5 Practical Strategies for Managing Autistic Burnout
Plus a burnout symptoms checklist for days when even thinking feels like too much work
Autistic burnout is almost a given when you’re navigating life in a neurotypical world.
The demands of everyday life, the constant masking, sensory issues, and our own own unrealistic expectations of how things ‘should’ be eventually catch up to us. With time, we become progressively overwhelmed and ultimately run out of steam completely. Our social and emotional batteries are drained and we shut down, unable to even think coherently.
Unlike neurotypical burnout, which starts slowly gets worse with time, and resolves with a good night’s sleep, autistic burnout tends to come on more rapidly and is more intense—like everything tends to be for us autistic folk. It can lead to a temporary but significant loss of skills, including the ability to speak, think, or write, care for our personal hygiene, and even feed ourselves.
For those of you who are familiar with my story, you’ll know that—like most late-diagnosed autistic adults—I have been in varying stages of autistic overwhelm and burnout for several years now. In fact, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks in a state of utter depletion. For me, the descent from overwhelm into burnout is…
