autism and burnout: what are the root causes
As an autistic person, I'm sure you have heard of the term ‘autistic burnout’. It’s a common experience amongst autistic people. But what exactly causes it?
I believe in order to create an effective burnout recovery plan, you need to know the factors that contribute to autistic burnout. In this blog, I’ll go what burnout is, the root causes and ways in which we can manage it. When we understand the factors that cause burnout, we can create better ways to support and take care of ourselves. And as always, this is just the basics of burnout. And certain tips will work for you, and some won’t. But it’s important to listen to yourself and do what works for you.
What Is Autistic Burnout?
Autistic burnout is a state of exhaustion, emotional and physical depletion and a disconnect from the self and environment. There can be three core characteristics of autistic burnout: chronic exhaustion, a reduced tolerance to stimuli and loss of skills. Chronic exhaustion can be a pervasive physical, cognitive and social fatigue. A reduced tolerance to stimuli means there is increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli. This could mean that noises seem louder, etc. And many of our executive functioning skills could worsen during burnout. We can struggle with speaking, regulating attention and other cognitive functions.
What Causes Autistic Burnout?
There are a variety of factors that can cause autistic burnout. It can be triggered by the expectations and demands of living in a neurotypical society. And there are also challenges that come with navigating a world that does not always accommodate or understand neurodiversity.
As autistic people, we might feel pressure to conform to neurotypical standards, communicate in certain ways or feel pressure to fit in or hide our neurodivergence.
Other factors that contribute to autistic burnout can be stress from work/school, financial or housing insecurity, difficulty navigating relationships or a lack of support from peers/loved ones.
Autistic burnout can also be triggered by physical or mental conditions such as chronic pain or lack of self-care practices.
Difficulties Accessing Supports/Accommodations
When we have access to accommodations and supports, we are better able to manage stress and reduce burnout.
Difficulties accessing these accommodations and supports can cause burnout in many ways. It can be overwhelming and exhausting navigating a world without the resources we require. And this can lead to frustration and isolation amongst autistic people.
Difficulties accessing support can be caused by several factors. Many autistic people, particularly those diagnosed later in life, may not be aware of the support available to them. Many are denied support due to stigma or lack of understanding around neurodiversity. Women, BIPOC and Trans people are particularly vulnerable to being misdiagnosed. This can result in difficulties getting access to support. If you do struggle to gain access to the support you need, there is help available. There are resources and advocates that can help you. This can include disability services, support groups or neuro-affirmative mental health professionals.
Others Minimising Your Support Needs
It can be frustrating when others do not understand or take our support needs seriously. Others dismissing our autistic experiences can lead to burnout. This can be loved ones, peers or society not understanding our unique challenges and strengths as autistic people.
Having our support needs minimised or dismissed can lead to isolation and frustration.
Masking/Holding Yourself To A High Standard
Autistic masking is when you hide or suppress your autistic traits to conform or fit in. It is a coping strategy for some autistic people and can be an important survival strategy in oppressive environments. However, it can contribute to autistic burnout. Masking is exhausting and emotionally draining. It requires a constant effort to suppress our true selves. We suppress the activities that are soothing to us (stimming, talking about our special interests and avoiding eye contact). This leads to disconnection from our true selves, emotional dysregulation, and physical and emotional exhaustion. Autistic masking can also lead to a lack of support from loved ones and professionals. This is because it is hard for them to recognise and accommodate our support needs if they are invisible.
Mask Fine Art Print
And we also need to think about internal ableism, particularly if you are a late diagnosed autistic person. Internal ableism can make us hold ourselves to unrealistic standards. We try to conform to allistic (non-autistic) ways of living, even if they are not feasible for us. Acknowledging and accepting our limitations can be hard. It may involve grieving and working through shame. But while this is a difficult journey, it is an essential one to building a sustainable life. Grieving and accepting your limits can play a significant role in burnout recovery.
