• Replies 11 replies
  • Subscribers 10 subscribers
  • Views 223 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Autistic burnout

Paul50

Hi everyone

I'm in burnout and I'm fairly sure I've been in it for over a year so far. It seems to intensify and then ease off depending on what I'm doing. I know it gets worse with any kind of stress which also includes getting involved in discussion on social media. Certain topics can get quite emotive especially when I also have injustice sensitivity, so when someone attacks me online I really feel it and if I don't disengage it can wreck my mood for a couple of days.

I'm also a personal trainer and I've not lifted any weights in the gym for a few weeks because the intensity also drains me, so I've been working on mobility mostly and the only lifting I do is when I'm demonstrating exercises for clients. It really is a mindful balancing act and that alone is exhausting too. I used to be so active all the time and I'm sad that I can't do that anymore. 

While reading about autistic burnout online I'm starting to feel that in the same way that all autistic people are different, all burnouts are different too and varying in intensity. I read about some folks who can't find the energy to shower, feed themselves, talk to anyone or do any form of active self care. When it's bad I can be like that, but it's not all the time, and I feel like I'll be invalidated by some if I admit that. In the same way I was told by people in the past "You're not autistic"...(I'm now diagnosed)...I worry that I'll be told "That's not proper burnout!" because I'm still functioning albeit sporadically.

Can anyone relate to this please? 

Also, how do I change my username please? I don't feel that this one represents who I am anymore. Thanks Purple heart

Parents

  • I came up with this strategy  it's working for me:

    "To "survive burnout phoenix-style" means to recover and rise from it by first prioritizing rest and self-care, then setting realistic expectations and boundaries, seeking support from others, and finally reflecting on and reassessing your goals to rebuild a more balanced life that aligns with your values. This process takes time and involves self-reflection, reconnecting with passions, and celebrating small wins to find renewed joy and meaning."

    I have a background in exercise health myself so I'd like also to share this as personal strategies out of filial respect:

    the primary principle may be to consider (as the song puts it) "it ain't what you do it's the way that you do it"

    eccentric exercise (ie lowering the burden down safely and smoothly) is mechanically harder than lifting it up - 

    if you hold the golgi tendon organ on a prolonged load eventually it will relax and the biomechanics will resolve the equation to a stronger solution with other areas taking the load ...

    finding spinal reflex/autonomic means to achieve the physical result is well worth the investment in time and mental effort - it means one may do more by doing less

    the skill to physical capability is primarily one of balance and leverage 

    when considering exercise don't forget that one is standing under 60 miles of air that weighs 14 1/2 pounds per square inch - don't forget to breathe - and the first thing before lifting something else is maintaining poise and balance in one's own posture - of which breathing is the first principle.

    one tends to think as exercise as lifting weights, going for a run etc - maybe consider that what one is doing when one is not doing something is physically still utilising muscles and joints etc

    how one holds oneself is a biopsychosocial expression of self - internal balance is key - 

    biochemistry has many insights into stress behaviour and responses in exercise

    fitness?  If the key fits the lock then very little effort is required to turn it.

    Fitness is about using less effort to achieve more effect.  Doing more to achieve more - eventually one burns out..  

    and this expands into other aspects of life - in my experience

    Personally I throw that into the burn-out survival plan I first shared.

    Best wishes

    Phased

  • in reply to Phased

    Thank you. From one fitness pro to another, I appreciate your view on this. As you say it's going to take time but I'll try to give myself time to adapt.

  • in reply to Paul50

    Thank you for replying  

    Time to adapt, yes there are scientific measurements of this - maybe worth the research if looking for a schedule for the journey of recovery - however remembering that everyone is an individual and the number of factors to consider is very wide and very complex.

    eg how long to recover from events and stressors, adaptation times etc and how the individual reacts/responds

    as for "time", physicists have been able to use machines to "chop" time down to one billionth of a billionth of a second - and weirdly, at a quantum level, time doesn't exist apparently!  - from this I suggest the way to find time is looking for it "in the spaces in between" if that makes sense?  maybe I digress from the fitness pro angle there but i hope you get what I mean.

    To return to the fitness approach - maybe consider "conditioning"?

    personally I have come to realise just how much my stress responses are "conditioned" too.

    All the best!

    Phased

  • in reply to Phased

    I think that's all a bit beyond me, and I'm not conditioning at the moment because hard training drains me too much. It's going to be some time before I have enough energy to get back to training how I used to, if that ever happens. I think I need to change everything in order to move forward and recover. 

    Thank you for your insights

    P

Reply
  • in reply to Phased

    I think that's all a bit beyond me, and I'm not conditioning at the moment because hard training drains me too much. It's going to be some time before I have enough energy to get back to training how I used to, if that ever happens. I think I need to change everything in order to move forward and recover. 

    Thank you for your insights

    P

Children
No Data