Podcasts about autistic burnout

I think I might actually be coming out of burnout—and the turning point was... an allergy spray? In this episode, I'm sharing my experiences navigating burnout, the subtle shifts and surprising changes I've been noticing lately, and how a new medication has unexpectedly started reshaping my relationship with work, rest, and energy. If you've ever struggled with burnout, this one's for you.

Welcome to episode 96. Today, we're diving deep into a crucial yet often misunderstood topic — autistic burnout. Drawing from my own personal experiences, this episode unpacks the emotional and physical toll of navigating a world not built for neurodivergent minds. We explore the vital need for extreme rest as a form of recovery, and the persistent self-doubt fuelled by societal pressures to "bounce back." Join me for an honest, insightful conversation about burnout, rest, and reclaiming compassion for ourselves. Let's dive in! In this episode: Understanding autistic burnout – How environments clash with neurodivergent needs and the exhaustion of constant adaptation. The importance of extreme rest – Why extreme rest is essential for healing, demanding a conscious choice to pause, reset, and prioritise well-being over daily responsibilities. Self-doubt and feeling like a fraud - How self-doubt fuels the fear of "faking it," and the need for excessive kindness in self-validation.   For a more in-depth look at my journey through autistic burnout, you can view my Burnout Diaries playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs0wogq1CFJnd4DOjIAwqj5biNaxjSO6w   This episode is brought to you in association with Liz Reddish of Devonwell House Connect here: https://www.devonwellhouse.co.uk/hhnsignup https://www.instagram.com/devonwellhouse/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-reddish-79143795/   Season 5 of this podcast is sponsored by Stephanie Ward of The Spicy Brain Collective. We thank Stephanie hugely for her ongoing support. https://www.thespicybraincollective.com https://www.instagram.com/thespicybraincollective https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-ward-sbc   Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW so you don't miss any new episodes; subscribe to my mailing list and connect with me over on Instagram @happierlifecoach If you would like to know more about how coaching works or to work with me 1-2-1, please visit https://happier-life.co.uk/ For more tips and to be part of the community, sign up to The No Bullshit Guide To A Happier Life Facebook Group now! Have you got a copy of the The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life book? Follow this link to purchase yours now!  

Welcome to episode 95. Today, we're discussing communication — the challenges neurodivergent people face and the strategies they use to navigate a world that can feel unfamiliar. We explore how thoughts and emotions are shared, and how autistic burnout adds to these struggles. Whether you're neurodivergent or neurotypical, this conversation aims to inspire empathy and strengthen our connections. Let's dive in! In this episode: Autistic burnout and communication — how it differs from life/professional burnout and its effect on my ability to communicate. The toll of miscommunication — the energy spent to be understood and its lasting impact. Why it all matters - how empathy in communication benefits us all, not just those who are neurodivergent. This episode is brought to you in association with Beyond Profit Ltd. Connect here: https://www.beyondprofituk.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondprofituk/ https://www.instagram.com/beyondprofitcharities/   Season 5 of this podcast is sponsored by Stephanie Ward of The Spicy Brain Collective. We thank Stephanie hugely for her ongoing support. https://www.thespicybraincollective.com https://www.instagram.com/thespicybraincollective https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-ward-sbc   Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW so you don't miss any new episodes; subscribe to my mailing list and connect with me over on Instagram @happierlifecoach If you would like to know more about how coaching works or to work with me 1-2-1, please visit https://happier-life.co.uk/ For more tips and to be part of the community, sign up to The No Bullshit Guide To A Happier Life Facebook Group now! Have you got a copy of the The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life book? Follow this link to purchase yours now!

Autistic burnout is something many of us experience, but after years of trial and error, I've discovered a system that works for me: autistic flow. This episode breaks down how I manage my energy, build strong foundations, and maintain balance in a world that doesn't always respect our needs.

Welcome back to series 5, episode 93. Despite navigating autistic burnout and recovering from the flu, the incredible support of our community has inspired this return. This season, we're exploring life from an autistic perspective while integrating insights on work-life balance and personal happiness. As your host, I've always shared strategies that have helped me thrive as an autistic woman, even before I fully understood my neurodivergence. This journey is universal - offering wisdom for everyone seeking happiness and balance. Join me as we embrace our unique experiences when creating the lives we want. Let's dive in! In this episode: The hidden influence of ancestry – how our backgrounds shape us in ways we may not realise. Embracing identity & diversity – Exploring the blend of experiences that deepen connection and empathy with one another. How neurodivergence shapes perspective – insights on balance and self-care and how they stem from my own autistic experience.   This episode is sponsored by LMO Book keeping https://www.instagram.com/lmobookkeeping/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-owen-micb-20655940/   Season 5 of this podcast is sponsored by Stephanie Ward of The Spicy Brain Collective. We thank Stephanie hugely for her ongoing support.   https://www.thespicybraincollective.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thespicybraincollective/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-ward-sbc/   Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW so you don't miss any new episodes; subscribe to my mailing list and connect with me over on Instagram @happierlifecoach If you would like to know more about how coaching works or to work with me 1-2-1, please visit https://happier-life.co.uk/ For more tips and to be part of the community, sign up to The No Bullshit Guide To A Happier Life Facebook Group now! Have you got a copy of the The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life book? Follow this link to purchase yours now!

Are you or someone you care for always in fight-or-flight mode? In today's episode, I'm sharing how a foot injury forced me to stop, rest, and confront the fears I'd been avoiding for years – stillness, emptiness, and a relentless desperation to distract myself. I also answer a listener question about viewing autistic burnout through the lens of energy debt. We'll explore why this parallel makes so much sense, unpacking some of the unique challenges neurodivergent individuals face in eating disorder recovery. Episode Highlights: How a foot injury became a wake-up call to confront stillness and burnout The connection between autistic burnout, energy debt, and eating disorders How distraction serves as a coping mechanism for emptiness – and why it's counterproductive Insights into energy deficit, energy debt, and their parallels with masking, sensory overwhelm, and societal pressures How crises can be turning points for growth and recovery