Poor Boundaries/People-Pleasing
One way many autistic people, especially late diagnosed, adapt to fit in is by becoming people pleasers. People-pleasing is the act of trying to make others happy, often at the expense of your own needs. It can be a coping mechanism as it allows autistic people to navigate social situations more easily and avoid potential conflicts. Some ways people-pleasing can lead to burnout is by:
Social/Communication Demands: There are a lot of social and communication demands that come with people pleasing. This can be draining for autistic people. It can be especially challenging to navigate social norms that do not come naturally. This can lead to exhaustion.
Personal Autonomy Loss: When we people-please, it can be easy to lose sight of our own needs. This can lead to a lack of personal autonomy, which is frustrating.
Cognitive Overload: People-pleasers often try to anticipate others' needs and desires. This can be mentally and emotionally taxing. Cognitive overload is a state of mental exhaustion and can be a result of trying to process too much information at once. People-pleasing can be draining for many, but especially autistic people. While it can be an important coping strategy for some, it is not a sustainable way to interact with others. It is okay to prioritise your own needs and set boundaries.
If you do struggle with burnout, it might be best to speak to a therapist or professional who can help you learn self-advocacy and assertive communication. I’ve also written a blog to take you through the basics of boundaries, which you can read here.
Courage Fine Art Print
Autistic Burnout vs Depression
While autistic burnout and depression are two different things, they can have similar symptoms. To get appropriate treatment, it is important to distinguish between the two.
Autistic burnout is a physiological response to overload of stress. Depression is a mental health disorder that is characterised by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and a range of emotional and physical symptoms. Depression can be triggered by different factors, such as genetics, life events and medical conditions.
Symptoms of depression can also include changes in sleep and eating patterns, feeling worthless and difficulty concentrating. In some cases, autistic burnout can be mistaken for depression.
But it is important to distinguish between the two as they require different treatments. A common treatment of depression is ‘behavioural activation’. This involves planning activities like socialising with friends, exercising or completing tasks. These can help break a person out of the cycles of depression and lethargy. While this treatment works for depression, it might not work for autistic burnout. When a person is experiencing burnout, it is important to let them rest, and prioritise sensory-soothing or low-demand activities.
Recovering From Autistic Burnout
It is important to note that recovering from autistic burnout is a challenging process. However, there are steps that you can take to manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Seek support: When you are autistic, it is important to have a support system around you. This could be a network of people who understand and embrace your experiences as a neurodivergent person. And it can also include therapy, access to disability services, support groups and online communities.
Seek Accommodations: If you are in burnout and struggling with tasks or activities, you can seek out accommodations that will make things easier. This could include things like flexible schedules and hours, access to assistive technology or physical modifications.
Practice Self-Care: Taking care of your physical and emotional support needs is important when you are in burnout. This will depend on how much energy you have, and self-care will look different to everyone. But making sure you are eating well, getting enough sleep and engaging in activities you enjoy can help will burnout.
Embrace Your Neurodiversity: Many autistic people, especially late diagnosed, can spend a lifetime hiding their autistic traits in shame. But it is important to embrace your neurodiversity and work with your brain instead of against it. This can include connecting with other neurodivergent people, addressing your internal ableism and finding ways to advocate for neurodiversity.
Recovering from burnout is a process and can take a long time. It is important that you do what works for you and be patient with yourself.
Summary
Autistic burnout is a state of chronic exhaustion. You might find yourself depleted physically and emotionally. There can be an increase in sensory sensitives and loss of skills.
Burnout can be caused by a variety of factors such as masking, stress related to school or work, the expectations of neurotypical society and lack of support from loved ones and professionals. Autistic burnout can also be triggered by physical and mental health conditions such as chronic pain and fatigue. Or a lack of self-care practices.
It's important to be aware of what causes autistic burnout so that you can get the right help. If you are experiencing autistic burnout, it is important that you seek help and to find strategies that work for you. This can include neuro-affirming therapies, advocating for your needs, setting boundaries, and embracing your neurodiversity.
