Published on 12, July, 2020
I am a 23 year old autistic non-binary person who is currently suffering from an intense autistic burnout. I am unable to leave my house much and participate in activities that I used to such as going to a pub or event. This burnout causes me extreme, painful restlessness, a huge drop in my sense of self and what feels like a constant depression. With this has come great loneliness and isolation as I am not able to go out and meet friends (I don't really have any friends that live near me). The majority of my friends also don't understand what I'm going through and I don't feel as though I can relate to many of them anymore.
Anyway... Does anyone know of any autism support groups that do weekly online meetings where I can talk to people on a call and make friends with people who are going through the same experiences as me? I have been searching and can't find any. I really feel desperate for an autistic community atm and I just don't know how to find one without putting in an insane amount of effort to look which I simply don't have.
Also if anyone else is also going through this experience and would like to talk/ make friends, let me know :)
Finally, if anyone has any tips/tricks about how to get through an autistic burnout, pls drop them below :))
Thank you so so much!!!
Hi Blurry, welcome to the online community! You can try searching for listings for support and social groups for autistic people on our Autism Services Directory, which can be found here.
You may be interested in contacting a local National Autistic Society branch too and seeing if they offer any online groups. Our branches offer support to local autistic people and their families. If you interesting in checking if there is a local branch near to you, please follow the link: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/local-branches.
Our branches are volunteer-led, and as such every branch and group is different. Some are parent support groups, some provide support and information to autistic adults, while others have office premises and run their own a drop-in service. You will need to check with a branch directly for more information on whether they are able to provide a particular service that you are interested in.
You may like to have a look at the mental health section of our website which has useful links to information and advice about a range of mental health issues: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health. The information on this page may be of particular interest: autistic fatigue and burnout https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue.
I hope these help.
Best wishes,
Anna Mod