Welcome to episode 92. This week I'm sharing my personal experiences of autistic burnout and what this means to me and the people around me.  This is an exposing and vulnerable fifteen minutes laying bare the realities of living with neurodiversity, but also a rallying call to all my amazing listeners to help me shape series five and build partnerships with potential sponsors. As we wrap up season 4, I would love to hear from you so please get in touch via the links below. For now though, let's dive in! In this episode: Understanding autistic burnout – the different manifestations and how it effects autistic people navigating a neurotypical world. My personal experience and the important distinction between my capacity for work and private life. Call out for S5! Your ideas, comments and partnership requests are welcomed, so get in touch today! Watch my Autistic Burnout diaries on YouTube   This episode is sponsored by EZ Hampers https://ezhampers.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/ezhampers/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/ez-hampers/posts/?feedView=all   Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW so you don't miss any new episodes; subscribe to my mailing list and connect with me over on Instagram @happierlifecoach If you would like to know more about how coaching works or to work with me 1-2-1, please visit https://happier-life.co.uk/ For more tips and to be part of the community, sign up to The No Bullshit Guide To A Happier Life Facebook Group now! Have you got a copy of the The No Bullsh*t Guide to a Happier Life book? Follow this link to purchase yours now!

Michael Coles delves into the profound reality of autistic burnout, sharing how masking and the demands of navigating school, work, and social environments contributed to his experiences. He opens up about the emotional and physical toll of burnout, offering insights into his recovery journey and the strategies that have helped him rebuild. Michael also highlights the importance of community and self-acceptance in finding balance and thriving as an autistic person. Connect with Michael: Website: http://www.deepdiveau.net  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedeepdiveau/ Tiktok: http://www.tiktok.com/@thedeepdiveau & http://www.tiktok.com/@michaelcoles3 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-deep-dive-podcast YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@TheDeepDiveAU Connect with Peta: Instagram: @petahooke Website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com Episode Transcript:https://www.icantstandpodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lana Ferris joins Shannon to talk about Aphantasia, Autistic Burnout, and her personal experience as a mother who is Autistic.  Today's jargon term is Working Memory.

In this super insightful episode rebroadcast of the Autism ADHD podcast, Holly welcomes Dr. Alice Nichols, an autistic clinical psychologist. Dr. Nichols shares her personal journey and expert advice on understanding, spotting, and preventing burnout in autistic individuals. They chat about the signs of burnout, the unique struggles autistic people face, and offer practical tips for managing stress. Dr. Nichols also talks about her support programs for autistic adults, packed with helpful resources for autistic individuals and their supporters. Whether you're a parent, educator, or professional, this episode is full of real-life advice for supporting autistic people and improving their well-being! Don't miss out - Listen & Subscribe!

In the second part of my series on autistic burnout, I move from personal reflection to practical strategies. This episode is all about helping you, as neurodivergent mums, prevent burnout before it takes over – both for yourself and your children.***If you missed it, be sure to listen to Part 1 “Realising Autistic Burnout: A Personal Story for Neurodivergent Mums” on Apple Podcast or Spotify***We know how easy it is to keep pushing ourselves until there's nothing left, especially when we're balancing family, work, and life's everyday demands. In this episode, I cover: How difficulty in recognising internal signals like hunger, fatigue, and emotions can lead to burnoutWhy some days we're on top of it all, and other days even the basics feel impossibleThe emotional toll of autistic burnout – it's so much more than just feeling “tired”Learning to plan around what actually works for you as a neurodivergent familySelf-care strategies that don't feel overwhelming – finding small moments of rest and joy throughout your dayTeaching our children to recognise and respect their own needs so they don't fall into the same burnout cycles we've struggled withThis episode offers real, actionable advice to help you prevent burnout and create healthier patterns for yourself and your family.BOOK IN WITH JANE'S RECOMMENDED THERAPISTSIf you're looking to connect with a parenting specialist or psychologist for expert advice on parenting, please check out www.adhdmums.com.au/services. Your journey to more confident and supported parenting starts here!CONNECT WITH ME...If you've got a question or want to connect with other ADHD mums, we've got a whole community on our Facebook group. Click here to join and post your question. Don't worry if it's been asked before! I love to answer everyone in a group format.FOLLOW FOR MORE...I post more content, insights and help on my social media accounts. Follow along for more ADHD mum content.- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd_mums- Facebook: https://facebook.com/100091850469503/- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adhdmumsaus- YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCB0uYIHpFKFo6AdhQQaBr1wLEAVE ME A REVIEWYour review means the world to me! Your thoughts really help others discover my content that I genuinely (and passionately) hope could make a difference in their lives. Your support creates a ripple effect of spreading my show around and hopefully reaching the right people (especially Mum's who may be at their wit's end). WANT TO COLLABORATE?If you're enquiring about a collaboration or speaking engagement – please email jane@adhdmums.com.au. EXTRA...

In this first part of my two-part series on autistic burnout, I'm sharing how I came to realise the impact of burnout on my life – something that had been affecting me for years without my knowing.From reflecting on childhood conditioning to understanding how societal pressures pushed me into burnout, I unpack the key moments that shaped my experience. I also share why this realisation was life-changing for me and why I'm passionate about helping other neurodivergent women and girls avoid the same struggles.I talk about:How the realisation of autistic burnout changed my lifeReflections on growing up in a world where “doing your best” meant pushing through exhaustion for external praise and validationHow societal expectations shaped my default settings of people-pleasing and pushing myself beyond my limitsWhy I believe so many women feel the same way and how I hope sharing my experience validates yours tooThis episode is for anyone who feels like they've been running on empty, not realising the toll it's taking. It's about recognising the early signs and validating your experience, so you can stop the burnout cycle before it starts.BOOK IN WITH JANE'S RECOMMENDED THERAPISTSIf you're looking to connect with a parenting specialist or psychologist for expert advice on parenting, please check out www.adhdmums.com.au/services. Your journey to more confident and supported parenting starts here!CONNECT WITH ME...If you've got a question or want to connect with other ADHD mums, we've got a whole community on our Facebook group. Click here to join and post your question. Don't worry if it's been asked before! I love to answer everyone in a group format.FOLLOW FOR MORE...I post more content, insights and help on my social media accounts. Follow along for more ADHD mum content.- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd_mums- Facebook: https://facebook.com/100091850469503/- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adhdmumsaus- YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCB0uYIHpFKFo6AdhQQaBr1wLEAVE ME A REVIEWYour review means the world to me! Your thoughts really help others discover my content that I genuinely (and passionately) hope could make a difference in their lives. Your support creates a ripple effect of spreading my show around and hopefully reaching the right people (especially Mum's who may be at their wit's end). WANT TO COLLABORATE?If you're enquiring about a collaboration or speaking engagement – please email jane@adhdmums.com.au. EXTRA RESOURCES: Still not sure if you have ADHD or are Autistic? Get access to my recommended self tests as a guide to whether you should go for an assessment or not. https://adhdmums.com.au/self-tests/Can I access the NDIS? Use

