My Autistic Burn Out and Recovery

​Prelude

I have been reticent to blog about Autistic Burnout.

This is mainly because I have an eBook on it and I was afraid that I couldn’t come up with enough original content – that isn’t in the book.

Right now it seems silly not to, so here goes my thoughts.

 

The Only One

Until I started getting stories from other women of their burn out experiences, I thought I was the only one who’d experienced it.

Theoretically I knew that there must be other people like me, but I’d only met one person who had to stop working when they crashed.

He was a musician that I met in Rockhampton, Queensland. I felt such a connection to him. He had also won awards. He had also published, or should I say, released original work.

By the time I met him I had written two eBooks, published a street magazine and won an award from the Queensland Goverment.

I dearly wanted to talk to him more at a later date, but felt deeply that I had nothing to say to him. I never knew what to say to anyone – why would he be any different?

 

Feeling Trapped

Once again a sense of shame, isolation and feeling trapped by my thoughts ruled the day.

The years after I crashed were incredibly frustrating to me. I could vividly see myself working, chatting with friends and cleaning the house, but rarely could make myself bridge the gap from imagining to doing so.

Feelings of ‘This feels wrong’, ‘I’m sick of forcing myself’ and ‘No one will care anyway’ were intrusive and strong.

Often my body would rebel at attempts to move. I might get a feeling of dread wash over me, or a painful lightning network run through my brain, or a prickling sensation in my limbs. I may simply be exhusted and hated forcing my heavy limbs to obey.

 

Recovery

I’ve written a number of posts on my long recovery process so I’ll link to them here.

My Recovery Journey

Writing my Mental Health Plan

On Confidence and Feeling Settled

 

Being Productive in 2017

I’ve been able to be productive this year, which has been wonderful for my sense of confidence and dignity.

Sure I’ll have stretches of doing nothing, of depressive states but I always ask for help and do something productive in the end. Within a month anyway.

 

I’m Socialising Now

Truth be told, I spend quite a bit of time at home still. I have learned to relax more with being social online. I know more of what is expected of me to do and not do.

Not spam people and groups with my books and blog posts. Ask questions.

I have also been doing more community activities this year than in the past.

For two weeks I went to a drop in centre four days a week. There I reconnected with a sense of identity at times. Sometimes its true that you see yourself in the eyes of other people.

These past weeks I’ve joined facebook writers groups, which has been validating and a great source of information.

 

It’s Nice to be Me

I’m not really sure how to end this post, other than to say, its been nice meeting people this year.

Its nice to be me.

It’s nice not to be burnt out!

***

Thanks for reading this. 🌸

Please comment below if my blog posts have helped you at all. I’d like a record for my down times.

 

(Some) Further Reading

Silent Wave’s post

(My) Asperger’s / autism and burnout (?)

Jax Blunt’s blog post resource list

Autistic Burn Out, Regression, Inertia and Recovery

Ryan Boren’s blog post

Autistic Burn Out: The Cost of Coping and Passing

My memoir on Autistic Burn Out – Successful to Burnt Out: Experiences of Women on the Autism Spectrum

Google Search: About Autistic burn out