Burnout & Physiological symptoms

I suffer from depression and PTSD (live in abusive environment), so I am use to this problem.

In general, when we experience any type of burnout (autistic or not), it is due to excess amounts of cortisol (stress hormone) which builds up in the brain (hippocampus) causing cell death and downregulation. Humans, with our 'fight or flight' protection mechanism (adrenaline, cortisol, hightened senses and peripheral vision) were evolved to only deal with stressful events in short bursts - to get out of danger, and were also never meant to live in fixed locations, but were a migrating peoples. Therefore, prolonged exposure to traumatic stressors will cause an overload of information, that the brain cannot readily process.

Autistics tend to exhbit greater sensitivity towards environmental stressors, be it visual and/or auditory, therefore all this information becomes taxing on the brain. This is made worse if the individual is also prone to neuroticism and overthinking, so that rather than finding strategies to deal with the situation, they focus on the problem, and not the solution.

So when we say 'burnout', what that really represents is: Information overload, producing elevated cortisol, that shutsdown the brains executive function.

Here are some tips on how to manage burnout, that has helped me.

• Check your vitamin levels with a blood test. I was given a suppliment of 20,000 units of Vitamin D (colecalciferol) for 7 weeks (2 tablets per week) and felt increasingly better - typically when I have burnout I experience 'foggy brain' and think and speak very slowly.
• Realise that the way you feel (mood) is corrolated with your behaviour. Are you working yourself up over an issue? Or finding a solution to deal with it?
• Find hobbies and interests to shift attention away from traumatic triggers. I immediately put on earphones and draw to block out triggers.
• If you can go for a walk or run. This has scientifically shown to stimulate and repair neuron damage and increases dopamine (runners high). If like me you have fatigue problems and weak muscles then take it slow, all that matters is that you are doing something rather than nothing.
• Avoid eating big meals, or foods high in sugar. These all lead to inflammation, which puts stress on the gut, and thusly the brain. I would recommend looking into FODMAP, it's not a diet, but a model for making bettter choices when selecting what to eat for optimal digestion.

I suffer from depression and PTSD (live in abusive environment), so I am use to this problem.

In general, when we experience any type of burnout (autistic or not), it is due to excess amounts of cortisol (stress hormone) which builds up in the brain (hippocampus) causing cell death and downregulation. Humans, with our 'fight or flight' protection mechanism (adrenaline, cortisol, hightened senses and peripheral vision) were evolved to only deal with stressful events in short bursts - to get out of danger, and were also never meant to live in fixed locations, but were a migrating peoples. Therefore, prolonged exposure to traumatic stressors will cause an overload of information, that the brain cannot readily process.

Autistics tend to exhbit greater sensitivity towards environmental stressors, be it visual and/or auditory, therefore all this information becomes taxing on the brain. This is made worse if the individual is also prone to neuroticism and overthinking, so that rather than finding strategies to deal with the situation, they focus on the problem, and not the solution.

So when we say 'burnout', what that really represents is: Information overload, producing elevated cortisol, that shutsdown the brains executive function.

Here are some tips on how to manage burnout, that has helped me.

• Check your vitamin levels with a blood test. I was given a suppliment of 20,000 units of Vitamin D (colecalciferol) for 7 weeks (2 tablets per week) and felt increasingly better - typically when I have burnout I experience 'foggy brain' and think and speak very slowly.
• Realise that the way you feel (mood) is corrolated with your behaviour. Are you working yourself up over an issue? Or finding a solution to deal with it?
• Find hobbies and interests to shift attention away from traumatic triggers. I immediately put on earphones and draw to block out triggers.
• If you can go for a walk or run. This has scientifically shown to stimulate and repair neuron damage and increases dopamine (runners high). If like me you have fatigue problems and weak muscles then take it slow, all that matters is that you are doing something rather than nothing.
• Avoid eating big meals, or foods high in sugar. These all lead to inflammation, which puts stress on the gut, and thusly the brain. I would recommend looking into FODMAP, it's not a diet, but a model for making bettter choices when selecting what to eat for optimal digestion.