Do you know when burnout is imminent?

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.

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!

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.

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.

Forgot, confusion, don't know who I am and unsure of my surroundings.Seeing it all written here it's actually a frightening thing to experience.

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

I become hyper sensitive to smells, touch and light.

I feel hot and sweaty.

I get shaky hands.

I become mute or can't produce words.

I get a migraine, pulsing headache, tingling in my head and face.

Chest pain.

Feel sick.

Unsteadiness.

I either get all of these together or only a few..

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"

It's ok. You will understand things better, it's a time thing, as time progresses your knowledge of yourself and autism does as well.

I have learnt more of myself since being a part of this community and I'm sure you will as well. Many of the lovely men and women here are the most knowledgeable people I have ever met.

I don't recognise anything other than feeling strange, disconnected, if I'm explaining it properly. I don't really understand autism and how it affects me. It's mostly a mystery to me, I'm hoping I can learn new ways to better understand it.

Hi Oakling, after the mother of all burnouts, I'm in a similar position now in that I can recognise things. I still don't fully understand burnout (because I think I'm still physically in it to a certain extent) and there's probably different levels but I can recognise some signs now. I think inertia is a big one and frustration with not being able to engage in interests the same. Having more difficulty with tasks and organisation. I think the main one is when I start feeling the frazzle in my head. I can't describe it any better really but this was a perpetual part of my life day in day out which I thought was normal but it isnt!!

While it's still a challenge I would say the fact we can recognise these signs in ourselves is progress. 

i dunno. i think for me i just get increasingly angry at things and at injustice and unfairness that i experience, double standards. i get angry, my head gets swarmed thinking of it, which provokes my anger more and more i think about it, then it cascades i guess into more stuff maybe. i dunno. unless that just gets me into deeper trouble and arguments which then cause me distress ontop of it. i can get very angry to lashing out at objects and throwing stuff. it kinda makes me good loading a trailer though lol as the trailer gets me angry at how people expect so much with how much comes down the conveyor then i get angry at it and start going ham throwing all the stuff angrily violently and fast, makes me the best trailer loader... and yes thats how trailers are loaded lol 

Excellent points, well expressed.

I get similar burnout signs as you described: increased issues with inertia, I get more verbally blunt, it sounds like a "curt" angry tone but really I'm just tired and my brain is sick of trying to find the nice words or pretty longer phrases as I get closer to going nonverbal. Also everything feels like so much work because the fatigue sets in.

I seem to have traded off length of burnouts for intensity though. I become absolutely good for nothing once past the point of no return and end up needing abt 3 days to just exist on powersaving mode: eat, sleep, poop, stare at the walls, that's it.

Hey buddy- great to hear from you too.

Masking is a huge contributor to burnout. At least in my experience anyway. A lot of people have commented on the ‘new me’ of recent months (particularly at work) but in truth, this has been a real renewed effort in masking and, once again, it hasn’t worked in my favour. Truth be told, I’m tired. That realisation that you describe was a very impactful moment for me recently and probably, on reflection, is the reason I started posting here again after such a long time of being silent in the background. 

Once again, I can relate to what you have written and hopefully I haven’t made my reply ‘all about me’. It’s just that you have described what I wish I could have on so many occasions.

Thanks. Speech has always been difficult for me. I don’t think verbally so I have to translate. When I’m low on energy that becomes very difficult. Slow motion really resonates with me. Get some rest and see if you can stave it off.

It’s interesting that you mention your speech. During particularly intense moments of burnout, I really can’t take sounds in very well. Peoples spoken words just don’t land and I feel like I’m in slow motion. 

Im sorry to hear that you are currently in this place. I think I’m not too far off either.

Hi mate.  Thankfully(?!?), my last one was big enough and profound enough to make me reasonably confident that I won't "find" myself in that position again.  You might remember that I refer to it as a "Mega-burnout" because I was unable to function (almost completely) for at least 9 months and then it took a few years to climb back into some form of near-respectable activity. 

Looking back, I can identify at least 4 proper burnouts before that mega one.  None were nice - especially because I had no idea what the hell was wrong with me !!  I was masking like hell upto and during the "fall" into burnout !!!

I think that, my biggest signal of another approaching burnout for me = would be realising that I was 24/7 masking !

As always, lovely to hear from you.

Number.

I’m glad we share the same curiosity in this.

Heat is a real thing for me too. I get incredibly hot right before/during meltdown. And in moments of high anxiety too. 

Even knowing these things really does add to the exhaustion.