Burnout is a common challenge faced by many, but it can manifest differently depending on whether you're living with #ADHD or #autism. In this video, we dive deep into the key differences between #autisticburnout and #ADHDburnout, exploring how they affect individuals, what recovery looks like, and the unique symptoms of each. Whether you're seeking to understand your own experiences or support a loved one, this video provides valuable insights to help you navigate these distinct forms of burnout

Feeling like a burnt-out zombie?

Text Dr. Lenz any feedback or questions In this first part of a two-part interview, we delve into the concept of autistic burnout with Dr. Megan Neff, a clinical psychologist and neurodivergent advocate. Dr. Neff shares her personal journey discovering her autism after her daughter's diagnosis and discusses the signs and misdiagnosis risks associated with autistic burnout. Highlighting the overlaps with other conditions like bipolar disorder, she emphasizes the importance of proper assessment and a balanced approach in diagnostic practices. Stay tuned next week for the continuation of this insightful conversation.00:00 Introduction to the Interview Series00:23 Listener's Story: A Parent's Struggle00:56 Understanding Autism and Interoception01:48 Introducing Dr. Megan Neff02:27 Dr. Neff's Professional Journey03:50 Challenges in Autism Diagnosis04:42 The Importance of Proper Assessment06:02 Dr. Neff's Background and Insights07:54 The Zigzag Path to Autism Awareness20:06 Autistic Burnout Explained24:25 Misdiagnosis and Functional Assessments32:01 Concluding Thoughts and Next Steps Support the Show.A Fibromyalgia Starter Pack, which is a great companion to the book Conquering Your Fibromyalgia, is now available. Dr. Michael Lenz practices general pediatrics and internal medicine primary care, seeing patients from infants through adults. In addition, he also will see patients with fibromyalgia and related problems and patients interested in lifestyle medicine and clinical lipidology. To learn more, go to ConquringYourFibromyalgia.com. Remember that while Dr. Lenz is a medical doctor, he is not your doctor. All of your signs and symptoms should be discussed with your own physician. He aims to weave the best of conventional medicine with lifestyle medicine to help people with chronic health conditions live their best lives possible. Dr. Lenz hopes that the podcast, book, blog, and website serve as a trusted resource and starting point on your journey of learning to live better with fibromyalgia and related illnesses.

When the energy needed to provide basic autistic needs is out of balance it can lead to burnout. Hear why autistics are more subject to burnout than non-autistics and what you can do about it.Autistic Burnout: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-my-autistic-brain/id1548001224?i=1000619191736Support the Show.-->Try Sunsama free for 30 days! https://try.sunsama.com/xi4blkokndgk (affiliate link) Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/theautisticwoman (one time donation or monthly)Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theautisticwomanPayPal: info@theautisticwoman.comTwitter: @anautisticwomanEmail: info@theautisticwoman.comWebsite: theautisticwoman.comCheck out these other podcasts:YoSamdySam: https://www.youtube.com/@YoSamdySamOrion Kelly - That Autistic Guy https://www.youtube.com/@orionkellyFrom the Spectrum https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-spectrum-finding-superpowers-with-autism/id1737499562Beyond 6 Seconds: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-6-seconds/id1336740192Atypical the Podcast: http://atypicalthepodcast.buzzsprout.com

I've done one episode just about self-care for this show — it's a solocast from five years ago where I shared twelve strategies and ideas for creating a sustainable, doable self-care practice. I'll have a link to that in the show notes page for this episode. Today's episode is about self-care, too, but the focus is on self-care for autistic people, and joining me is return guest Dr. Megan Anna Neff of Neurodivergent Insights. Megan Anna has just published a brand new book called Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask! which she wrote to help autistic people accept themselves, destigmatize autism, find community, and take care of physical and mental health. I really enjoyed going inside this book because, as we discuss, self-care is so much more than what it appears to be on the surface. Megan Anna considers self-care to be a collective effort that includes the well-being of the community, a framework that really resonated with me. So we talk about that, along with other ideas from Megan Anna's book, including how internalized ableism can hinder self-care, considerations for navigating self-care for individuals with PDA, and insights into co-regulation, sensory considerations, and how advocacy and accommodations in the workplace can also be forms of self-care.   About Dr. Megan Anna Neff Dr. Megan Anna Neff (she/they) is a neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist and founder of Neurodivergent Insights where she creates education and wellness resources for neurodivergent adults. Additionally, she is co-host of the Divergent Conversations podcast. As a late-diagnosed AuDHDer (Autistic ADHD), Dr. Neff applies their lived experiences from a cross-neurotype marriage and parenting neurodivergent children to their professional focus. They are committed to broadening the mental health field's understanding of autism and ADHD beyond traditional stereotypes. This personal-professional blend enriches their work and advocacy within neurodiversity. Dr. Neff is the author of Self-Care for Autistic People and a forthcoming book on Autistic Burnout. Additionally, she has published in several peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from neurodivergence, place attachment, relational psychoanalysis, social psychology, and integration of spirituality into psychotherapy. Passionate about distilling complex research into visually accessible formats, she translates research into visual pixels which you can find on her website, Instagram, and digital workbooks. Additionally, Dr. Neff is passionate about community building and creating digital communities by and for neurodivergent individuals.   Things you'll learn from this episode Why self-care should be approached with self-attunement and an understanding of one's own needs Why self-care is a collective effort that includes the well-being of the community How internalized ableism can hinder self-care and why it's important to address it Ideas for navigating self-care for individuals with PDA regarding autonomy, co-regulation, and sensory considerations Ways to practice self-care in the workplace, including self-disclosure, documentation, and setting realistic expectations   Resources mentioned for Self-Care for Autistic People Dr. Megan Anna Neff's website Self-Care For Autistic People by Dr. Megan Anna Neff * A special bonus offer for Tilt Parenting community * Divergent Conversations Podcast Neurodivergent Insights on Instagram Neurodivergent Insights on Facebook Dr. Megan Anna Neff on LinkedIn Dr. Megan Anna Neff's Link in Bio Dr. Megan Anna Neff on Diagnoses and Misdiagnoses (Tilt Parenting Podcast) Sarah Wayland Is This Autism? A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else by Dr. Donna Henderson and Dr. Sarah Wayland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content note: This episode mentions thoughts about suicide and self harm.  Shayonee Dasgupta is a Mumbai-based freelance writer and editor who initially pursued a career in law, working with corporate law firms in India. She found out she's autistic and has ADHD in her 30s, prompting a transformative journey of self-discovery and learning to navigate life anew. During this episode, you will hear Shayonee talk about: What it was like growing up before her diagnosis  How the challenges she faced working as a lawyer led to her burnout The struggle she faced to get the right mental healthcare and support after her burnout  How she received her autism and ADHD diagnosis  Her decision to start a new career as a freelance writer Handling expectations from both her extended family and Indian society How she defines success in her own way To find out more about Shayonee and her work, you can connect with her on LinkedIn. Watch the video of this interview on YouTube. Read the episode transcript. Follow the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast in your favorite podcast player. Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for early access to new episodes. Support or sponsor this podcast at BuyMeACoffee.com/Beyond6Seconds! *Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer or other organizations.*

