

It wasn't bothering me, but I knew and I was like, sorry, I've got to write the cards. Yeah, I just needed to walk away. But you didn't look very well. But it's so strange that a sound can make you feel. Well, I don't, and I guess this is why it's sensory, my body doesn't receive that as a sound. That has a, I can't, it's hard to explain. it's not the sound, or I don't like that sound, that's offensive, not like different music tones. It's like, it's like, it's like a physical reaction to it.

Wait, so it's not your ears. Your ears aren't like, I can't hear this. No. What do you mean physical reaction? Like internally, like, I, it makes me shudder, it makes me shiver. That's probably a good word. It makes me like shiver. Kind of like the classic Like nails on a chop point Yeah

Exactly the same as that So that's not a sound But it's a sound But it's not a sound Your body doesn't take it as a sound That's why sensory stuff is so weird Yeah Yeah

Number four Hmm Two noises at once So like in a pub Or a restaurant Yeah, I think, okay, so the clearest example for me is when I'm in a train station and I'm talking to someone or I'm on the phone and then an announcement that I need to listen to comes on. It is like an explosion's happening in my head. It's like someone's tearing my brain in half.

I'm trying to listen with each ear and it causes just like overwhelm and stress. I have like a stress response. Yeah, you malfunction. Like you can be halfway for a sentence. I'll hear it on the other end of the phone. And then you just, you just don't, you don't make any sense. You're like, sort of saying random words, halfway stop. It's like glitching, the ADHD glitch where you can't pick away.

But it also happens at home, which is if I'm listening to something or doing something and then you come and talk to, like if I'm watching TV and then, And you talked to me. I'm like, but I mean, I cannot compose myself and stand in between the two. The TV needs to be paused, doesn't it? Any anything said? I can't have the TV and speak somebody. No.

I just, two noises at once cannot, cannot comprehend. And that's interesting because you can scroll your phone and have noise on, which is obviously you would think is operating. Well, I don't like it when you, if I'm scrolling my phone, and you're scrolling with volume on. I don't think that's socially acceptable. Wow. I need to understand this because I can watch telly and you can scroll.

But if I'm watching videos and the sounds on, you're like, what are you, what's that? Is it annoying you, Bubby? Yes. So proximity to my ear. If we're scrolling in bed, you're next to me turned up loud. It's also how quick the sound changes because you're scrolling. whereas with a TV I can just about like zone it out. Well, you don't really scroll with the sound on either, do you?

Which is interesting. No, because I don't like to be, don't like jumps scares. Yeah. Is it me? Yeah. Okay, number five, you're going to laugh at me with this one. Because I don't know how else to say it. Bearing in mind you are like a rock music artist.

I don't like shouty music. That's awkward. Yeah. So like I don't want people to misunderstand me. I love rock music. I love, and I'm talking about like I'm going to be old now, but like Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses, Lincoln Park. I love that and it's really melodic.

No, wait, wait, it's really melodic. You took me to see a band, a huge band, And it was like, and I'm like, this is horrific. Like, I can't handle this sound in my ears. It's immediately overwhelming. No one can hear what they're saying. I know this is going to be well unpopular, by the way, because this is a huge genre of music that's exploding,

but I can't handle it. So can I just check? Because you've seen Bad Omen's, Bring Me the Horizon and Architects with me. Yeah. Which is the one that was just, Buh. Bring me. Yeah.

Yeah, bad omens I could deal with. And architects I actually enjoyed, but I think it was quite shouty, but I had my loop hair plugs in. You loved architects. I actually think that you don't mind shouting music if you've got loop earplugs. Because you...

If I can't hear it. If you can't hear it. Because you were rocking out. You were dancing. I was like, if we need to leave early, no problem. And you were like, this guy's amazing.

He's like Chester Bennington about Sam, the singer. And you were like, it's melodic. I love it. I don't even mind the shouty. Yeah, but it's no. So I get what you're saying, but I could have shalty music low volume in my car and I would still be like, no.

If I can't like know the words and it's not melodic and I can't sing along to it and I can't sing along to it, and I can't sing along to like I hate it so much. So much. Well, what a perfect time to talk about a very, very, very appropriate sponsor. I'm so excited to talk to you about loop earplugs, who are the sponsor of the late bloomer's podcast. Loop earplugs are something that Rich and I use probably every day, definitely every time that we leave the house. They have a range of different earplugs available for.

different things that you're getting up to, whether that is taking a nap, kind of do some work, or going to a rock concert. They're absolutely amazing, and it really helps with those neurodivergent sound sensitivities. And we've got our own website with Luke, where our listeners can get 20% off, so go to the show notes or the links on our bio and enjoy. Right, this is probably where the autistic allegations are going to come from. Number six. Yeah. Food textures. I want to be specific. When meat makes itself known that it's meat.

