Struggling

BlueHawk said:

Autism isn't a mental health issue.

I didn't say it was - I said the autistic traits caused stresses on my mental health, much like your autistic burnout is causing you.

BlueHawk said:

It isn't to do with motivation or something that I can think my way out of.

I also didn't suggest you could think your way out of it. It takes learning and application of mental tools to be able to do this. If you are unable to do this then my advice is clearly not relevant to you, but you asked how I did it.

BlueHawk said:

Please read up on autism and autistic burnout before commenting again

I have been studying autism for 5 years now, have studied a great many books on the subject and work helping autistic teenagers so I think you may have misjudged my level of experience.

Autism isn't a mental health issue. It can impact on someone's mental health but isn't a mental health condition or illness or issue. It isn't to do with motivation or something that I can think my way out of. Please read up on autism and autistic burnout before commenting again. Thank you.

Thank you. I wrote the wrong word in my reply.

Probiotics are mixtures of 'good' bacteria in a capsule, prebiotics are food supplements aimed at supporting good bacteria. Both might help, but getting an expanded variety of good bacteria into the gut is the more important thing to do.

I'll look into prebiotic thanks. 

Unfortunately walking a mile or so a day isn't possible currently, maybe in the future. Thanks for the suggestion. 

BlueHawk said:

Is it more mental health than autism that you struggle with?

It was the autistic traits that caused me to be tired and stressed on the whole - interactions with people, coping with sensory distress etc - these are all mental health issues as they stem from the mind.

The mind and body are intimately fused together and I think that the body is easier to get a handle on than the mind, at least initially. There is some evidence that the gut microbiome in autistic people is less diverse than in the allistic population and that this can affect mood, so possibly talking probiotics might help. Another thing is exercise, just walking a mile or so a day might prove useful, the old Roman tag 'mens sana in corporis sano' (a healthy mind in a healthy body) has some truth behind it. The rhythm of walking itself has some therapeutic value.

Thank you so much

Your experience sounds different to mine. Is it more mental health than autism that you struggle with? I'm glad you found what has improved your quality of life.

I'm so glad, just coping on your own must be so tough with no support network, you are doing great just by surviving! I'm rooting for you! 

Thank you. I'll read the links you've posted.

Thanks for your reply.

That's hit "you shouldn't feel bad about having no energy, as that will be energy draining"  I will work on that. Its certainly a grief feeling for the life I had/want. That's a good idea thank you.

I'm so sorry you are struggling so badly right now, it must be really awful, and draining in itself. 

I hope you can forgive yourself for your situation, you shouldn't feel bad about having no energy, as that will be energy draining. 

It can be really hard, but it sounds like you could really do with a tiny easy win, to make yourself feel better. Set your sights on something manageable, like 'I'm going to do the bare minimum + 1 small extra thing'. That way you are always improving your situation, so you can be positive about that. You could even tell us about it, the 'three good things' thread is great for little wins like that, so you can celebrate your little win. It could even just be putting one thing back in the cupboard that was sitting out.

I'm sorry it's not bigger help, but sometimes when you're low and drained, you need to be kind to yourself.

Hi and welcome to the community.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling so badly and for so long.

I suggest seeking support from your GP. Alongside doing that, you might find the advice and suggested strategies in these NAS resources helpful:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

NAS Professional Practice - Understanding autistic burnout

NAS - Seeking help with mental health

There's also some great (free) advice here from Dr Megan Neff - a neurodivergent author, clinician and advocate:

Autistic Burnout Recovery: How to Build a Recovery Plan

I also have this book of hers. It's very user-friendly, including lots of diagrams and worksheets:

The Autistic Burnout Workbook: Your Guide to Your Personal Recovery Plan

I hope that some of the information here proves helpful.

BlueHawk said:

How do you manage your energy levels? I am exhausted from daily living. 

I grew up in an era where it was a case of adapt or find yourself homeless - there was no real support available.

Needing to work to be able to eat was a strong motivator to learn to compartmentalise sensory and mental struggles and getting a night shift work where I was working in a warehouse with minimal human contact enabled me to build my own version of mindfulness that allowed me to move on from manual work to getting into IT at a time when desktop PCs first appeared.

I also learned a form of meditation early on and was able to learn assertiveness on a training course which completed the toolset that formed the basis of my survival skills for most of the rest of my career.

Now there is a lot more info and advice available but the single most effective thing I can recommend is to get a psychotherapist who understands autism really well - they can teach you the skills to live a relatively full life even with your challenges.

Now I have given up being an employee and am my own boss of my own construction business and work when I want to work (within reasonable limits) and this has massively improved my quality of life.

Thanks for your reply. Changing my environment but unfortunately that is proving impossible. I do what I can to manage sensory input but it's not enough.

It wouldn't be enough but it would help. It would be great if I could afford a cleaner.

How do you manage your energy levels? I am exhausted from daily living. 

What do you think it would take to get you into a headspace where you would be able to make a go of the things you really want to do?

Would getting your house organised and clean be enough? 

I personally find it helps to get a kick-start when I get into a rut such as you describe.