If you’re neurodivergent and find yourself deeply affected by the current climate of violence, injustice, and collective stress here in the United States, you are far from alone. Many neurodivergent adults, especially those with hyperempathy, justice sensitivity, and sensitive sensory systems, absorb the emotional temperature of the world in a way that many neurotypical people don’t. When the news cycle feels relentless, your nervous system can stay stuck in hyperarousal for days, weeks, or even months.
This isn’t a weakness. It’s a nervous system doing exactly what it was designed to do: detect danger, scan for threats, and care deeply about injustice. The problem is that our world isn’t built for sensitive systems, and we aren’t taught how to intentionally regulate them.
The good news is that there are ways to support yourself without shutting down your compassion or disengaging from the world you care about.
Understanding justice sensitivity and hyperempathy
Many neurodivergent folks (including ADHDers and autistics) experience a form of justice sensitivity—a visceral response to unfairness or harm. Couple that with hyperempathy, and you may feel others’ pain as if it’s your own. These traits can be powerful gifts for advocacy, creativity, and compassion, but they can also make major social or political crises feel like a direct hit to your nervous system.
When the world feels unsafe, the body responds as if you personally are in danger. The sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight) spikes. Sleep gets disrupted. Muscles stay tense. Digestive issues flare up. Attention becomes scattered, and emotional overwhelm becomes constant.
If this sounds familiar, the first step is honoring that your nervous system is not broken—it’s responding accurately to perceived threat.
Signs your nervous system might be overloaded
You may notice things like:
• Feeling physically shaky or wired
• Trouble sleeping or staying asleep
• Emotional whiplash (quick shifts from numb to overwhelmed)
• Increased sensory sensitivity (sound, texture, light)
• Digestive issues
• Brain fog or difficulty focusing
• Feeling hopeless, powerless, or enraged
• Sudden binge behaviors (news, social media, food, doomscrolling)
These are all signs of dysregulation—not personal failure.
8 simple nervous system regulation practices that actually help
Regulation isn’t about pretending everything is okay. It’s about creating enough inner stability that you can stay connected without burning out. Here are practical options that don’t require perfection:
1. Limit incoming sensory threats
You don’t have to absorb every new headline or video to stay informed. In fact, trauma studies suggest that repeated exposure to violent media can create secondary trauma responses.
Try:
• Setting scheduled check-in times for news instead of constant scrolling
• Choosing written news over video footage
• Muting or unfollowing accounts that share unfiltered violence
• Turning off autoplay for videos
This isn’t avoidance, it’s boundary-setting with your nervous system.
2. Reconnect with the body (even if you hate “mindfulness”)
A lot of neurodivergent people struggle with traditional mindfulness practices. That’s okay, there are other paths into regulation.
Body-based regulation can look like:
• Putting your bare feet on the ground (grass, dirt, tile—anything)
• Lying on the floor with a pillow on your chest
• Using a weighted blanket or heavy hoodie
• Brief shaking or bouncing (somatic discharge)
• Warm showers or baths
• Breathing into the diaphragm instead of the chest
When the world is overwhelming, a sensation that signals safety can give your brain a door back into the present moment.
3. Connect with non-judgmental people
A regulated nervous system is often a co-regulated nervous system. Humans are not meant to self-regulate in isolation.
Try connecting with:
• A trusted friend
• Online neurodivergent communities
• Support groups
• Therapists who understand ND wiring
Even short bursts of safe conversation can reduce sympathetic activation.
4. Spend time with things that don’t involve morality or crisis
Justice sensitivity focuses attention on everything that’s wrong. Balancing that with morally neutral activities gives the brain a break.
Think:
crafts, baking, puzzles, nature, documentaries about rocks, rearranging your bookshelf, watching animals or nature cams, or playing video games with no stakes.
It’s okay to experience joy when the world is messy. Joy builds resilience.
5. Honor your limits without apologizing
Hyperempathic people often feel responsible for easing the suffering of others. But burnout helps no one.
If you feel guilty stepping back, try reframing:
“I’m not disconnecting because I don’t care. I’m resting because I care enough to need strength.”
Boundaries are how we sustain compassion long-term.
6. Bring in regulating rituals
Neurodivergent adults often thrive with ritual rather than routine…predictable actions that anchor the nervous system.
Examples might include:
• Lighting a candle before reading the news and blowing it out afterward
• Ending the day with the same calming drink
• Morning grounding walks
• Vocal stimming (humming, singing)
• Reading something beautiful before bed instead of headlines
Rituals create a sense of rhythm and safety.
7. Let your sensory system guide you
Neurodivergent sensory needs are not luxuries; they’re survival tools.
Ask yourself:
“What sensations feel safe to me?”
Maybe it’s wrapping up in a blanket burrito, sitting in the dark, listening to binaural soundscapes, eating something soft and warm, or lighting incense. Follow what actually works for your wiring.
8. Take meaningful, manageable action
Sometimes the antidote to helplessness is contribution…without martyrdom.
Depending on capacity, this might look like:
• Donating to mutual aid funds
• Volunteering locally
• Contacting representatives
• Supporting impacted communities
• Sharing vetted resources
• Educating others in small, digestible ways
Small action reduces freeze responses and restores agency.
If you’re feeling hopeless right now
It’s understandable. Many neurodivergent adults spent their childhoods being told they were “too much,” “too sensitive,” or “overreacting.” But sensitivity to injustice is not a flaw. It’s a compass pointing toward a more humane world.
Supporting your nervous system doesn’t mean disengaging from compassion. It means refusing to sacrifice your well-being to a system that benefits from your collapse.
You’re allowed to rest and to protect your joy. You’re allowed to turn off the news. And you’re allowed to keep caring with a regulated body instead of a collapsing one.
And finally…
We are living through turbulent times, and those who feel deeply are often carrying the emotional weight for everyone else. Midlife has a way of cracking us open…revealing not just who we are, but what we can no longer tolerate. And for neurodivergent adults with hyperempathy and justice sensitivity, that awareness can be both painful and powerful.
Just remember: you cannot pour from an empty nervous system. Regulation is not retreat. It’s a repair.