Burnout Vs Depression

copingwithdivergence said:

I feel stuck because the approach to handling a depressive episode and a burnout are quite different. 

From my understanding of burnout ( see https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue ) it will be stress that builds and builds until it starts to affect your ability to function and depression is often a symptom of this.

To manage it I think you need to manage the stress.

To manage the stress you need to understand what is stressing you and take steps to manage this through a few strategies.

1 - avoid stressers where practical. e.g. If going to a football match with mates is a big stressers then stop going.

2 - limit stressful situations where practical. If seeing great aunt Doris stresses you out them make it time limited. Don't let it last all day but plan an exit and tell her up front "I have to leave at 2pm" or whatever.

3 - learn to cope. There are a myriad of techniques that can help you deal with unavoidable stress from mindfulness, meditation and learning to set boundaries.

4 - make sure you have time for recovery. After any particularly stressful situation you will probably need time to wind down and recover. Build these spaces into your schedule.

All the above take a lot of practice and refining once learned, and to learn them I strongly recommend getting a psychotherapist who has experience in helping autists as they are worth their weight in gold.

The above would be what I would suggest in a nutshell, but I'm just some random person off the internet and you should ideally do your own research before considering anything I say.

copingwithdivergence said:

I feel stuck because the approach to handling a depressive episode and a burnout are quite different. 

From my understanding of burnout ( see https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue ) it will be stress that builds and builds until it starts to affect your ability to function and depression is often a symptom of this.

To manage it I think you need to manage the stress.

To manage the stress you need to understand what is stressing you and take steps to manage this through a few strategies.

1 - avoid stressers where practical. e.g. If going to a football match with mates is a big stressers then stop going.

2 - limit stressful situations where practical. If seeing great aunt Doris stresses you out them make it time limited. Don't let it last all day but plan an exit and tell her up front "I have to leave at 2pm" or whatever.

3 - learn to cope. There are a myriad of techniques that can help you deal with unavoidable stress from mindfulness, meditation and learning to set boundaries.

4 - make sure you have time for recovery. After any particularly stressful situation you will probably need time to wind down and recover. Build these spaces into your schedule.

All the above take a lot of practice and refining once learned, and to learn them I strongly recommend getting a psychotherapist who has experience in helping autists as they are worth their weight in gold.

The above would be what I would suggest in a nutshell, but I'm just some random person off the internet and you should ideally do your own research before considering anything I say.