My Autistic Burnout: Fuelled by the Planet’s Environmental Crisis
And how mindfulness and spirituality can help us cope
As someone self-diagnosed with AuDHD (Autism and ADHD), navigating the world can often feel overwhelming. Just two days ago, I experienced a severe autistic burnout that left me searching for answers and ways to prevent it from happening again. It was an intense experience that began with dysregulated temperature, trembling, hyperventilating, crying, and even screaming. Eventually, I froze — unable to move or even send a message to my husband for help. This personal breakdown led me to reflect not only on burnout in neurodivergent individuals like myself but also on the larger environmental and social issues that were key triggers for my burnout.
Once, not so long ago, I came across fascinating stories of historical figures like Nikola Tesla and Ludwig van Beethoven, both of whom are thought to have been autistic. These brilliant minds often sought refuge in nature, using it as a way to clear their thoughts and recharge. Tesla, for instance, famously envisioned his electric motor while walking through a park, and Beethoven composed some of his best works after long walks in the countryside. These examples and numerous scientific discoveries highlight how important nature is for the human body and mind. Especially for autistic people.
One of the reasons for my burnout was the recent news about Rio Tinto’s plans for mining in Serbia. It’s simply awful, and my autistic brain can’t fully process that this is real — that someone is destroying nature and life itself for profit. I always automatically seek logical explanations for things around me, but there is no logic in this endeavor. It adds a layer of stress that’s difficult to shake off.
But what happens when access to nature is limited and even completely wiped out?
The Devastation of Green Areas in Large Cities
For autistic people, nature serves as a critical tool for regulation and mental well-being. The calming sensory input found in forests — the soft rustling of leaves, the cool shade, and the steady, calm and quiet rhythm of natural elements — can provide relief from the overstimulation of modern life. In today’s busy, urbanized world filled with noise, finding a quiet space in nature is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for those of us living in large cities.
I live in a big city, where any forest or large green space is too far away to be part of my regular routine. What’s even more troubling is that the few green areas we have are being destroyed piece by piece for the sake of urban development. Urban development, corporate greed, and government policies prioritize profit over the environment, cutting down trees, and destroying ecosystems and even national parks. The state is exploiting the earth and polluting the air and water for profit, leaving nature dead and dry. This exploitation is raising temperatures in urban areas, making life in big cities more uncomfortable and, for neurodivergent people like me, more mentally and physically draining, but that’s not even the biggest issue.
Caring for nature and taking responsibility for the planet is central to most spiritual traditions and practices.
Recently, Belgrade has become one of the most polluted cities in the world, especially during the past few winters, making the air hazardous. This severe pollution is largely due to people burning low-quality coal, tyres, furniture, and other harmful materials. There are two main reasons for this issue:
- First, many people can’t afford better options like wood or pellet stoves, which are known to cause less pollution.
- Second, there is a general lack of awareness about environmental problems. This lack of understanding is a key reason why I’m considering moving away from Serbia. Despite the efforts of ecological groups to raise awareness, changing people’s attitudes and behaviors will take a lot of time.
Unfortunately, the government is taking advantage of this widespread problem and national attitude to make money and keep control. They are capitalizing current habits of the people instead of tackling the real causes of pollution.
Pollution and Secrecy in Mining Operations
The situation gets worse when we consider specific environmental challenges in other places in Serbia, where corporations and the state are exploiting natural resources without caring about the damage. In the town of Bor, Serbia, pollution has reached alarming levels, with numerous residents being diagnosed with cancer. This health crisis is linked to extensive mining operations in the area, particularly by the state-owned mining company RTB Bor, later taken by Chinese company Zijin Mining. The extraction of copper and other minerals has led to severe contamination of the air, soil, and water, contributing to the rising cancer rates among residents.
For over a year, health reports about the pollution and its effects were kept secret. This lack of transparency has stopped people from understanding the dangers and has delayed needed actions to fix the problem. Hiding this information shows that economic gain from mining is being put ahead of the health and safety of local people.
Recently, there has been a major controversy surrounding the mining giant Rio Tinto, which has set its sights on mining in Serbia’s Jadar Valley. The company plans to extract jadarite, a rare mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles (which are overpriced and overrated if you ask me), but this plan could have devastating consequences for the environment and the people of Serbia.
The proposed mining project could lead to the contamination of Serbia’s water sources, putting the entire country’s supply of clean water at risk. Losing access to clean water is not just an environmental issue — it’s a survival problem for people and all animals. This situation has been met with strong opposition from environmental groups and citizens who are protesting the mine, fearing it will destroy their land and water. In Serbia, protests have already erupted against Rio Tinto’s plans, with more than 119,000 wonderful people fighting to protect the Jadar River and surrounding areas from irreversible damage. The acidic runoff from mining can last for thousands of years until the material in the mine breaks down!
With all this exploitation, it’s clear that the problems are much bigger than personal issues. I began this article by talking about how nature helps autistic minds, but it’s obvious the problem is much larger. Environmental damage affects everyone, yet it seems that only a few people are noticing. As an autistic individual who has experienced a meltdown over these issues, I feel compelled to speak out.
Do you really want to live in a “Fallout” World?
The corporations and governments that are exploiting natural resources for profit need to wake up and realize that they cannot eat money. They can’t continue to treat the planet as disposable, thinking they can extract everything and still have a liveable world. We still don’t have a way to escape to Mars; we’re stuck on this planet, and we are collectively making it unliveable. It does seem surprising that people would want to live in conditions resembling the dystopian world of “Fallout”. Would you prefer to be the richest person in a vault with no fresh air or clean water, or to be wealthy while still enjoying clean air, water, and forests for walks?
The rise in temperatures from deforestation, the loss of clean water from mining, and the destruction of ecosystems for profit are all related problems. We’re not just dealing with climate change; we’re talking about survival. When companies like Rio Tinto exploit minerals like jadarite, they’re not only damaging the environment. They’re putting the future of entire communities, ecosystems, and the planet at risk. Remember, Serbia is just a small part of a much larger picture — these issues are affecting the entire globe.
The Urgency of Action
One potential solution that could help both the environment and our mental well-being is reforestation, and I know about a few projects that are currently working on this around the globe, which brings me some hope for positive change. Nature gives us a place to relax and live a long, healthy, and let’s not forget — cancer-free life, too.
So, It’s not just about making parks for our well-being — it’s about making sure future generations can live on a healthy planet.
We all need to realize that nature is essential for life itself, though it seems this fact alone is not always enough to inspire action.
More than ever, we need to be present, to be mindful, and realize the urgency of the state of our nature. The Earth is not just a resource to be used up — many spiritual traditions teach that it is sacred, a living being that supports all life. When we exploit the land for profit, we are disrupting the very essence that sustains us. This disconnection from nature is part of a greater crisis of consciousness, where we’ve lost sight of the deeper purpose of life in pursuit of material gain.
However, a reawakening is happening. More and more people are beginning to understand that how we treat the Earth reflects how we treat ourselves and each other. We must reconnect with the idea that the planet’s well-being is intertwined with our own. This shift in consciousness is essential if we are to truly protect the Earth and, in turn, ourselves.
The environmental crisis isn’t just physical — it’s a spiritual call to restore balance and respect for all living things.
If we keep destroying it for profit, we will lose these benefits forever. Protecting places like the Jadar Valley in Serbia is about more than just saving land — it’s about securing our collective future. The red alarm has been beeping loudly for a long time, and things are much more urgent than the media shows.
Let’s hope we realize this before it’s too late.
