Hi, @mlbirch - That sounds very challenging to experience a feeling of sensory overload in busy social situations that makes you shut down.

You'll notice I have moved your message to this existing discussion in which you've participated before, "Has anyone been diagnosed with Central Sensitization?" in the Brain & Nervous System group. I did this so that you could talk with the members in this conversation already talking about this disease and who are familiar with what you've inquired about previously related to links between central sensitization and other diseases. If you click VIEW & REPLY in the email notification, you can scroll back through the past and recent posts.

Hoping other members in this thread like @edda @menville @truegrit1213 @cmcmillan5012 @gailfaith @jakedduck1 and others will provide some input on the sensory overload you've experienced. They may also have some thoughts on your question about a potential link between fibromyalgia and this sensory overload feeling, and whether they could be linked through central sensitization. They may also have some suggestions on ways to learn how to filter out the extraneous activity so you can continue to function in busy social situations.

Has a doctor suggested you may have central sensitization? If so, what did he or she say about it and other disease relationships?

@mblbirch
For me, meditation works wonders... about three times a day... about ten minutes each time... just finding a quiet place and focusing on slow, deep-breathing. To non-meditators, I'm sure that sounds innocuous, perhaps even lame, but it has an amazingly restorative power once it becomes a daily habit. There is quite a bit of research which supports its calming effect.