Constantly exhausted - autism? anxiety? burnout?

Ask to have your vit B12 levels checked too, not everyone absorbs it wasily from food and few foods contain a lot of it.

Another thing to investigate could be something like fybromyalgia and its related conditions such as ME, there's no tests for fybro, it's a diagnosis of exclusion rather than inclusion. I have it and it took until after menopause for it to really be considered. I think there are a lot of people with these sort of illnesses who are undiagnosed and wondering what on earths wrong with them and are they always going to feel like this?

I feel your pain. I have always been a sleeper, its when I feel my best. I have nobody making demands of me, nobody to communicate with, just me being me. I got totally burnt out 5 years ago, luckerly I was on Covid Furlough so I could hide it from work. However I have never really recovered. We relocated end of last year and have not worked since November. We have been doing up our new house but I love not having to get up at any time, I normally get around 12 hours. Sadly need to get a job in the next couple of months.

Over the years I have also gone through the GP process, tests finding nothing but feeling tired all day. Don't put yourself down, its something I do too, feeling like nobody wants me, its just over thinking. I just expect less from myself now, say no if I don't want to do something, and make sure its ok to just be me and not the me others oftern expect me to be.

good luck

Rob

In fact please remove me from the association’s email list. 
I no longer want to be involved with this gaslighting organisation.

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You could ask for your vitamin D levels to be checked? I an currently off work with stress/exhaustion. I had my bloods done and I found my vitamin D levels are low. GP says this could explain a lot about my symptoms.

Hope this helps

Andy [content removed by Moderator due to breaches of the online community rules and guidelines]

Maybe talking to someone who understands-whether that's a friend or a professional-could help you figure out some ways to manage the exhaustion. Don't forget to take little breaks when you can; even small moments of rest might make a difference.

Hi Princess Sparkle Pony, I can definitely relate to this but from my perspective did not understand what was behind it until recently. I've had many episodes over my 50 or so years of being so exhausted I couldnt really do anything or function properly. For me generally speaking they were short lived maybe a couple of weeks at the most. I've suffered from Anxiety for too many years and low mood but just have put up with these but now trying to do something about it. 

Hope you find a way to manage/get better!

Hello

First of all I'm sorry you've been feeling like this and secondly I can relate in some way shape or form. I have been prone to severe burnout which seems to happen more as I've gotten older. There are some days where I've felt so mentally drained that I feel like collapsing on the bed and just sleep. It's nice to know that you seem to have an understanding boss as you hear much of them. I'm sorry I'm not able to give you helpful or useful advice or tips but I just thought I'd say that you're not alone in that department and I understand 

Hi, this is very relatable, sounds like burnout. 

Do you work to a routine - not shifts - work the same days/hours every week? If you don't, that might help.

On your days off try not to make too many diary commitments, and maybe stick to the same routine, for example, if you go to the gym or meet a friend, try to do it the same day/time every week. I find this helps, then I can mentally organise my week and it doesn't feel so exhausting if I can mentally 'see' what I'm doing. It's when things are all over the place I struggle, and there are too many commitments and things to do.

Do you have pressure in your job to work to strict deadlines or multitasking? That can also be difficult but there is help with time management out there (I'm sure someone can find a link, I'm not very good at that). 

It sounds like you have a good job though with an understanding boss which should hopefully help you feel more at ease.

My pleasure! 

Thank you so much you have been such a big help to me today! 

Have you tried yoga? It's meant to be a really calming. I'm going to try it at some point.

Stress free resting is good for me but I need to do something to reduce my constant thoughts spinning around

If you are on a waiting list for assessment within the NHS itself, then you might like to ask your GP about re-referring you using the Right to Choose pathway (RTC).

In England, this enables access to certain, approved, private autism assessment providers who might have shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS.

I was on an NHS waiting list for two years before I learned about RTC and switched to it (on the recommendation of an NHS psychiatrist). My assessment and diagnosis then followed just a few months later (although waiting times might be longer now).

Some examples of RTC providers are listed here.

Thank you this is a big help.
I just checked the NAS what can I do link and on that page it says the wait in England should be no longer than 3 months. I've been waiting a lot longer than this, do you think I should call them and ask if everything is ok like if I'm still on the waiting list? I worry in case I've somehow been knocked off the list and I'll have to start the process all over again.

I just read that I can ask the GP for support while I wait so I'm going to make another appt with her in the hopes she can offer me something to help with the anxiety. It might also be helpful with the exhaustion I've been having.
Thanks for all your help with this

You're most welcome! 

Princess Sparkle Pony said:

I've been referred for my assessment not confirmed autism

You might also find the articles in the NAS's Assessment and diagnosis section helpful, including:

NAS - What can I do while waiting for an autism assessment?

I hope that your GP is able to help with your immediate struggles, and I wish you all the best.

I appreciate that, thank you
Sorry you are struggling the same way. Have you found anything that helps you with it? For me it’s just resting. I need so much rest I can’t ever get enough.

Hi and welcome.

What you are describing resonates with me. I am convinced I am in burnout and have been on and off for years. Sorry i can't advise you but just to let you know you are not alone.

Thank you!
I've been referred for my assessment not confirmed autism - should have said that in my OP but unable to edit it unfortunately. I do need to go back to my GP for a follow up appt and any other help she might be able to offer. I've been under a lot of stress again lately, all this waiting for my assessment is awful I just hope I am autistic after all this waiting. I feel so confident I am but a small part of me worries I'm mistaken.

Thank you for the links. I'll read through them now. The anxiety page will be helpful, I previously tried meds for this but the meds side effects were too bad to continue using them.

Hi and welcome to the community!

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling. We're not allowed to give medical advice here. However, based on the potential causes that you've asked about, you might find the suggested strategies in these resources helpful - perhaps directly, and/or as a basis for a further discussion with your GP about accessing appropriate types of support. 

In respect of burnout, there's some great advice here from a neurodivergent author, who's also a clinician and autism advocate. Her new autism burnout workbook is due out early next month (April), but this online advice - and optional paid downloads - might be helpful in the meantime:

Autistic Burnout Recovery: How to Build a Recovery Plan

I'm also a big fan of this book of hers, which is the first one that I bought following my diagnosis. The content for each idea is fairly brief, but I found that helpful (vs feeling overwhelmed by an overly long and wordy book) and it introduced me to various strategies that I've found to be effective:

Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

You might also find the strategies suggested in these NAS resources helpful:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

NAS - Anxiety