Autistic burnout — 3 things for neurodiverse and neurotypical people to remember

Autistic burnout can be exhausting and depressing. Courtesy of
Claudia Wolff via Unsplash (@kaimantha)

For years, I wondered why I used to tire more quickly than anyone else. Even arriving at work after my morning commute would be enough for me to describe myself as “knackered” to my teammates. As for my family, in the rare time we have together at weekends, I know they would wager that in response to the question “how are you?” my answer would always be “tired.”

For years I have just assumed that I feel this way because of a combination of my mindset and my lifestyle. I haven’t looked after my body and my mind as well as I could have done, and we live in a culture where we idolise the Duracell bunny — without any awareness of neurodiversity, I willingly played along with the emphasis on breaking your back and working until you drop every minute of every day. I recognise now that I have contributed to my downfall.

Receiving my autism diagnosis as an adult was a shock, but more importantly a relief. It explains so much about what I have experienced and endured throughout my life. In theory, it gives me the opportunity to make changes to my lifestyle to better preserve myself so that I can be my best every day.

I intend to write plenty of articles about the various impacts of autism, but the single biggest consequence which I experience is autistic burnout.