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How to work through autistic burnout?

Artemis Eales

Hi, I'm in my 3rd year of university and due to illness in my last semester I now have lots of coursework to redo. It's all due in a few days, and I'm overwhelmed. Even breaking it down just feels like I'm making more tasks. I can't repeat because I repeated second year, so SAAS won't fund my final year and I'd be unable to progress. I think my mental wellbeing would suffer more if I dropped out. I don't think I'm going to get the work done, and it feels so unfair when I wasn't at fault for not getting it done during term (I had kidney stones, and at the same time had to cut off family which caused a depressive episode). I can't get my brain to work on anything uni-related, and it just makes me feel worse and worse. 

I've been reading up on burnout and it sounds a bit like what I'm experiencing, but all the advice for relieving symptoms and recovering from it is to lower my workload and take time away. I can't do that or I'll probably be kicked out of uni. I don't even know what to say to my disability advisor, and I certainly don't know what a good solution looks like here that doesn't push me even further into burnout or makes me lose my education.

I don't know what to ask for, what to say, what to do. All I can think to do is push through and get the work done, regardless of my wellbeing. So I guess my question is, is there a way to force myself to keep going despite burnout, stress, and being overwhelmed? And does anyone have a positive example of the consequences of that?

Parents

  • For the next three days let’s focus on getting you to pass instead of doing damage control about what happens if you don’t.

    step one prioritise the work. Not all coursework is weighted equally in terms of marking. Concentrate on the stuff you know you have to get good grades in to pass. I’m not saying ignore everything else. Provided you at least write a certain amount of material even if it’s gibberish you will probably get some marks for it.

    step two do you have any studious friends who done the course before you would be willing to sit down and study with you? Obviously they cannot do it for you but you would be surprised how much easier it is to stay motivated if you are studying with another person particularly one who is very studious.

    step 2 1/2 make a decision that you are not going to try and brainstorm how to deal with the fact you may have failed this course until you turned your work in.

    step three take regular breaks of a moderate size

    step 4 remember to sleep. you will with the exception of eating and going to the loo probably be working almost every waking hour from morning till dusk, however you must sleep otherwise you will be no good trying to do any other work the next day.

    step five remember to turn your work in. I nearly missed the deadline for turning my working on one course and it nearly cost me a year. The most brilliant thesis will be rejected if it’s turned in late and you’re getting no marks for it. this is a particular concern if you’re getting sleepy towards the deadline kicking in.

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  • For the next three days let’s focus on getting you to pass instead of doing damage control about what happens if you don’t.

    step one prioritise the work. Not all coursework is weighted equally in terms of marking. Concentrate on the stuff you know you have to get good grades in to pass. I’m not saying ignore everything else. Provided you at least write a certain amount of material even if it’s gibberish you will probably get some marks for it.

    step two do you have any studious friends who done the course before you would be willing to sit down and study with you? Obviously they cannot do it for you but you would be surprised how much easier it is to stay motivated if you are studying with another person particularly one who is very studious.

    step 2 1/2 make a decision that you are not going to try and brainstorm how to deal with the fact you may have failed this course until you turned your work in.

    step three take regular breaks of a moderate size

    step 4 remember to sleep. you will with the exception of eating and going to the loo probably be working almost every waking hour from morning till dusk, however you must sleep otherwise you will be no good trying to do any other work the next day.

    step five remember to turn your work in. I nearly missed the deadline for turning my working on one course and it nearly cost me a year. The most brilliant thesis will be rejected if it’s turned in late and you’re getting no marks for it. this is a particular concern if you’re getting sleepy towards the deadline kicking in.

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