The burnout experience, before I knew I was Autistic and expected myself to be able to function like a neurotypical:
Why the hell am I so tired all the time?!
I get 8 solid hours of sleep!
Maybe I'm eating too much sugar.
Maybe I'm not eating enough.
Maybe I'm eating too many processed foods.
Maybe I'm not eating enough protein.
Maybe I'm not drinking enough water.
Maybe I'm not getting enough physical activity.
Maybe I'm drinking too much caffeine.
Maybe I've got mono.
Maybe my body is fighting off a mild infection.
Thoughts that literally never crossed my mind:
Maybe I've had too many demands on my time and energy.
Maybe my senses have been overloaded.
Maybe I'm not giving my brain enough rest (which is different than sleep)
Maybe I need to do LESS.
Maybe I need a lot more alone time.
It's so hard to understand why we feel a certain way when we're trying to understand ourselves as a "normal" person.
@dave@actuallyautistic Oh wow, can I relate! I was always navel-gazing to figure out what I had done wrong to be so tired, burnt out, overwhelmed, not able to grind, etc. For the past five years or so I've been unraveling all of that through the lens of neurodivergence. It hasn't been easy, but it has been really rewarding. Finding community with fellow autists (mostly online) has also been amazing! 👋
@dave@actuallyautistic Yep, this sounds so familiar. Trying all the normal solutions to #ActuallyAutistic problems, wondering why none of them seem to work.
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