You will likely do best if you find the exercise level that causes a return of symptoms and limit your exertion to just below that level. The Buffalo protocol does this limiting from a pulse rate perspective. If you have the resources to purchase an exercise pulse rate monitor, you can likely find your pulse rate limit.

For me, exercise does not cause a return of symptoms of headaches. My head aches just come and go as they please.

There is a great benefit to learning to limit the triggers that cause emotional overload. One can also develop a thought process that allows one to accept the reality of a world with ample emotional triggers that do not need to be resp0onded to. Very few of those emotional triggers will respond to a reaction. So, if you can't do anything about them, why fret about them?

Whether you develop you own philosophical perspective or hold to a religious perspective as I do, either way, the calm is worth the effort.

My best to you.

[QUOTE=Mark in Idaho;657006]You will likely do best if you find the exercise level that causes a return of symptoms and limit your exertion to just below that level. The Buffalo protocol does this limiting from a pulse rate perspective. If you have the resources to purchase an exercise pulse rate monitor, you can likely find your pulse rate limit.
QUOTE]


Mark,

Thanks for the information on the heart rate monitor. I've used one for many years when training for triathlon, so it does make sense. I kinda knew there was a threshold there mainly from my use of RPE (rate of perceived exertion). When I was in PT the therapist had me using something as simple as an arm cycle and I noticed the increase in symptoms.

I noticed that LOTS of new stimuli gives me an increase in some symptoms too. I call that crossing my ambient processing threshold, for a lack of articulating it better! This is probably what you are referring to when mentioning emotional overload. Yeah, I got a little cranky and had to simply let the brain rest a couple of times this weekend.


Mikey

~May you have easy days ahead.~

The medical/psychological term for this excess of stimulus is 'over-attending.' Your brain get overwhelmed trying to attend to too much at the same time.

You threshold will vary from day to day, depending on things like sleep deprivation, physical effort, sensory stimuli, pro or con nutrition, etc. It is very worthwhile to use simple empirical science to observe the many factors that precede an over-attending episode. You will likely find the overlaps form event to event and learn to moderate these factors.

I like you term 'ambient processing threshold.' I know that if I am in a setting with multiple people talking, eventually, I will walk away from the group to a quieter area. I do not even need to be paying attention to the voices. My brain will hit its threshold either way.

People, even professionals, fail to understand how we can become overwhelmed by the ambient noise in a room. Maybe we need to try to ask them how they feel when they are at the theater and someone behind them is talking on and on. Eventually, even the most patient person will become unable to follow the dialogue on the stage or screen. We live with this 24/7.