How do you cope with exhaustion?

This is a very good question, that I wish I had the answer to. I struggle with exhaustion and insomnia... and my main issue is when I try to take a break/ have a few days off from work I end up falling into a state of lethargy and depression rather than regaining energy. If I do not have to pull myself together for work or for some other project I just seem to completely collapse... yet I also can't always keep working. It's a real problem :( Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this too? I think a huge issue is that I can no longer do my hobby (hiking or exercise due to injury) so I just do not do anything meaningful in my recovery time but when I try to do work-related stuff I am too exhausted for that.... I think sleep and sleep quality is key as well- Do you sleep well? 

This happens to me too. And then I get annoyed with myself for wasting the days off. I’m also self employed so it’s affecting my work quite a lot at the moment. I just feel like I need a huge break from everything, but I can’t, if I don’t work I don’t earn. And tbh I’m barely earning and only just scraping by because I’m struggling to drum up business, and if I happen to have someone contact me out if the blue I then struggle to actually do the work. I need to try and get some kind of motivation back but this is the longest it’s gone on. It usually used to disappear if I was in a deep dark depression, but this isn’t like that at all, I know I’m not depressed I’m just completely and utterly exhausted with life and have no energy, but it’s been going on for far too long now, literally a couple of years. Being a hidden disability I don’t think we will ever get the help we need for this kind of situation because frustratingly there’s no way to prove how it’s affecting us, there’s no test or visible disability that people can see affects us, it’s just what we say. And I guess due to people lying and trying it on to get benefits etc, people are now suspicious because anyone could say that they were exhausted and had no energy to work. 

Hi Zoe, I can really relate to what you are writing, it is so tough and like you say the struggles are very much hidden to the outside world. I am also starting to think that the reason that I react with complete lethargy and depression upon having time off, might not be because time off/not doing anything is bad for me but because of the severity of my exhaustion and burnout. I think with more time off maybe it would get better, but that is not feasible/very difficult as we need to make a living. I think when you are so so exhausted it is very hard to do anything productive/useful, let alone work and not even something fun. It's sad that that then results in feelings of guilt. I feel so burnt out at the moment that I feel that if I go back to work tomorrow I will really damage myself in the long term but what alternative do I have? I only just started a new job so I cannot take time off. It's a horrible feeling though knowing that the only option I have is to do something that will probably result in total collapse a few weeks/months down the line. I think at least for me I just completely underestimate how much time it takes to recuperate. I am only very recently out of university (a year now) so I think indirectly school/uni allowed for more time to recuperate in the vacations- I usually was completely destroyed/exhausted for most of the vacations- not sure if all children have that? Since you are self-employed, do you think you could play around with your schedule or working hours/times? I find that certain hours of the day work better for me and also an unconventional sleep schedule can sometimes help (though not realistic when working as I am now). Or maybe shuffling around which days of the week you take off etc- it doesn't have to be on weekend? Or are you tied to certain hours/times due to the type of work you are doing? 

I can also relate to what you are saying about it being a hidden issue and difficult to talk to GP about- How do you measure exhaustion? How do I know not everyone in the world is feeling as burnt out as I am but is simply coping better than me? 

I hope going back to work today was okay, Ann. I think in an ideal world for me and many other autistic people would be to work part time. But we then can’t earn enough. I really hope at some point in the future we get a health service that better understands hidden disabilities and everyday life can be made a little easier for us. 

I hope going back to work today was okay, Ann. I think in an ideal world for me and many other autistic people would be to work part time. But we then can’t earn enough. I really hope at some point in the future we get a health service that better understands hidden disabilities and everyday life can be made a little easier for us.