Learning to Trust Yourself and Finding Peace in Your Own Rhythm   Patricia discusses her experience when her husband is away. She shares her journey of managing attachment wounds, and the challenges of household responsibilities. Patricia also explores the impact of autistic burnout and ADHD on her ability to stay on top of things. She emphasizes the importance of honoring autonomy and considering others while maintaining a sense of self. Patricia concludes by encouraging listeners to trust themselves and find comfort in their own needs and wiring.   HIGHLIGHTS Takeaways   Learning to trust yourself and find peace in your own rhythm. Managing attachment wounds and fear of being alone. Balancing household responsibilities and find ways to stay on top of things. Honoring autonomy and consider others while maintaining a sense of self.   Additional takeaways: Recognize the evolution of coping strategies over the years. Understand the impact of attachment wounds on relationships. Explore ways to manage feelings of fear and insecurity. Discover the importance of staying connected during separations. Learn how to anchor oneself to a support system. Reflect on the challenges of maintaining responsibilities solo. Identify the role of communication in long-distance relationships. Explore personal growth through periods of solitude. Acknowledge the significance of self-care during partner's absence. Reflect on the journey of building trust and resilience. Consider the balance between independence and interdependence. Explore strategies for regulating emotions during separations. Understand the dynamics of individual growth within a relationship. Reflect on personal boundaries and self-compassion. Discover the power of vulnerability in relationships. Chapters (please adjust for the addition of the introduction)   00:00 Introduction and Background 00:56 Attachment Wounds and Fear of Being Alone 03:04 Trusting the Process 04:24 Autistic Burnout and ADHD 05:19 Autonomy and Consideration of Others 06:47 Guilt and Honoring Autonomy 07:36 Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) 09:13 Taking Care of Pets 11:08 Autonomy and Space in Relationships 13:03 Trusting Yourself and Letting Go of Tension 16:29 Transitioning and Adjusting 22:30 Processing and Communication 24:43 Non-Traditional Relationships and Balance 26:09 Trusting Yourself and Finding Peace 28:47 Honoring Your Needs and Wired PODCAST HOST Patricia was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 17 years, but she is now exclusively providing coaching. She knows what it's like to feel like an outcast, misfit, and truthteller.  Learning about the trait of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), then learning she is AuDHD with a PDA profile and RSD, helped Patricia rewrite her history with a deeper understanding, appreciation, and a sense of self-compassion.  She created the podcast Unapologetically Sensitive to help other neurodivergent folks know that they aren't alone, and that having a brain that is wired differently comes with amazing gifts, and some challenges.  Patricia works online globally working individually with people, and she teaches Online Courses for neurodivergent folks that focus on understanding what it means to be a sensitive neurodivergent. Topics covered include: self-care, self-compassion, boundaries, perfectionism, mindfulness, communication, and creating a lifestyle that honors you LINKS   Neurodivergent Online Course-- https://unapologeticallysensitive.com/neurodivergent-online-courses/   Receive the top 10 most downloaded episodes of the podcast-- https://www.subscribepage.com/e6z6e6   Sign up for the Newsletter-- https://www.subscribepage.com/y0l7d4   To write a review in itunes: click on this link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-sensitive/id1440433481?mt=2 select “listen on Apple Podcasts” chose “open in itunes” choose “ratings and reviews” click to rate the number of starts click “write a review”   Website--www.unapologeticallysensitive.com Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/Unapologetically-Sensitive-2296688923985657/ Closed/Private Facebook group Unapologetically Sensitive-- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2099705880047619/ Instagram-- https://www.instagram.com/unapologeticallysensitive/ Youtube-- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE6fodj7RBdO3Iw0NrAllg/videos?view_as=subscriber Tik Tok--https://www.tiktok.com/@unapologeticallysensitiv e-mail-- unapologeticallysensitive@gmail.com Show hashtag--#unapologeticallysensitive Music-- Gravel Dance by Andy Robinson www.andyrobinson.com  

