New here....has anyone else experienced this?

 Stuart333 it's always puzzled me too, I always put others needs first and think "well I could just try to go into work" I think for me I feel like if I just tried harder I could be like everyone else. Hopefully I can make a fresh start today and start thinking about me. We are just as important as everyone else  

Well done. This is the biggest challenge; considering your own needs as being equally important. I have always done the same thing, I am not sure why. Must be some insecurity thing.

White_Dragon I bet you are brave we are often lots stronger than we think, it took me all my energy just to send that message to my boss no response yet but Im glad I made my decision.

That sounds like a good step you are a lot braver than me. Hope your employer is understanding of things 

White_Dragon  yeah me too its alot to take in and learn to navigate isnt it? I've spoken with GP this afternoon and they have signposted me to a few local agencies and given me a sick note which I have agreed to and sent to my employer (I am terrible at putting myself first) so thats a big step for me.

No worries hope you make progress with things. I’m not sure whether I’m in burnout mode or not… I am still learning really 

 Stuart333 thank you I'll check that out too

The embrace autism website also has an ebook you can buy related to burnout and how it compares to depression. It has good information.

 White_Dragon cool profile pic.

Thanks for sharing it makes me feel heard. I think the irritability is definitely part of my anxiety. I've been doing tonnes of research on here about autistic burnout and I can see where this has hit throughout my life and maybe the timings are just coincidence (I do look for patterns all the time)

I've made a plan to tell my employer today (I mask at work) and I'm going back to the GP with the burnout information too. 

Thanks for replying I really appreciate it ️ 

Hi and welcome to the forums. I’ve struggled with anxiety for many years and only now in my 50s uncovered what was behind things. Being irritable at least for me was all part of it. Not sure about the timing element from my side, for me it’s pretty general perhaps worse with events etc going on. Hope things pick up for you

 Alien0n3arth I guess the pasta and homemade sauce is something you have complete control of so that makes a lot sense to me as everything else is out of our control even getting unwell etc. Thank you for sharing that with me I appreciate it

Hi, I’m my situation it’s different. Sometimes I kinda feel tired but I have a strong anxiety that things will change. That my manager will quit, that I will get sick and have to stay home instead of going to work like always… that there will be new colleagues at work etc. I manage the anxiety by having always the same food. It must be always pasta with sauce. I cook it with my own recipe and it must be always same. Colleagues at work make huge eyes with disbelief or laugh, asking if I eat the same food whole year. So sometimes I feel tired and burnt out, but there is an invisible force that pushes me to always do and have the exact same things and I have huge anxiety that something will change and I have no control over it. 

 Homebird that's a really good point, thank you

I find around this time of year, too much light at times when I should be asleep and the warmer nights affect the quality of my sleep, so I spend more time struggling with being too tired. This  causes a busy sensation in my head which also can make it difficult to fall asleep.

 HelloBunny 

Thank you so much, I have Dr Neffs self care book and I've found it really useful so I will definitely get the work book too. I will check out the NAS pages too. 

Massively appreciate the replies i feel very lost at the moment and it's nice to speak to people that understand from my point of view.

Bunny said:

You might not be aware, but (for good reasons) we’re not allowed to offer medical advice here,

Thank you for heads up, completely understand and I would always make my first point of call the GP

Thank you 

Winter can be stress of Christmas, dark nights, lack of vitamin D, seasonal disorder etc. but summer is a bit more tricky. Sunshine and good weather, flowers, nature and being outdoors usually makes things feel better. 

Although it can also be a busier period in shops and can require covering for other people.

Hi - welcome to the community and congratulations on your recent diagnosis! 

I’m glad to hear that you’ve already requested a referral via your GP for further support. You might not be aware, but (for good reasons) we’re not allowed to offer medical advice here, so you’ve already taken the only step that any of us could suggest on that front.

Whilst waiting for that support, you might find these NAS resources helpful, including the strategies suggested in the first one:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

NAS - Meltdowns

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

Autistic Burnout Recovery: How to Build a Recovery Plan

I've also just bought this new book of hers. It covers the subject in much greater detail, whilst remaining very user-friendly (including lots of diagrams and worksheets, for example):

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

 HelloStuart333 

Thank you for replying

When it happens during winter I know it's linked to previous trauma etc, however this time of year I can't think of anything that I am immediately aware of but I will have a think on it as you said

Stuart333 said:

Your subconscious may be making the link even if you are not fully aware.

There might be something there and I'm not making the link my memory is shocking at times.

I don't really have any busy periods it's just me and my husband and I have very minimal social engagements apart from work which at the moment suits me as it would make me more anxious

Thank you again

Does the time of year have any significance? Does it align with anything related to your PTSD or childhood issues or a period of high stress?

Your subconscious may be making the link even if you are not fully aware.

Alternatively does this align with a particularly busy period, such as birthdays or a time when you know you will have parties or BBQs, so you will be overloaded and have family or visitors?

 profdanger thanks for your reply and sharing about your seasonal depression, the devoid of energy feeling is so debilitating I get that a lot too. It's really interesting as mine seems to start about a month before the solstices, it's definitely something I will do more research on so thank you.

I definitely think autistic burnout plays some part in how I feel, maybe I can speak to occupational health at work about that as a starting point while I wait for mental health team to respond.

Thank you so much!