Mindly Different

How a Neurodivergent Nervous System Experiences Stress

There are days when the world doesn’t just feel busy or loud – it feels like too much. For many neurodivergent people, this isn’t a sign of weakness or “being too sensitive”. It reflects real differences in how their nervous system senses, filters, and responds to life.

Neurodiversity appears across many experiences – including neurodevelopmental conditions, acquired neurological conditions, and mental health conditions. These are not deficits in character. They are variations in brain architecture, chemistry, and connectivity that shape how a person experiences the world.

A Nervous System That Processes Life Differently

When we talk about stress in neurodivergent people, we are talking about a nervous system that:

• takes in more sensory information,
• processes it more deeply or less predictably,
• activates biological stress pathways more quickly,
• and recovers more slowly.

This is not a behavioral choice.
It is neurobiology.

Why Stress Feels More Intense: What the Brain Is Doing

More sensory information gets in – and faster

Many neurodivergent nervous systems have a lower threshold for sensory input. Everyday stimuli – sound, light, motion, touch, language – can feel as if they arrive unfiltered.

This involves regions like:

• the insula, which monitors internal sensations and emotional signals
• the amygdala, which evaluates threat and urgency
• the parietal cortex, which processes touch, temperature, and body awareness

When these regions activate too quickly, the whole system moves into “alert mode”.

Brain networks process the world differently

Several major neural networks contribute to how neurodivergent brains experience stress:

• Frontoparietal Network (FPN). Critical for executive functioning – planning, working memory, task switching. Differences here are common in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity condition (ADHD), and dyslexia. When this network tires, everyday tasks can feel chaotic or unmanageable.
• Default Mode Network (DMN). Responsible for self-reflection, inner narrative, and social cognition. Variations in the DMN can lead to intense self-monitoring, difficulty “turning off” thoughts, or heightened social fatigue – common in autism and ADHD.
• Frontal Cortex. Governs decision-making, regulation, and social behavior. Differences in activation can make social unpredictability or emotional demands exhausting.
• Parietal Cortex. Integrates sensory information. In some neurodivergent people, this area processes stimuli with higher intensity – making “normal” environments feel overwhelming.
• Cerebellum. Linked to motor control, supports language, attention, and emotional regulation. Differences here can contribute to cognitive overload and emotional imbalance.
• Limbic System (including the amygdala and hippocampus). Core to emotion and memory. In ADHD, for instance, this system often activates quickly and powerfully.

These differences don’t make a brain “less capable”. They make it distinct – processing the world with a different architecture. They mean it is wired in a way that experiences the world more intensely.

When Even Pleasurable Activities Become Stressful

A particularly misunderstood aspect of neurodivergence is that even joyful or “fun” situations can rapidly become sources of stress.
This is because the nervous system doesn’t distinguish between good and bad stimulation – only between what is manageable and what is too much.

Examples many neurodivergent people quietly live through:

• The crowded restaurant scenario:
  You’re sitting in a noisy Spanish restaurant, surrounded by laughter and dozens of conversations bouncing off tiled walls. Your friend is talking, but you can’t understand a word.
  Your brain is flooded with voices, cutlery, movement, music, overlapping sensory streams. You’re “supposed” to enjoy it – to be like the joyful crowd around you.
  But instead, your chest tightens, your hearing blurs, panic rises, and you want to get up and run.
• A paired sport activity on a day when touch is too much:
  On some days, physical touch feels grounding. On others, it feels like a shockwave.
  Your partner pats your shoulder or tries to guide your movement – and your body reacts instantly.
  Not because you’re rude – but because your sensory processing system is overloaded, and even gentle touch feels unbearable.
• A hairdresser brushing your hair:
  A comb passes too firmly over the scalp, or a hand lands in a way your nervous system didn’t expect.
  A jolt of discomfort shoots through you – an “overreactive” urge to pull away. This isn’t dramatization.
  It’s your parietal cortex + insula + sensory pathways firing too intensely.
• A supermarket aisle at 6 p.m.:
  Fluorescent lights, beeping scanners, crying children, carts clanging.
  Your brain tries to track every sound at once. Your FPN and DMN overload, your cortisol rises, and suddenly picking out pasta becomes impossible.
• Trying to follow a conversation in a group:
  Multiple voices at once. Your brain tries to switch focus faster than it can.
  Words turn into noise. You’re exhausted after ten minutes of “fun”.
• Starting a task when your executive functions are depleted:
  You want to begin. You’re committed.
  But the frontal and parietal networks aren’t aligning.
  Instead of “just do it”, your brain enters paralysis.

These are not overreactions.
They are physiological stress responses – real, measurable, and valid.

When Too Much Input Overwhelms the System

When everything arrives at the brain too intensely or too quickly:

• the amygdala heightens its alarm signal
• the insula intensifies internal discomfort
• the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system) releases cortisol
• the prefrontal cortex loses control of speech, regulation, or decision-making

This is why overload feels like:

• panic
• shutdown
• irritability
• sudden exhaustion
• the need to escape
• difficulty speaking
• emotional flooding

It is not a choice.
It is a nervous system under strain.
Sensory or cognitive overload is what happens when a brain is doing too much, too fast, with too little recovery time.

Finding Calm: How Neurodivergent Brains Regulate

These strategies help the nervous system return to balance:

• quiet, dim, low-stimulation spaces
• deep or paced breathing
• rhythmic movement (walking, rocking, stretching)
• predictable routines
• limiting sensory input
• communicating needs early
• supportive, nonjudgmental company

Regulation is not about suppressing your reactions. It’s about giving your brain a chance to breathe.

A Note for Your Heart

If the world often feels too loud, too fast, or too much, it’s not because you’re fragile.

It’s because your nervous system processes life differently – with more depth, more intensity, more detail, or less filtering.
And that difference deserves understanding, not shame.

Your way of feeling is not a flaw.
It is part of the beauty of your mind.

By Nataliya Popova
Mindly Different – Coaching for the beautifully different mind