Burnout can make even the simplest tasks feel insurmountable, as well as look and mean very different things when you approach it from the lens of neurodiversity, where the meanings, causes, and coping mechanisms become very nuanced. In this episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Ann Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, explore the landscape of burnout, seasonal depression, and the importance of strategic withdrawal, offering solace and understanding to those who tread these difficult terrains. Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode: Identify how what we call burnout might be related to co-occurring health conditions, such as alexithymia, chronic fatigue syndrome, seasonal depression, etc., and possibly require different approaches. Shed light on internalized ableism and grief, and how recognizing and honoring your limitations can be both a struggle and a profound form of self-care. Learn strategies for addressing burnout that are tailored to neurodivergent individuals, as well as how to communicate your needs to the people around you to protect your energy without causing worry. Remember that acknowledging and respecting your brain's unique wiring isn't a sign of weakness — it's a brave act of self-compassion. Reflect on how you can implement these lessons into your life, honor your natural rhythms, and create your own Ulysses pacts with yourself and trusted people to safeguard your future self. Let's continue this conversation and support each other in our collective journeys towards mental harmony. Resources: Check out the article “A conceptual model of risk and protective factors for autistic burnout” by Jane Mantzalas, Amanda Richdale, and Cheryl Dissanayake here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359924348_A_conceptual_model_of_risk_and_protective_factors_for_autistic_burnout Citation: Mantzalas, J., Richdale, A. L., & Dissanayake, C. (2022). A conceptual model of risk and protective factors for autistic burnout. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 15(6), 976–987. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2722 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Get Yourself Together: a free 5-day bootcamp starting on 3/18. Register here: http://neurodiverging.com/together Collaborative Families is now open for registration! Save $100 if you enroll before 3/31. Class starts on 5/1. Learn more: http://neurodiverging.com/parenting Full show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/how-to-reset-after-autistic-burnout/ In this series, we delve into a personal journey—Danielle's recent experience with (almost) autistic burnout—and explore practical strategies that facilitated their surprisingly swift recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wat is het verschil tussen een 'reguliere' burnout en een autistic of autistische burnout? In deze aflevering vertel ik je wat in mijn ogen de overeenkomsten en verschillen zijn. De fysieke ontregeling in het lichaam is hetzelfde, maar de aanleiding verschilt vaak tussen een autist en een neurotypisch persoon. Een overeenkomst die ik vaak zie is het maskeren. Het te hard je best doen aardig gevonden te worden of erbij te horen. We hebben allemaal overtuigingen over 'zoals het hoort', maar dit past niet bij een groot deel van de mensen. Probeer je hier wel aan te voldoen en ga je volledig aan jezelf voorbij. Dan is er gevaar op een burnout, dit geldt voor iedereen autistisch of niet. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/evelien-aarten/message

Get Yourself Together: a free 5-day bootcamp starting on 3/18. Register here: http://neurodiverging.com/together Collaborative Families is now open for registration! Save $100 if you enroll before 3/31. Class starts on 5/1. Learn more: http://neurodiverging.com/parenting Full show notes: https://www.neurodiverging.com/our-expectations-can-contribute-to-autistic-burnout/ As a late-identified person, I didn't know what autistic burnout was until I was already many years into one. Then, I was able to make some significant changes that reduced many of my day-to-day challenges, and stayed burnout-free for a number of years. But around last summer, I almost hit hit full burnout again. In this episode, I'm explaining what happened, what I learned from it, and how I got out of burnout in record time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Importance of Rest & Learning to Receive & Ask for Help   Patricia and Jen discuss their health updates and the challenges they have faced. They also delve into the pressure to be productive and the fear of not functioning. The conversation shifts to vulnerability and insecurity in relationships, as well as the process of learning to receive and ask for help. They reflect on the growth and healing that comes from navigating attachment wounds. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the significance of not always having to do deep work in therapy.   CO-HOST Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC   HIGHLIGHTS Summary In this conversation. They explore the importance of finding joyful movement and the impact of rest on their well-being. In this conversation, Jen and Patricia discuss the importance of self-compassion and acceptance. They acknowledge the need to be kind to oneself and accept the challenges that come with it. They also talk about the practice of naming and addressing gremlins, which are negative thoughts or beliefs that can hold us back. By bringing these gremlins to light, they can be examined and dealt with. Lastly, they touch on the topic of protectiveness and support, highlighting the importance of being there for each other during difficult times.   Takeaways   Finding joy in movement can energize and fulfill us. Rest is essential for rejuvenation and creativity. Vulnerability and asking for help can deepen connections. Navigating attachment wounds can lead to growth and healing. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance is crucial for personal growth and well-being. Naming and addressing gremlins can help in overcoming negative thoughts and beliefs. Being protective and supportive of others during challenging times fosters strong relationships. Acknowledging and accepting temporary struggles can lead to personal growth and resilience.   Chapters (please adjust for the addition of the introduction)   00:00 Introduction and Health Updates 03:11 Finding Joyful Movement 08:02 Struggles with Productivity and Pressure 13:10 The Importance of Rest 18:20 Vulnerability and Insecurity in Relationships 23:08 Learning to Receive and Ask for Help 28:27 Navigating Attachment Wounds 30:30 The Growth and Healing Process 33:01 The Importance of Rest in Therapy 33:53 Closing Remarks 33:58 Self-Compassion and Acceptance 34:46 Naming and Addressing Gremlins 35:04 Protectiveness and Support PODCAST HOST Patricia was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 17 years, but she is now exclusively providing coaching. She knows what it's like to feel like an outcast, misfit, and truthteller.  Learning about the trait of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), then learning she is AuDHD with a PDA profile and RSD, helped Patricia rewrite her history with a deeper understanding, appreciation, and a sense of self-compassion.  She created the podcast Unapologetically Sensitive to help other neurodivergent folks know that they aren't alone, and that having a brain that is wired differently comes with amazing gifts, and some challenges.  Patricia works online globally working individually with people, and she teaches Online Courses for neurodivergent folks that focus on understanding what it means to be a sensitive neurodivergent. Topics covered include: self-care, self-compassion, boundaries, perfectionism, mindfulness, communication, and creating a lifestyle that honors you   CO-HOST BIO Jen Perry, MSEd, MA, LPC has been a psychotherapist for 20 years. She specializes in helping Highly Sensitive People thrive in love, work, and parenting Highly Sensitive Children. Jen is passionate about using mindfulness and compassion-based approaches to ameliorate human suffering.   LINKS   Jen's Links   Email: Jen@heartfulnessconsulting.com   Jen's website: https://heartfulnessconsulting.com/   Patricia's Links   HSP Online Course--https://unapologeticallysensitive.com/hsp-online-groups/   Receive the top 10 most downloaded episodes of the podcast-- https://www.subscribepage.com/e6z6e6   Sign up for the Newsletter-- https://www.subscribepage.com/y0l7d4   To write a review in itunes: click on this link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-sensitive/id1440433481?mt=2 select “listen on Apple Podcasts” chose “open in itunes” choose “ratings and reviews” click to rate the number of starts click “write a review”   Website--www.unapologeticallysensitive.com Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/Unapologetically-Sensitive-2296688923985657/ Closed/Private Facebook group Unapologetically Sensitive-- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2099705880047619/ Instagram-- https://www.instagram.com/unapologeticallysensitive/ Youtube-- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE6fodj7RBdO3Iw0NrAllg/videos?view_as=subscriber Tik Tok--https://www.tiktok.com/@unapologeticallysensitiv e-mail-- unapologeticallysensitive@gmail.com Show hashtag--#unapologeticallysensitive Music-- Gravel Dance by Andy Robinson www.andyrobinson.com

