Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello community,Back for a third post, still trying to figure things out following the diagnosis about a month ago. If anyone would be willing to share their experience of burnout, especially long-term/chronic burnout and recovery, it would be really helpful. Interested also in whether anyone has experienced a kind of repetitive burnout, i.e. crossing into burnout territory, making an incomplete recovery, crossing into burnout again and then doing this as a long-term cycle. Is there any experience of burnout where executive function seems to switch on for external demands, such as work, but then the entire rest of the time everything seems to be broken and dysfunctional until the next demand rolls in? Could be I'm mixing burnout and meltdowns, although from what I've studied into meltdowns tend to be an acute event, whereas burnouts are more chronic in nature.Any insights would be useful.Thanks.
Hi I had a massive burnout in 20/21. Started 2020 with going to my GP with the news that I though I had ASD(still waiting for a specialist assment). Then came along Covid and I was on furlough. Within 3 weeks my dad was in hospital with Covid and he passed away on 14th April, my mum and I also had mild Covid around that time. My dad was mums carer, she had parksinsons and was getting less and less mobile. I could not cope with caring for her and the council provided 24hr care after a week of battling. I was totally overwhelmed with everything, couldn't sleep, maximum anxiety, every day ending in tears. What with lockdown I had no escape, I could not persue my interests, not even go away for a night somewhere diffrent.
In mid May 20 we had my dads funeral, just me, mum and my wife. Although I don't think I could have handled any more people to be honest. Then we had to move my mum into a care home due to cost to the council. I then had to clear their council house of over 40 years. By the end of July 20 I was totally exhausted and massivley burnt out. In late August I started to go back to work on flexable furlough and that saved me to be honest, it was a real escape. Through the rest of 20 and 21 it was a slow process to get back to some normality. I lost many of my masking skills, and any self confidence I had. Last November I lost my mum. To be honest it was probably a blessing as physically she could do nothing, not even talk. Even now I am not the person I was then, much more anxious, I do less, avoid social situations even more.
Going forward we have a plan that in 2025 we will move to Lincolnshire, be totally mortgage and debt free and have a much simpler life. I will be 55/56 and can work in a simple job while my wife continues hers working from home. I just can't wait.