Right. With like a vein or something. Gristle, like I'm over. How many times I've had to stop eating a dinner? Yeah. Because I've tasted something that was not meant to be there in my mind. Yeah, I'm the same. I just, nope, thank you.

That is too much meat. too much living organism can't do it. And it ruins your whole meal, doesn't it? Like it can be your first bite and you'll be like, no, thank you. I don't want any more of this food. Yeah, and it ruins even the things that are around it. Like I couldn't eat the rice or the sauce

because I've tasted something evil within the piece of meat. Sometimes eggs, like I have to be in the right mood. They have to be cooked in the right way. No like slime. No slime. slime and no squeaky when it's over-cooked, under or overcooked eggs is a no-no. I have to be the right move for eggs. Do I cook good eggs?

Actually, I like good eggs. I like your good eggs. Okay. And you have kind of tempted me back onto the side of eggs. Yeah. Well, I use loads of butter and, oh, delicious. Also some mushrooms. Well, I don't cook any mushrooms because you have overtly said,

I don't like mushrooms. So when you say some mushrooms, what do you mean? All mushrooms. So our first meal that you ever cooked me was a mushroom stroganoff. Did you like cook it and hate it? No. Because it was all creamy. That was all chopped up and it was really well cooked and it was in the sauce.

Mushrooms on their own. You know, sometimes you go to like a steak restaurant and they give you a side of mushrooms. What about if they're like dripping with garlic butter? I don't know. There's something very slimy and fungus-like. I mean, you know. So fungus and sinew, basically, you don't like, just horrible stuff in your mouth.

Is there anyone out there that does like fungus and sinew? Sorry, I've met myself as it. Why, I like fungus and sinew I don't enjoy, but I'll power through it. The one thing I can't handle is getting a bone in my mouth that I'm not expecting, so it can be the bit of a chicken wing or a fish bone. or something and I'm like oh brilliant I'm trying to smash down this plate of food

and I've crunched on something it's gross I've needed to fish it out of my mouth with my hand they don't want anymore yeah bones are it's a big no oh yeah I feel like we should just say sorry to the listeners because this is making me feel tense yeah this could be it's maybe hopefully people are doing it on their way to work rather than like to relax into bed. Yeah, maybe we should have put a disclaimer on this one. Talking about food, and it's not on my list, so I'll just mention it now.

We take vitamins every day. And do you remember the other day when I was doing something and you had like four or five pills and you just smashed them in front of my mouth to like me to take them? That was so horrible for me. That was so overwhelming. Do you remember me again?

I don't like that. Yeah, I've never done it since. No. Anyway, so next for me, And I'm sorry, Bubby, because I know that this would affect you. Yeah. It's basically being cuddled. Now, I can take a cuddle, like a hug and a cuddle, not like in normal life.

If we're cuddling, if you're crying and you need a cuddle or whatever, I can, I can handle that. You start trying to cuddle up to me in bed or even, like, I'm going to extend this. if you like start stroking my leg or whatever, nice for three seconds, and then it like feels like you're gouging a hole in my leg. So I guess like all physical touch. Yeah, which is a shame because that's my... That's your thing.

Like I'm such a cuddly, tactile person. And I've really had to learn. And I think I have learned now. But in the beginning, it was like, trying to cuddle in bed and, you know, cuddle up to you and show love and your blood, gross, too hot. It's quite difficult to not take that personally. I don't know. I don't think that I reacted like that.

I don't think I went, gross. I think I went, baby, I'm getting a bit too hot. It's like, babe, I'm too hot. It's very tense. So, like, now I don't cuddle in bed. I'll sometimes do a little head rub or a little pat. And you know that you're very, very loved. and, you know, I'm there.

And vice versa. Also, you've substituted me for the dog, which has been really helpful. Oh, I cuddle. The dog loves cuddling, and I love the dog. So that has changed the game for me, actually, having someone to just, like, cuddle all the time. Yeah. It's amazing.

