CHAOS - my "theory"

CHAOS!

I've talked about it before, but it's something I came up with when I was trying to explain what happens in periods of "Over Stimulation" of "High Stress."

Initially my answer was simply "it's chaos" and then I sat down and tried to find a way to explain what that was to me.

💡 And so, in the style of any good advocate/educator, I tried to see how I could make something of my rather apt adjective.

And so, my CHAOS model was born! Wow that made me sound cleverer than I am - it's simply a way of me sharing the way the world can feel and rather than just say these are the results, I wanted to challenge the idea that we can make small changes or adjustments that make a HUGE difference.

Now, I know everyone's experiences are individual and I've tried my best to summarise common traits, themes and elements and I'm going to try and put them into a handy little PDF document that people can use if they want.

But CHAOS, put simply is an idea of identifying key reactions to over stimulation or high-stress and then offering some insight/conversation starters for common signs, quick fixes and longer term fixes.

I don't claim to have all the answers, just thought this might be of use:

⚠ C - Cognitive Overload (processing becomes hampered)

⚠ H - Heightened Anxiety (the infamous stress response)

⚠ A - Agitation and Irritability (manifested frustration)

⚠ O - Overwhelmed Senses (the world gets even louder)

⚠ S - Shutdown or Meltdown (not always a physical expression)

The following images are text heavy I know, but I think they summarise the key elements I mentioned above.

Like I say, I'm just coming at this from lived experience and a degree I did 18 years ago so i am no expert in anything other than my own life and experiences which have shaped me into the jagged edges kinda guy I am!

Once I get it into some sort of PDF I'll share the link in case anyone wants to use it!

Stay safe.