Autistic Burnout: Understanding the Impact on Autistic Adults
In the realm of autism and neurodivergence, one significant but often misunderstood phenomenon is autistic burnout. This experience commonly affects autistic adults who expend extreme effort masking their autistic traits to assimilate into the neurotypical world. When these individuals suppress their emotional and physical responses to overwhelming social expectations, adult life demands and sensory stimuli for prolonged periods, they can reach a point of emotional and cognitive exhaustion, leading to a state of burnout.
During autistic burnout, individuals may experience a decline in their skills, further compounding their challenges. It’s important to note that the triggers and manifestations of autistic burnout are unique to each person.
However, there are identifiable signs that people should be aware of:
- Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope
- Persistent exhaustion lasting weeks or months
- Increased irritability
- Regression in previously acquired skills (speech, cognitive abilities, executive functioning, self-control)
- Withdrawal from social interactions
- Heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli
- Needing to take a leave of medical absence from work or school
- Re-emergence of typical autistic behaviors like stimming to self-soothe
- Depressive symptoms, such as feelings of worthlessness and loss of interest
Distinguishing Between Autistic Meltdowns and Autistic Burnout
While autistic meltdowns or shutdown share some similarities with autistic burnout, there are important differences. Autistic meltdowns typically occur more frequently during childhood and are acute episodes lasting from minutes to hours. Meltdowns may involve external behaviors such as aggression or extreme emotional outbursts. As individuals mature, meltdowns may evolve into a more internalized process where they withdraw to cope with distress, possibly becoming temporarily nonspeaking or emotionally distant. This is referred to as “shutdown”.
The key distinction between autistic burnout and meltdown or shutdown lies in the duration and impact: autistic burnout is characterized by its prolonged nature, often lasting weeks or even months. Many individuals experiencing burnout find it debilitating enough to necessitate leaving their jobs or school or taking medical leave.
Understanding and Recognizing Autistic Burnout
Recognizing signs of autistic burnout is crucial for neurodivergent individuals and their care providers. Clinicians can offer targeted support and interventions to help autistic individuals manage burnout effectively and regain their equilibrium.
The Challenges
Autistic burnout can be a pivotal and distressing experience, marked by inability to function, withdrawal, and hypersensitivity to stimuli. Isolation is often the go-to strategy many autistic individuals resort to because they just don’t have the energy to do anything else. Reducing social interactions, sensory stimulation, and life demands, is what their body is requiring. They no longer can push through and ignore their needs. Their body can’t take it anymore!
Learning to listen inward and find ways to honor their needs is key to overcoming and preventing burnout. However, it’s not uncommon for autistic people to find it hard to recognize their own needs and feelings. There can be many reasons for this. Some autistic people may be wired in such a way that they have difficulty with interoception, or the ability to gauge the internal state of their body. They might not consciously pick up on body signals telling them they are uncomfortable, tense, or in pain.
However, years of being criticized, invalidated, and traumatized could also be the reason behind why an autistic person has learned to deny their feelings and needs. In the past when they shared their feelings and needs, such as feeling sensory overload and needing to escape, others dismissed them or criticized them for being “too sensitive”, “over-reactive” or “difficult”. To avoid this kind of criticism or invalidation again, they learned to stop noticing how they were feeling, and instead push through. This is an example of autistic masking, or hiding one’s autistic traits and needs. However, this coping strategy of masking and pushing through often leads to overwhelm. And chronic overwhelm then leads to autistic burnout.
The Recovery Phase
Recognizing one is in a period of burnout and prioritizing self-care is absolutely essential for the recovery process. Also, it’s essential to understand the recovery process takes time. It cannot be achieved in a day of respite. As a mental health therapist, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of adjusting expectations and engaging in activities that provide comfort and joy. Reducing as many demands and stressors as possible is key. It’s also important for the person not to beat themselves up or call themselves “lazy”. Their body has finite resources. As they implement healthy self-care strategies, and build up energy and resilience, they can then begin to successfully take on more responsibilities.