For this episode we will be covering what autistic burnout looks like and our experiences of both entering it and avoiding it. Many autistic people experience burnout throughout their life, so this one is a must listen to! Find more information from us here: Social media: @neurotalk_podcast, @autistically_me & @hat.talks.uk www.hattalks.uk Etsy: Hat Talks Shop 

Autism Identification Should Come with a Warning Label (Including Autistic Burnout)   There are things that happen to most autistic people once they identify as autistic, and there should be a warning label! If you're late diagnosed, and high masking, there's a good chance you are, or will be in autistic burnout. There's also skill regression, and not being able to push through anymore. This can be confusing and distressing. I bring you up to date on my health journey, and where I'm at with autistic burnout, and I provide a few resources.   HIGHLIGHTS Summary In this episode, Patricia provides a personal update on her health and discusses the challenges of identifying as autistic. She shares her experiences with navigating the healthcare system and dealing with health issues such as vestibular neuritis. Patricia also explores the impact of autistic burnout and trauma, as well as the need for positive male archetypes in her life. She discusses the lack of reciprocity in relationships and the importance of self-compassion and rest. Patricia concludes by encouraging listeners to embrace all parts of themselves and share the podcast with others. Autistic Burnout Autistic burnout is a phenomenon experienced by many individuals, characterized by extreme exhaustion, mental fatigue, and sensory overload. It often results from prolonged periods of masking, camouflaging, and trying to fit into neurotypical expectations, leading to a depletion of cognitive and emotional resources. Autistic burnout can manifest as difficulty in functioning, heightened sensory sensitivities, emotional meltdowns, and a sense of overwhelm. Recognizing the signs of autistic burnout is crucial for individuals to prioritize self-care, seek support, and make necessary adjustments to prevent further exhaustion. Strategies to manage autistic burnout may include setting boundaries, practicing sensory regulation techniques, engaging in self-soothing activities, and seeking therapy or counseling. Creating a supportive environment that accommodates sensory needs, communication preferences, and individual differences can help prevent and alleviate autistic burnout. Educating employers, educators, and healthcare providers about autistic burnout can lead to more inclusive and accommodating environments for autistic individuals. Understanding one's neurodivergent traits can help individuals recognize their limits, advocate for their needs, and navigate challenges related to autistic burnout. Building a support network of understanding friends, family members, therapists, and fellow neurodivergent individuals can provide emotional support and validation during periods of autistic burnout. Benefits of having an autism diagnosis (either self-diagnosis or formal diagnosis) for myself Self-identification and diagnosis in the autistic community are helpful in understanding one's unique neurodivergent traits and needs. It helps individuals access appropriate support, accommodations, and resources tailored to their specific differences and strengths. Self-identification empowers individuals to embrace their identity and connect with a supportive community of like-minded individuals. Diagnosis provides validation and a sense of relief for many individuals who have long struggled with feeling different or misunderstood. Understanding one's autism can lead to better self-awareness and self-acceptance, promoting mental well-being and confidence. It allows individuals to advocate for themselves in various settings, such as education, employment, and healthcare, ensuring their needs are met. Diagnosis can help individuals navigate social interactions, sensory sensitivities, and other aspects of daily life more effectively. Early diagnosis in children can lead to early intervention and support, improving long-term outcomes and quality of life. It helps dispel misconceptions and stigma surrounding autism, promoting acceptance and inclusion in society. Self-identification and diagnosis contribute to a more accurate representation of the diverse autistic community, highlighting the spectrum of experiences and challenges individuals may face.   Takeaways   Identifying as autistic can come with challenges and a range of emotions, including anger, grief, and frustration. Navigating the healthcare system can be difficult, especially when seeking a diagnosis or specialized care. Autistic burnout is a real phenomenon that can lead to skill regression and a decreased ability to function. Self-compassion and rest are essential for managing autistic burnout and maintaining overall well-being.   Chapters (please adjust for the addition of the introduction)   00:00 Introduction and Personal Update 01:15 The Challenges of Identifying as Autistic 02:08 Struggling with Health Issues 03:32 Navigating the Healthcare System 04:36 The Impact of Vestibular Neuritis 05:59 Autistic Burnout and Trauma 07:15 Grief and Anger in the Autism Journey 08:31 Childhood Experiences and Identity 09:50 The Need for Male Archetypes 11:19 Seeking Support and Advocacy 12:42 The Lack of Reciprocity in Relationships 13:54 Navigating Small World and Limited Energy 15:14 Accepting Where You Are 16:33 The Impact of Autism Diagnosis 17:54 The Complexity of Autism Presentation 19:46 The Validity of Self-Diagnosis 20:21 The Illusion of Neurotypical Functioning 21:31 Embracing Autism as a Disability 22:35 Understanding Autistic Burnout 23:46 The Impact of Medical Appointments 25:17 The Harsh Inner Critic and Self-Compassion 26:12 Fear of Not Functioning 27:05 The Lack of Recognition for Autistic Experiences 28:11 Observing Reciprocity in Relationships 29:07 The Importance of Rest and Self-Care 30:00 The Impact of Autistic Burnout on Work 31:06 Embracing All Parts of Yourself 32:20 Conclusion and Call to Share the Podcast Additional Takeaways Seek consent and ask for permission before sharing personal reactions or opinions in conversations. Be authentic and true to yourself in personal relationships, while also considering the needs and perspectives of others. Strive for a balance between routine and self-care, and be patient with yourself when facing setbacks. Set realistic expectations and practice self-compassion when working towards personal goals. Create an affirming household that acknowledges and accommodates the different needs of family members. Recognize and respect personal endurance and self-regulation in social situations. Embrace self-expression and navigate social interactions in a way that aligns with your neurodivergent traits. Take ownership of your own fulfillment and celebrate holidays in a way that aligns with your desires and needs. Seek support and embrace your sensitivity as a valuable aspect of your identity.   Chapters (please adjust for the addition of the introdruction:   00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage 01:28 Giving Consent in Relationships 04:44 Being Authentic and Reacting in Personal Relationships 07:27 Struggling with Routine and Self-Care 10:05 Setting Expectations and Practicing Self-Compassion 11:32 Navigating Family Dynamics and Accommodating Needs 16:31 Managing Personal Endurance and Self-Regulation 20:53 Navigating Social Situations and Self-Expression 22:17 Celebrating Holidays and Self-Fulfillment 25:36 Seeking Support and Embracing Sensitivity PODCAST HOST Patricia was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 17 years, but she is now exclusively providing coaching. She knows what it's like to feel like an outcast, misfit, and truthteller.  Learning about the trait of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), then learning she is AuDHD with a PDA profile and RSD, helped Patricia rewrite her history with a deeper understanding, appreciation, and a sense of self-compassion.  She created the podcast Unapologetically Sensitive to help other neurodivergent folks know that they aren't alone, and that having a brain that is wired differently comes with amazing gifts, and some challenges.  Patricia works online globally working individually with people, and she teaches Online Courses for neurodivergent folks that focus on understanding what it means to be a sensitive neurodivergent. Topics covered include: self-care, self-compassion, boundaries, perfectionism, mindfulness, communication, and creating a lifestyle that honors you LINKS   Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey   HSP Online Course--https://unapologeticallysensitive.com/hsp-online-groups/   Online HSP Course Materials (no group included) https://patriciayounglcsw.com/product-category/hsp-classes/   Receive the top 10 most downloaded episodes of the podcast-- https://www.subscribepage.com/e6z6e6   Sign up for the Newsletter-- https://www.subscribepage.com/y0l7d4   To write a review in itunes: click on this link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-sensitive/id1440433481?mt=2 select “listen on Apple Podcasts” chose “open in itunes” choose “ratings and reviews” click to rate the number of starts click “write a review”   Website--www.unapologeticallysensitive.com Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/Unapologetically-Sensitive-2296688923985657/ Closed/Private Facebook group Unapologetically Sensitive-- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2099705880047619/ Instagram-- https://www.instagram.com/unapologeticallysensitive/ Youtube-- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE6fodj7RBdO3Iw0NrAllg/videos?view_as=subscriber Tik Tok--https://www.tiktok.com/@unapologeticallysensitiv e-mail-- unapologeticallysensitive@gmail.com Show hashtag--#unapologeticallysensitive Music-- Gravel Dance by Andy Robinson www.andyrobinson.com  

