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• An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state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"

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! 

Ausomely Autistic said:

How do you distinguish between low mood and autistic burnout?

I think it is enthusiasm for our interests that is the key distinguishing factor. We are so hugely motivated by our interests and losing that suggests something is very wrong.

If I'm still actively wanting to engage in my interests, even if I'm not able to do so due to the effects of burnout, then that suggests burnout rather than low mood. 

Whereas if I start completely losing interest in the things I'm normally interested in, that suggests low mood. 

As the article says it is possible for prolonged burnout to lead to a depressive state. That may be the result if we are unable to engage in our interests due to the symptoms of burnout.

That's obviously a huge oversimplification and people do experience burnout differently.

Ausomely Autistic said:

How do you distinguish between low mood and autistic burnout?

I think it is enthusiasm for our interests that is the key distinguishing factor. We are so hugely motivated by our interests and losing that suggests something is very wrong.

If I'm still actively wanting to engage in my interests, even if I'm not able to do so due to the effects of burnout, then that suggests burnout rather than low mood. 

Whereas if I start completely losing interest in the things I'm normally interested in, that suggests low mood. 

As the article says it is possible for prolonged burnout to lead to a depressive state. That may be the result if we are unable to engage in our interests due to the symptoms of burnout.

That's obviously a huge oversimplification and people do experience burnout differently.

Thanks for this explanation, very useful!

Autonomistic said:

I think it is enthusiasm for our interests that is the key distinguishing factor. We are so hugely motivated by our interests and losing that suggests something is very wrong.

Yes I completely understand, we have an interest based nervous system after all!