Overstimulated after the supermarket: what can help

The studies and guidance below describe two main ideas for recovering after a supermarket: planning the trip around light, sound and crowds, and giving yourself time and space afterwards ^[1][6]. This article collects the ideas autistic adults and the National Autistic Society describe, plus a few sentences for the moment. What sensory overload is has its own article: sensory overload in adults.

What helps when a supermarket leaves you drained?

Knowing what to expect comes up in both. The National Autistic Society lists crowds, bright lighting, loud music, food smells and finding the exit or toilets among the challenges of places like shopping centres, and suggests knowing what to expect before going somewhere busy ^[6]. In focus groups, people said they coped more easily when they knew what to expect. One person looked at an online preview of a place first ^[1].

Timing matters too. People in those groups described being brushed past as more tolerable when a place was quieter ^[1]. CHADD, writing about ADHD, suggests shopping when a store is less crowded ^[7].

Some people put something between themselves and the light and noise. The Society lists ear defenders (large ear covers that block noise) or noise-cancelling headphones, and sunglasses or tinted glasses for glare. It adds that using ear defenders a lot may increase sensitivity over time ^[6].

The Society suggests having a safe space to retreat to if a place becomes too much ^[6]. People in the focus groups said leaving was hard in places such as train stations and supermarkets with checkout barriers ^[1].

What can you plan around in a supermarket?

In a 2023 study of 24 autistic adults, people named parts of a supermarket that affected them ^[1].

• Light and floors. Bright artificial light, shiny floors and many products to look at.
• Sound. Checkouts, trolleys, announcements, background music and other customers.
• Smell and temperature. Smells, cold fridges and air conditioning.
• People. Others brushing past, which people found more tolerable at quieter times ^[1].
• Layout. Rearranged products. One person in the focus groups walked out of a store after its layout changed ^[1]. CHADD suggests getting familiar with the store, noting that products are moved every so often ^[7].
• Checkouts. A fast pace and spoken exchanges. Some people described self-checkout or scan-as-you-shop as more manageable ^[1].

Online ordering and pickup are other options ^[7]. Online shopping brings its own challenges, such as substitutions and missing items ^[5].

What can you say while it is happening?

Sometimes words are the part that runs out first. You can say these, type them, or show them on a phone.

In an aisle, when you need a pause:

"It's very loud in here. I'm going to step to the side."

At a staffed checkout that feels too fast:

"Could you scan more slowly? I'm having trouble keeping up."

When you are with someone and want to leave the place:

"I'm going to wait outside. Can you meet me there?"

Afterwards, with the person you came with:

"I'm not upset with you. I need some quiet before we talk."

What can you do once you are home?

In the same 2023 focus groups, people described needing breaks to recover from overload. They wanted a space with seating and fewer people, sounds and lights ^[1]. A UK Data Service record of 78 self-identified autistic adults lists tiredness after sensory overload as a theme ^[3].

The National Autistic Society notes that tiredness, stress and not eating properly make overload more likely, and suggests three things for recovering ^[6]:

• Enough space to recover, with reassurance that you are safe.
• Few words and little information while you are overloaded, and room for stimming (repeated movements or sounds that help you feel steady) unless it causes harm.
• A sensory diary of triggers and of what helped. It can also show when your energy is higher or lower.

A quiet stretch after a busy outing is Mindum's own idea, in the same spirit. In an online survey of 49 autistic adults, one person wrote of turning off everything possible and spending time in a quiet bedroom when life gets too noisy ^[2].

Why are supermarkets hard for some autistic adults?

People describe a supermarket as many kinds of input at once. In the 2023 focus groups, 10 of the 24 adults named supermarkets as a place that made things harder for them ^[1].

In the online survey, one person wrote that they never go into supermarkets because of visual overload ^[2].

In a UK experiment, 38 autistic adults did a supermarket-style shopping task. In interviews afterwards, they described it more positively when there was no sound than when there were machine sounds, such as fridges humming, or people talking ^[4].

What about ADHD?

Some adults with ADHD describe being more sensitive to light, sound or touch, and some describe being less sensitive ^[8]. A 2025 review of 30 studies reported higher scores on sensory questionnaires for people with ADHD than for people without ADHD. Most of those studies were with children, and 7 were with adults ^[9].

For shopping with ADHD, CHADD's tips are about planning, such as a running list and checking the pantry first ^[7].

What do supermarkets offer for autistic shoppers?

People in the focus groups said quiet hours were infrequent and often at inconvenient times ^[1]. A 2024 University of Reading guide, developed with autistic people, lists six principles for supermarkets: reducing sensory input, staff training, store maps and signs, more space, suitable adjustments, and a quiet area with seating ^[5].

About this article

• The ideas come from studies with autistic adults, questionnaire studies of ADHD, and guidance pages from the National Autistic Society, CHADD and the University of Reading. The sentences to say and the quiet stretch are Mindum's own; change them to sound like you.
• The studies are with autistic adults, several of them in the UK, and describe what people say about their own experience. Source 3 is a data record, not a journal article.
• If tiredness after outings comes with a loss of interest in things once enjoyed, with hopelessness, or with difficulty looking after basics such as eating or daily life, a clinician can look at that.

Sources

1. MacLennan K, Woolley C, Andsensory E, Heasman B, Starns J, George B, Manning C. "It Is a Big Spider Web of Things": Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults in Public Spaces. Autism Adulthood. 2023;5(4):411-422. doi:10.1089/aut.2022.0024
2. MacLennan K, O'Brien S, Tavassoli T. In Our Own Words: The Complex Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022;52(7):3061-3075. doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05186-3
3. Millington E, Simmons D. Autistic Accounts of Sensory Overload and Implications for Sensory Reactivity, 2023 [data collection]. UK Data Service, 2024. doi:10.5255/UKDA-SN-856923
4. Bellamy R, Ring H, Watson P, Kemp A, Munn G, Clare ICH. The effect of ambient sounds on decision-making and heart rate variability in autism. Autism. 2021;25(8):2209-2222. doi:10.1177/13623613211014993
5. University of Reading. Autism-friendly supermarkets need more than "quiet hours". News item, 2024. reading.ac.uk
6. National Autistic Society. Sensory differences: a guide for all audiences. autism.org.uk, accessed 14 October 2026
7. CHADD. Ask the Specialist: Make the Most of Grocery Shopping. ADHD Weekly, 7 April 2016. chadd.org
8. Bijlenga D, Tjon-Ka-Jie JYM, Schuijers F, Kooij JJS. Atypical sensory profiles as core features of adult ADHD, irrespective of autistic symptoms. Eur Psychiatry. 2017;43:51-57. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.02.481
9. Jurek L, Duchier A, Gauld C, Hénault L, Giroudon C, Fourneret P, Cortese S, Nourredine M. Sensory Processing in Individuals With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Compared With Control Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025;64(10):1132-1147. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2025.02.019

By Mindum. An app to track and regulate emotions, energy, and focus.