Over the past several days I’ve gone from complete exhaustion and near-constant sleep to being unable to sleep to taking micro naps every time I start to feel unwell….. I have no idea where I’m at in this anymore. It’s almost 6a and am I tired or sleepily waking up? Should I be asleep or awake right now?
#autisticburnout
So I was a candidate for the board of a certain national org in an upcoming GA. Today I withdrew my candidacy. Luckily all parties involved, my own org and the national org are very understanding and accommodating, and I didn't face any pressure over this decision.
The positive is that I'm finally starting to recognize, and accept, when I'm sliding back deeper into burnout, and that I simply can't do, in some responsible manner, everything I'd want to do. It sucks, it hurts, there's grief and feelings of failure, and all that needs to be acknowledged and processed.
Recovery is not linear, return to the past is not sustainable.
Since the topic of autistic burnout came up again recently I republished my Autistic Burnout Mitigation post in case it's useful to people.
I wrote this post more than a year ago ago on another blog. I’m reposting mostly unchanged it now since I still think it’s relevant, and other than my current status that I don’t consider myself to be in burnout anymore, the mitigation list is the things I keep doing to varying degrees to avoid going back into burnout.
https://hiiamsamantha.xyz/posts/2025/11/autistic-burnout-mitigation/
We turn a simple physical fact into a matter of personal failure, like sensory needs or focus or executive functioning, and then criticize ourselves for not doing what we can't do.
#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #AuDHD #Sensory #AutisticBurnout #Burnout
@ideogram #actuallyautistic #autism i used to finish work, sit on the couch, put on a comfort tv show, and crochet for the next 6 hours until i went to bed. #autisticburnout
After work I am so exhausted I nearly always have to just get in bed and lie with my eyes closed for at least half an hour to recover enough to even read or doomscroll.
#Autism #autistic #neurodiverse @autistics #AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic
Episode 1 of my new podcast with Tanya Adkin
Neurodiversity in Discussion...
This time we're talking about monotropism, lilipadding, and you know we've got those tangents!
#Neurodiversity #Monotropism #Lilipadding #AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity @fergus @mentalhealth
The Impact Of Internal Awareness On Your Energy Levels
https://youtu.be/SMpmCe_uv2I?si=zh3S8IyuCA5te0de
#ActuallyAutistic #EnergyManagement #AuDHD #BurnoutRecovery #AutisticBurnout #Interoception
Time is running out! Don't miss out! Just 6 days left!
https://dghndconsultancy.substack.com/p/times-running-out-dont-miss-monotropism
#Monotropism #Lilipadding #ActuallyAutistic #MonotropicSplit #AutisticBurnout @actuallyautistic @mentalhealth
Why isn't "quacking with the ducks" used as an expression for allistics talking to each other? As way of identifying an allistic, "they're not autistic, they were quacking with the ducks".
#Autism #autistic #neurodiverse @autistics #AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic
“Just rest a little longer”
Exhausted. Running on fumes. Going to bed, getting some sleep that, normally, should help to regain some energy again. But I start the day, and even when my "day" has just begun, I can't seem to find the energy to get some exercises in. I try, and it feels so hard. Something that I normally love to do. It feels like it's too difficult for me now. It brings me no joy, just frustration. "I should do this better, I should do this more, I'm neglecting all these exercises that I know I should do". Autistic burnout and Covid-19 both share a symptom, a few even... I did "the bad thing" and I asked AI to help me with some info on the symptoms that these two have in common. I know I could have used the mighty Duck 🦆, and I know AI is not smart and all knowing... But when your head feels like it's not "all there", it can be helpful to not need to check out all these sites on autistic burnout and Covid (and be pestered due to my ad-blocker)... I will copy the info it gave me, because it could be helpful... […]https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/24/just-rest-a-little-longer/
TL;DR — Does anyone have job recommendations or advice good for autistic/ADHD/PTSD people?
Ideally, it would be something:
- Low stakes
- Task-based instead of time-based (e.g. "complete these things and go home" instead of "work for 8 hours, then go home"
- >= $16/hour
- Flexible scheduling
- Creative and/or solitary
- Queer- and neurodivergent-supporting
---------------------------------------------
I currently work at $16/hour part-time in customer service and it's driving me insane. My therapist described it as "getting traumatized every day".
It also isn't enough to pay rent and have savings. Every month I can barely cover rent while living with 3 other roommates. I'm afraid that I'm constantly failing them.
After doing some research (looking up "jobs for autistic people" and getting a lot of Reddit posts), job recommendations include:
- Medical coding (requires months of training, $500 certification test + $70 retakes)
- Morgue body removal or pet cremation (dealing with dead people or pets)
- Factory work or janitor work Already worked these jobs and it was abysmal
- Creative fields animation, music, video games, video production. These jobs are so unstable and rare I can't actually pursue these
#autism #autisticburnout #autisticadult #adultswithautism
Maybe you already know about Darius McCollum, a black autistic man who has spent a third of his life in prison for illegally taking (though responsibly driving and returning) trains and buses.
He is now in a high security psych facility, with some dangerous inmates.
Change petition:
https://www.change.org/p/new-york-state-attorney-general-darius-mccollum-is-not-dangerously-mentally-ill
The story in detail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_McCollum?wprov=sfla1
#Autism #autistic #neurodiverse @autistics #AutisticBurnout #ActuallyAutistic
We. Get. Tired! Recovering From Situational Autistic Burnout
In burnout, you’re stressed and overwhelmed about everything. If you’re waiting for the ‘perfect time’ to start getting better, does that mean that you have to wait ‘till you’re out of burnout to take the steps to get out of burnout?
http://www.autismchrysalis.com/burnout
#AutisticBurnout #BurnoutRecovery #Burnout #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD
We can ignore our body’s signals. We can deny them. We can numb them. We can pretend they don’t exist. We can do all sorts of things to discount them. But they’re still there.
Thankfully, I was able to eat late last night. Unfortunately, I only got 2 hours sleep.
This last day has been a brutal wake up call to the fact that I've been doing more without taking time to actually care for myself. That has to change.
Gotta start taking m̶y̶ ̶o̶w̶n̶ Star Trek's advice....
#TrekkieWellbeing #AutisticBurnout #Autistic #NeurodivergentWellbeing #StarTrek #🖖
Has anyone here tried the Sensate device? (https://www.getsensate.com/en-ca)
I am not keen on this kind of purchase right now but it's been recommended by an Autistic Burnout book I'm reading.
If it truly delivers, I might consider it.
It’s just too much 😵
There are times where you get dealt a bad hand. And, while trying to deal with it best you can, some more bad cards get added to your stack. And before you know it, your hands just can't hold it all together anymore and the cards end up flying all over the place! Well yeah, that's where I am now! 😔 I recently shared a post on dealing with my Autistic 🤯 Burnout and I guess this post can be seen as a follow-up to that one. Because, apparently, when you're dealing with a burnout, it's indeed a lot "easier" to be also hit with autistic meltdown! And wow, that sucks too! 😢 […]https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2025/10/10/its-just-too-much-%f0%9f%98%b5/
Finally made it to the gym this morning, then I had a volunteer training appointment online. I'm so tired and weepy, now.
I am SO much better than I was a year or so ago, hugely recovered from the hell that was autistic burnout. But I may never be back to the way I was before it. Burnout can fuck you up for a long, long time. I'm so grateful to be doing better, but it sucks to not be easily able to do all the things I want to any more.
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