Prevention is Key for Autistic Burnout
Preventing autistic burnout requires proactive strategies tailored to address the unique challenges faced by autistic individuals. It’s essential for an individual to identify triggers that prompt burnout, such as autistic masking and denying needs. Although, it is understandable why a neurodivergent person would begin to mask in life. Usually masking stems from a desire to fit in, fear of judgment, or not wanting to feel misunderstood or invalidated. However, research indicates that autistic masking is a strong predictor of burnout and poor quality of life (Raymaker et al., 2020). Therefore, it’s imperative for an autistic person to learn how to safely unmask to improve their wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of burnout.
The first step to unmasking is to identify when and how masking happens. The autistic individual may notice when they force themselves to be sociable or make eye contact even when exhausted. Preparing a mini-disclosure to educate others about one’s own needs and autistic traits may reduce masking and prevent burnout. One doesn’t necessarily have to disclose they’re autistic. They can just disclose a specific challenge and request an accommodation. For instance, they might say, “I don’t have a lot of social energy today, so please forgive me if I don’t engage in chit chat or make a lot of eye contact.” This type of self-advocacy can foster understanding and even increase access to accommodations. This can also help alleviate the pressure to go along with things that aren’t working or are draining.
Embracing one’s autistic ways of being are essential to prevent burnout. Taking a sensory break when needed, such as hiding under a blanket for a few hours, doing self-soothing “stimming” behavior like rocking or humming, or engaging in a passion project, are all autism-friendly ways to prevent burnout. Taking longer sensory breaks a few days combined with smaller daily sensory breaks can make all the difference.
Restructuring daily routines to prioritize self-care and incorporate strategies for assertive communication and self-advocacy are vital to mitigate burnout. Exploring potential workplace or school accommodations to manage stress and sensory overload are also important. Such preventive measures can empower autistic individuals to create habits and environments that support their well-being and resilience against autistic burnout.
Help and Support is Available for Individuals Experiencing Autistic Burnout
To help recover from burnout or prevent future burnout, connecting with a neurodiversity-affirming therapist can be crucial. This type of therapist will understand autistic burnout, providing compassion and help with developing tailored coping skills. The specialist will validate the person’s lived experiences and autistic identity, without imposing neurotypical norms. By promoting self-acceptance and advocating for accommodations that respect neurodivergent needs, neuro-affirming therapists can empower individuals to navigate burnout more effectively. Their personalized care rebuilds resilience and fosters confidence in managing future challenges.
Begin Therapy for Autistic Adults in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area, California (or Online)
Whether you self-identify as autistic or neurodivergent, have received a formal autism diagnosis, or are questioning whether you’re autistic, we’re here for you. At Neurodiversity Wellness Center in Los Angeles and Palo Alto, California, as well as through telehealth, we offer a range of therapy services, including individual counseling and our specialized Autistic Adult Groups, designed to empower and support you. Here’s how you can get started:
Contact us at Neurodiversity Wellness Center to schedule a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation to learn more about our services.
Other Therapy Services at Neurodiversity Wellness Center
Our San Francisco Bay Area counseling clinic, now offering online services across California, specializes in providing mental health support for neurodivergent individuals and their families. We assist those who identify as autistic or neurodivergent, have an autism diagnosis, received a late-life autism diagnosis, or are questioning whether they are autistic. We focus on working with neurodivergent teens and adults, and well as their parents or romantic partners. Our autism counseling services include individual therapy, parent counseling, and group therapy. We offer different group therapy options specifically for neurodivergent women, autistic working professionals, neurodivergent young adults, college students with autistic traits, neurodivergent young adults, and autistic teens. Lastly, we have a blog that provides insights and resources on autism and mental health support. Please reach out to our autism speciality clinic to discuss our therapy services and learn more about the many ways we can support you or your loved one.