Uncover the unexpected truth about autistic burnout and its impact on individuals in a revealing conversation with Larissa Minner. Learn how societal changes and individual strategies can prevent burnout and lead to a more inclusive world. Stay tuned to discover the eye-opening insights that challenge what you thought you knew about autism and burnout. Growing up as a neurodivergent individual, Larissa Minner's journey to understanding autistic burnout was a rollercoaster of misdiagnoses and challenges. From being misunderstood and mistreated due to misdiagnoses such as intellectual disability and bipolar disorder, to finally finding clarity with a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD, her story paints a picture of resilience and self-discovery. Through her own experiences and delving into extensive research, Larissa not only identified the signs of autistic burnout in herself but also recognized its pervasive impact on the neurodivergent community. Her compelling narrative sheds light on the importance of recognizing the individual nature of autistic burnout and the critical role of societal changes in prevention and management. Larissa's journey is a testament to the transformative power of self-discovery and the urgency for inclusive environments that support the diverse needs of neurodivergent individuals.,Larissa Minner's path to understanding autistic burnout is a poignant narrative of perseverance and self-discovery. From grappling with misdiagnoses of intellectual disability and bipolar disorder to finally receiving a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD, Larissa's journey is a testament to the transformative power of accurate identification. Her personal experiences and deep dive into research not only enabled her to recognize the signs of autistic burnout within herself but also fueled her passion for advocating societal changes to prevent and manage it effectively. Larissa's compelling story underscores the individual nature of autistic burnout and the crucial role of inclusive environments in supporting neurodivergent individuals. Her unwavering resilience and commitment to fostering understanding and change serve as an inspiring call to action for creating environments that honor the diverse needs of the neurodivergent community. Larissa Minner's LinkedIn page for more information on her work and advocacy efforts. Larissa Minner's website, larissaminner.com, for access to infographics and video content related to autism and neurodiversity. Consider exploring resources on universal design and sensory-friendly environments to prevent and manage autistic burnout. Look into early education on disability and autism to foster understanding and inclusion from a young age. Explore self-advocacy strategies and tools for managing autistic burnout, such as visual schedules, apps for sensory support, and remote work options for inclusive environments. Contact Me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidmiles/ https://aspergersstudio.com/ https://www.facebook.com/InsideTheAspergersStudio https://www.twitter.com/AspergersStudio https://www.youtube.com/@AspergersStudio https://www.instagram.com/insidetheaspergersstudio Support the show via my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AspergersStudio

