The television is on, videos keep changing on your phone, and dishes clatter nearby. It all feels like too much. Yet none of it holds your interest. Switch everything off? Now it is quiet, and you still do not know what to do with yourself.
Perhaps you recognise this state: you want something to engage with, but you do not want more input. It can seem contradictory. A room full of stimulation does not automatically offer an activity you find interesting or comfortable right now.
Try asking two separate questions: What feels like too much? And what would I actually like to do? Here is some background and a few small experiments for that moment. AuDHD is a community term for co-occurring autism and ADHD, not a separate diagnosis.
Overstimulation and boredom describe different things
People often use “overstimulated” to describe sounds, light, touch or other input becoming difficult to tolerate. Boredom is more about the unpleasant experience of wanting to engage in something without finding a satisfying way to do so.
Imagine a monotonous task while a radio beside you is irritating. Switching off the radio changes the sound around you. It does not give the task a more interesting subject.
Boredom and sensory hyposensitivity are also different things. “Understimulated” can describe your experience, but on its own it does not identify a particular sense or tell you what you need. These words are not a way to diagnose yourself.
What autism and ADHD research can contribute
The National Autistic Society describes mixed sensory experiences: someone may be especially sensitive to certain inputs while seeking others or noticing them less. The situation and time can matter too. Wanting movement does not inherently rule out sensitivity to sound.
For ADHD, a meta-analysis by Jurek and colleagues (2025) found differences from comparison groups across several areas, including sensory sensitivity, avoidance and seeking. Findings varied greatly, and most studies focused on children. This does not establish one profile for all adults with AuDHD. The simple split “ADHD seeks stimulation, autism needs quiet” is too narrow.
A study by Seiler and colleagues (2025) examined how people perceived texts. Extracting less information was associated with greater boredom. The ADHD group was small; the study does not explain every overstimulated evening or AuDHD as a combination. It offers limited evidence that the sheer amount of input tells us little about how engaging it feels.
The following ideas are everyday experiments informed by this background, not a scientifically tested AuDHD method.
1. Name one input that is bothering you
“Everything is annoying” can be your starting point. If you can be more specific, what feels most uncomfortable right now?
- The changing sounds of videos?
- The bright ceiling light?
- Fabric against your neck?
- Several people speaking at once?
Start with one thing you can change: turn off the sound, move to another spot, dim a light or choose more comfortable clothing. Then briefly notice what still feels unpleasant. You do not need to redesign your whole environment.
If you are already very overloaded, your first step can simply be distance, a break or support. You do not have to find a new activity in that moment.
2. Ask what kind of activity you want
If the wish to do something remains, make it more specific. Would you like to move? Do something with your hands? Follow a familiar story? Work out a small question?
Choose an option whose scope and ending you can control. You could doodle on paper, sort a few familiar objects or walk around a quiet room. These are things to try. You decide what feels pleasant, and you do not need to push through an uncomfortable sensation.
You may also be exhausted and find that no activity fits. In that case, the search can stop. A break does not need an entertainment programme.
3. Give a task a clearer starting point
Sometimes you are facing a task rather than choosing how to spend free time. Here too, you can look at the environment and the activity separately.
You need to read a long document while nearby conversations bother you. A quieter place addresses the sound. A concrete question addresses the start: “First, I am only looking for the deadline to reply.” Then you can decide which section matters next.
That does not automatically make the whole document easy. It gives the first reading a visible purpose. The article on reading an information text with one concrete question explores this further.
Two changes that can fit together
Sam is fictional. After dinner, a series is playing while Sam scrolls through short videos. The changing voices become unpleasant, but Sam still wants something to do.
Sam closes the videos first, then turns off the series. The room feels more comfortable; the wish for an activity remains. There is paper and a pen on the table. Sam draws a few simple shapes and eventually notices: that is enough for tonight.
On another evening, drawing could also feel like too much. This example shows a possible choice, not a reliable sequence. Sam considered the unwanted sound and the desired activity separately.
A short note for a similar moment
Too much: What exactly is bothering me?
Wanted: What kind of activity would I like, if any?
Small experiment: What will I change first, and how will I know when it is enough?
You do not need a new app or special equipment. Use something you already have, and leave it out if it adds work. For free time with fewer obligations, planning rest with AuDHD adds another perspective.
If overload or a lack of interest persists, causes significant distress or substantially limits daily life, seek professional support. A different sound environment cannot address every cause.
For an ordinary evening, one question is enough: What would I like to turn down, and what do I still have room for? The two answers can be different.