Published on 12, July, 2020
I think I am in the middle of a burnout. I have had them before, but because I have only recently been diagnosed, I didn't realise when they happened in the past that it was autistic burnout I was struggling with and not general malaise. I think this has been coming for a while as I have been struggling for weeks, and it has been triggered in part by work demands exceeding what I am capable of coping with.
What I have done to try and manage it is to cut back and do the bare minimum I can get away with doing at work - so I have stopped doing all the extra projects or proactive stuff I tend to do as a matter of routine. I have also cut right back on my special interests and I am doing the bare minimum I can with those to get some enjoyment and respite without putting pressure on myself to do things.
The way I feel right now, I could literally stay in bed for days I feel so tired and exhausted. My memory is terrible and I am really struggling to deal with people, so I am trying as much as I can to manage my interactions with people so that I do enough to do the things I need to do, without putting extra pressure on myself.
Clearly I have recovered from burnouts in the past (I was particularly bad when I left university after my exams), but given this is likely to be autism related, I wondered if anyone with experience of burnouts has a view on the things I am doing? I am trying to rest as much as I can and trying to take some of the burden off of myself so I keep working and doing the special interests that make me happy, whilst striking a balance of not doing so much that I make the burnout worse. I also plan to spend a few days off in bed to rest where I can. Do you think this strategy is the right one or am I doing all the wrong things?
Just wondered how important people think special interests are in trying to cope with burnout. I have done virtually nothing special interest wise over the past few weeks as all my energy is being sapped by just getting up and going to work every day. I have been prioritising that because I have bills to pay, but it is making me feel rather miserable as all I am really doing is getting up, working and then going to bed.
Any tips for keeping them going? I have tried energy accounting, but the problem I find is that I find it difficult to assign amounts to different things and some things both add and subtract energy as there are positive and negative bits (such as interesting work energising me, but then sapping all of my energy because I have worked so intensely on it)
Hope you are feeling better soon!
I think rather than going in circles from burnout to recovery and back to burnout, it might be more advisable if you start looking at what is causing the burnouts and how to avoid these situations. This podcaster has published a book called: How spicy is your ND burnout and I would recommend listening to her podcast and anything you can find around autistic burnout to help you build a strategy to protect yourself from burning out again.
Is your workplace aware of your autism? Are you familiar with the concepts of masking and sensory overload? Do you look after your physical needs, such as bedding that feels great on your skin and healthy food you enjoy? Do you stim?
I think you should just do what works for you. If you are managing as you are, then you are doing the right thing.
It really depends on how deep you are into the burnout. I would suggest not spending several days in bed, but again, if that’s what you need, do it. Sometimes I think lounging in bed is the start of a slippery slope, and makes the getting out of bed that much harder.
For me, I’m learning to stop doing everything when it’s bad, even the small things. I save my energy for work, and I made sure I eat. When I’m on a more even keel, I make sure I exercise several times a week. That is something which really helps lift the mood, even if temporarily. And when I feel ready, I’ll start to build in hobbies etc.
lt really is a learning process. I was diagnosed in March, and I am still working on things. I can now look on my past episodes as either meltdowns, shutdowns and burnouts, and it makes things a bit clearer, and I know what to try and what I need now.