Do you know when burnout is imminent?

Warning signs for me include:

• My sensory tolerance reduces significantly.
• I become much more anxious and hypervigilant all the time.
• I experience frequent meltdowns which can be triggered by the slightest thing.
• I get more frequent headaches and migraines.
• My ability to communicate by speech diminishes.
• My ability to process what other people say greatly diminishes.
• I cannot cope with more than one demand at any one time.
• I cannot take in information. I can read the same thing so many times but it does not register.
• It feels like my brain does not function.

There is a useful list of the common warning signs in this article. I can identify with pretty much every item mentioned:

https://theautisticadvocate.com/2018/05/an-autistic-burnout/

"The warning signs of Autistic Burnout are actually quite easy to spot if you know what to look for, either from an external point of view, as an observer, or loved one or internally, from an Autistic self’s point of view:

• A growing lethargy
• An increase in irritability
• An increase in anxiety
• An increase in over-sensitivity to sensory information
• A dramatic decrease in sensitivity to sensory information
• Heightened Auditory processing disorder
• A decrease in verbal language
• A decrease in text language
• An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state
• An increase in the frequency and severity of Meltdowns
• A diminished ability for the person to self-regulate their emotional state
• The slowing down of the thought processes
• Brain fog
• Memory loss 
• A decrease in your ability to effectively communicate what you want 
• A decrease in motivation
• An inability to generate momentum of body and of action
• An increase of rigidity, narrowing of thinking
• A feeling like your vision is tighter or narrower
• Extreme forgetfulness
• Extreme overwhelm
• A massive increase in guilt
• An increase in Executive Dysfunction
• An increase in Demand Avoidance"

Warning signs for me include:

• My sensory tolerance reduces significantly.
• I become much more anxious and hypervigilant all the time.
• I experience frequent meltdowns which can be triggered by the slightest thing.
• I get more frequent headaches and migraines.
• My ability to communicate by speech diminishes.
• My ability to process what other people say greatly diminishes.
• I cannot cope with more than one demand at any one time.
• I cannot take in information. I can read the same thing so many times but it does not register.
• It feels like my brain does not function.

There is a useful list of the common warning signs in this article. I can identify with pretty much every item mentioned:

https://theautisticadvocate.com/2018/05/an-autistic-burnout/

"The warning signs of Autistic Burnout are actually quite easy to spot if you know what to look for, either from an external point of view, as an observer, or loved one or internally, from an Autistic self’s point of view:

• A growing lethargy
• An increase in irritability
• An increase in anxiety
• An increase in over-sensitivity to sensory information
• A dramatic decrease in sensitivity to sensory information
• Heightened Auditory processing disorder
• A decrease in verbal language
• A decrease in text language
• An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state
• An increase in the frequency and severity of Meltdowns
• A diminished ability for the person to self-regulate their emotional state
• The slowing down of the thought processes
• Brain fog
• Memory loss 
• A decrease in your ability to effectively communicate what you want 
• A decrease in motivation
• An inability to generate momentum of body and of action
• An increase of rigidity, narrowing of thinking
• A feeling like your vision is tighter or narrower
• Extreme forgetfulness
• Extreme overwhelm
• A massive increase in guilt
• An increase in Executive Dysfunction
• An increase in Demand Avoidance"

This is so relatable I’m going to use a lot of these points going forward

Sometimes it’s hard to explain burnout to your GP especially undiagnosed but on a waiting list as you can’t say that’s definitely the reason for it and as soon as you mention overwhelm or decreased motivation they go straight towards depression.

when you know yourself it’s not, Even after explaining it usually only takes 2 days of recovery if caught early enough and I always still have the motivation to do my fun hobbies I do daily at home.

Autonomistic said:

There is a useful list of the common warning signs in this article. I can identify with pretty much every item mentioned:

https://theautisticadvocate.com/2018/05/an-autistic-burnout/

Hi Autonomistic 

Thanks for sharing your personal experience and this link, it really resonates with me. How do you distinguish between low mood and autistic burnout?

Kieran Rose’s blogs are so informative!

I am trying to identify whether I am starting to feel burnt out, I think the difference for me is feeling overwhelmed and like I cannot get enough rest before a new day begins as opposed to feeling sad for no apparent reason.

Thanks! This is really helpful! 

must go and read that article as most of the above applies, especially at the moment.  Lots of change at work and not much understanding or support from new team leaders.

Much of this resonates with me. Thanks for sharing the link.