Overstimulation, or sensory overload, is when your senses are just completely overloaded with information, making it difficult (or sometimes near impossible) to fully process the information you are receiving.

That’s all Marley felt. Overstimulated.

Mr. Schuester’s voice was nothing more than background noise, feeding into Marley’s growing discomfort. Irritability gnawed at her, making her feel tightly wound—like an elastic band ready to snap. The choir room, usually a safe haven, now felt suffocating. Stress and anxiety, which she couldn’t pinpoint, surged through her, and the familiar space became daunting. Tugging at the sleeves of her sweater, Marley felt as if the fabric of her clothes was melting into her skin.

She felt childish, almost desperate to let out a whine or throw a tantrum. The urge to tear off her itchy clothes was growing stronger by the second. Her hands twitched, aching to cover her eyes and ears as she continued to tug at her sweater, yanking it from all angles, hoping for some relief but finding none. The more she pulled, the tighter it seemed to cling.

A shaky sigh escaped her lips as she fought back the growing urge to run—to leave everything behind and find someplace where the weight of her own mind wouldn’t feel so heavy.