Okay, number eight, the big lights and big lights in general. I hate them. I actually don't think that they should exist unless it's a room where you need clinical precision. Like I understand in a kitchen if you're cooking, the ability to have a clear spotlight on what you're doing. But other rooms in the house, you do not need that white, bright light that you used to do it.

You don't do it so much anymore. But like I'd be in bed with my eyes closed and you would switch on the big light. It's sacrilegious, babe. Well, I'd like some clarity, please, on this because I completely get it. But you have changed all of our bulbs to these like low wattage warm light bulbs.

So I still see them as the big light, but they generate a different light. Is that different? Is that okay? Okay, so that's a really fair challenge. since I have changed to very low level warm orange lights, it no longer feels like the big lights. I can have the lights on in the living room

and it's still like just sensory, lovely and warm. So it's like the bright white lights. Yeah, okay. That is what I am against that fluorescent. Nobody needs it. You do not need that in a bedroom. Unless you're filming. No, that sounded weird.

But you like a bright white light for filming, don't you? For like making videos. Not filming in the bedroom. Making ADHD content online. Yeah. That can we just clarify. Like each to their own bit. Yeah, yeah.

Oh. Sorry. Right, is it me? Yeah. Number nine. Oh, this is so like this prevents me from sleeping. Right. So I have got.

sweaty feet, my feet sweat. And it's the most, like the biggest sensory nightmare for me. So not only do I have sweaty feet, it impacts me a lot. Now I'm not talking about, oh, there are a little bit of perspiration. I'm talking about soaking wet feet. And I usually get this in bed. And then what happens is they're under the covers, the covers from the top start sticking to them. I'm like, that's gross. I'll bring my feet out and then they get really cold. So they go in and out of the covers all night. And it just, it affects my whole, my whole thing. Do you have sweaty feet in the day or when you're working out? Like is it, you do? Yeah. Why, why do you think you have such sweaty feet? Is that, is that a thing? I don't know. Do we need to look into it? Have you ever looked into it?

No. You got me these things once that I had to put on my feet. No, the foot wraps and stuff. Oh, that was like, oh my God, it was the worst thing in the world. A TikTok lie, I got absolutely just beasted by some viral foot pads that apparently was meant to suck out all the toxins, but it didn't work. We maybe need to look into what causes sweaty feet and why you have such sweaty feet. Okay, I'll leave that to you. You can do that. I'll do that recently. I can't wait.

I'm not even joking. That will be the highlight of my day. I know you're not joking. Okay. I think I've saved the worst till last. Okay. That age old saying, save the worst till last. And this affects me so much all the time every day and I cannot deal with it. It's mouth noises. It's people chewing with their mouth open. that sound of the food.

I am so ready to challenge this for a minute. Shall I just steam in straight away with my challenge? You don't want to validate me at all, no. No, I know how much it impacts you. I know that it does. And I'm sorry. Are you? Are you sorry?

I know I am. But when you're eating, you are eating something that is soft. So I'm talking banana or avocado. This is fresh in my mind because you ate an avocado before recording this. You are, you don't slurp or slop, but your teeth smash together and it feels the room. You're like, you don't open your mouth, but like it's so loud. So it doesn't. It feels unfair because I'm, I'm, you always have a go at me when I'm eating a banana.

I'm eating a banana. I put it in. I'm chewing it and it be like this. Oh my God, exactly. That, that's my teeth, my jaw. No, I think, I think you are smashing your teeth together too loudly. I'm chewing, the whole point of having teeth is to break down the foot, like, what are you doing? It's already mushy.

You swallow your food too quickly. I'm saying, avocado or bananas is fine to take a half bite because they're all mushy anyway. Right. You've hijacked. my misophonia moment, okay? You used to chew at the same time, didn't you, to help this? Oh, I did hear this hack, which was, if someone's chewing with their mouth open and making horrible noises, if you take a bite of your food and chew at the same time, it tricks your brain into thinking it's you and therefore it becomes less repulsive.

Now, though, if it's you, I will just say, babe, that is. Isn't it crazy how the same thing, if it's, by you causes less offence. It's a bit like... Farts. Farts, yeah. Like you can tolerate, even enjoy your own ones,

I think. But actually someone else is no. Listen, farts, what a gorgeous way to end the sensory episode. We would love to hear from you. What are the things that send you to sensory hell?

Have we got any people that have got the same things as me and Rich? Let us know in the comments. And as always, give us a like, follow, a subscribe. And also,

we're so sorry if that episode made you feel really uncomfortable. We hope to see you next week.