Overwhelm adds unmanageability to my sense of self on so many levels. Working the AWG 12 Steps has helped me start to unpack why.

For example, Step 6 asks how our sense of self is informed by outside influences. Pre-identification, I would have thought of "outside influences" as societal standards and people's opinions. But now I realize that my sensory environment is an enormous outside influence on my sense of self. When I'm in a manageable sensory environment, I feel good about myself: calm, capable, and in control. When I'm in an unmanageable sensory environment, I feel out of control and helpless, or even terrified, tranquilized, or incapacitated. 

It can take a long time for my sense of self to recover from exposure to unmanageable sensory influences. I've even started to wonder if my sense of self has undergone long-term damage from all of my unprotected sensory exposure pre-identification. This realization only came to me on my third time going through the Steps. It goes to show how powerful they can be when used cyclically.

Share questions: 

• Does sensory overwhelm affect your self-esteem? Please describe. 
• Along with the physical impact of overwhelm, does it interact with any of your autistic traits? Personal drive for autonomy? Sense of justice/fairness? Perfectionism? Other? What is it like?
• Have you ever felt shame, guilt, fear, or other negative emotions during or after overstimulation, beyond the immediate physical and mental discomfort? Did those feelings continue to have an impact on your sense of self after the overwhelm was over? What happened?
• Common definitions of "outside influences" might include societal standards and people's opinions, but someone with sensory sensitivities might also consider sensory input a form of outside influence. Can you think of any other outside influences that might not be included in standard definitions? 
• For members who have worked or are working our Self-Esteem Recovery 12 Steps: Have you ever had unexpected realizations from working a Step more than once? What was it like?
• Any tools, resources, or strategies that helped you?
• Anything else to add?