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Do you know when burnout is imminent?

Oakling
11 months ago

This is the first year where I really feel I can recognise a few signs of burnout before being actually ‘in’ it. I know it’s not far off. At least I think so anyway. 

For me, I feel like I become a little less articulate, seemingly simple tasks become pretty much impossible (an instance at work basically confirmed this today), inertia really sets in (I owe thanks to everyone who helped me learn more about this in a recent post), I tend to lose a bit of social fluency (I think I miss points of etiquette more often than usual) and I become very clumsy.

All of this is happening right now. It’s interesting to sort of sit back and observe it a little before it properly happens this time around. 

Do you know your warning signs? Hopefully this isn’t a rude question. Genuinely curious.

Parents
  • 11 months ago

    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    • An increase in Shutdowns and heightened withdrawn state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"

     

  • 11 months ago in reply to Autonomistic

    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.

Reply
  • 11 months ago in reply to Autonomistic

    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.

Children
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