Uncover the unexpected truth about autistic burnout and its impact on individuals in a revealing conversation with Larissa Minner. Learn how societal changes and individual strategies can prevent burnout and lead to a more inclusive world. Stay tuned to discover the eye-opening insights that challenge what you thought you knew about autism and burnout. Growing up as a neurodivergent individual, Larissa Minner's journey to understanding autistic burnout was a rollercoaster of misdiagnoses and challenges. From being misunderstood and mistreated due to misdiagnoses such as intellectual disability and bipolar disorder, to finally finding clarity with a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD, her story paints a picture of resilience and self-discovery. Through her own experiences and delving into extensive research, Larissa not only identified the signs of autistic burnout in herself but also recognized its pervasive impact on the neurodivergent community. Her compelling narrative sheds light on the importance of recognizing the individual nature of autistic burnout and the critical role of societal changes in prevention and management. Larissa's journey is a testament to the transformative power of self-discovery and the urgency for inclusive environments that support the diverse needs of neurodivergent individuals.,Larissa Minner's path to understanding autistic burnout is a poignant narrative of perseverance and self-discovery. From grappling with misdiagnoses of intellectual disability and bipolar disorder to finally receiving a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD, Larissa's journey is a testament to the transformative power of accurate identification. Her personal experiences and deep dive into research not only enabled her to recognize the signs of autistic burnout within herself but also fueled her passion for advocating societal changes to prevent and manage it effectively. Larissa's compelling story underscores the individual nature of autistic burnout and the crucial role of inclusive environments in supporting neurodivergent individuals. Her unwavering resilience and commitment to fostering understanding and change serve as an inspiring call to action for creating environments that honor the diverse needs of the neurodivergent community. Larissa Minner's LinkedIn page for more information on her work and advocacy efforts. Larissa Minner's website, larissaminner.com, for access to infographics and video content related to autism and neurodiversity. Consider exploring resources on universal design and sensory-friendly environments to prevent and manage autistic burnout. Look into early education on disability and autism to foster understanding and inclusion from a young age. Explore self-advocacy strategies and tools for managing autistic burnout, such as visual schedules, apps for sensory support, and remote work options for inclusive environments. Contact Me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidmiles/ https://aspergersstudio.com/ https://www.facebook.com/InsideTheAspergersStudio https://www.twitter.com/AspergersStudio https://www.youtube.com/@AspergersStudio https://www.instagram.com/insidetheaspergersstudio Support the show via my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AspergersStudio

Don your snorkels and prepare those ice baths because we're about to plunge into the frigid waters of autistic burnout and we promise the payoff will be worth the pain.    In an episode that wasn't designed to hurt your feelings but still might, Grace is leading the way through the autism burnout symptom checklist, explaining how a shrinking window of tolerance results in faster dysregulation, and attempting to (lovingly) bully you into resting and healing your nervous system.    If you've forced yourself to push through discomfort for so long that now you couldn't be bothered to dig your own grave even if you wanted to, come join us for an eye-opening look into burnout that will have you quitting your job and moving into the woods in no time.  Resources Info. on Palestine:  Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker | Israel War on Gaza News | Al Jazeera Instagram: @letstalkPalestine; @eye.on.palestine; @gazangirl; @Jewishvoiceforpeace; @Ahmed eldin; @wizard_bisan1; @decolonizingtherapy  To Donate: humanappealusa.org   Autistic Burnout: Tiktok: @keylimelanna Autistic Burnout Symptoms (neurodivergentinsights.com) The Autistic Burnout Recovery Workbook © 2023 (dralicenicholls.com) burnout (burnoutbook.net) “Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew”: Defining Autistic Burnout | Autism in Adulthood (liebertpub.com) ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka: EP. 239: ADHD, Autism and Other Neurodivergent Insights with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Megan Anna Neff on Apple Podcasts burnout (burnoutbook.net)   Picathartes – Africa's strangest birds - 10,000 Birds (10000birds.com) These Ancient Birds Have Been Around for 44 Million Years | Africa | BBC Earth (youtube.com)  1:48

Autistic Burnout with Dr Alice NichollsHello and welcome to the Business of Psychology. Today I'm really excited to be here with Dr Alice Nicholls. She's a clinical psychologist specialising in recovery from autistic burnout. This series of the Business of Psychology is all about finding fulfilment in your work, particularly as an independent mental health professional, and I can't think of a better guest than Alice, because the passion for what she does really shines through her website so wonderfully. I want everybody listening to go and have a look at her website as an example of how to do it well.Full show notes and a transcript of this episode are available at The Business of PsychologyLinks for Alice:Website: www.dralicenicholls.comRosie on Instagram:@rosiegilderthorp@thepregnancypsychologistThe highlightsAlice tells us about who she is and who she helps 00:48 Alice talks about the challenges in the early part of her career 01:46Alice talks about starting in private practice and her autism diagnosis 15:00Alice talks about the success of her blog and starting a membership 27:42I ask Alice is she thinks we are getting better at understanding and treating autistic people 40:57Thank you so much for listening to the Business of Psychology podcast. I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to subscribe, rate and review the show. It helps more mental health professionals just like you to find us, and it also means a lot to me personally when I read the reviews. Thank you in advance and we'll see you next week for another episode of practical strategy and inspiration to move your independent practice forward.Grow your service: How to create a successful associate practiceAre you on a referral rollercoaster? We've all been there, sometimes you are so full you are desperately trying to find people to pass referrals to and other times you are worried about paying your bills. It can be so exhausting! The truth is there are some basic marketing principles that can really make all the difference to your referral pathways. It is possible to have predictable income in private practice, you just need a consistent strategy to make it happen and, spoiler alert, that strategy does not need to involve social media. To learn the simple and effective strategy you do need to have a steady flow of referrals this year, sign up for my masterclass on Monday 15th January at 19:00. We will get the new year started right as we cover the straightforward and effective steps you need to take to get off the referral rollercoaster and enjoy more stable income this year. Follow the link in the show notes to sign up:https://psychologybusinessschool.mykajabi.com/offers/s6AoChu9Mentioned in this episode:Grow your service: How to create a successful associate practiceAre you on a referral rollercoaster? We've all been there, sometimes you are so full you are desperately trying to find people to pass referrals to and other times you are worried about paying your bills. It can be so exhausting! The truth is there are some basic marketing principles that can really make all the difference to your referral pathways. It is possible to have predictable income in...

Do you ever find yourself in a state of paralyzing burnout that can happen even when you're doing activities that you enjoy? Have you ever taken a vacation to fight the fatigue of life only to find that your post-vacation burnout-recovery state is reversed sooner and more severely than others? Do you wonder how you can reduce your burnout in a way that works and actually lasts? Then this episode is for you. Top 3 reasons to listen to this episode: Understand what autistic burnout looks like and how it differs from the burnout that might be experienced from things like work. Identify ways to provide self-care when you are experiencing autistic burnout, as well as how to incorporate sensory soothers. Learn how autistic burnout and ADHD can affect each other. Autistic burnout can be a very tiring and frustrating experience. It can have a significant impact on your productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life. Therefore, it is important to understand what it is, how it affects you, and how to deal with it effectively. By doing so, you can preserve your energy and improve your quality of life. To cope with autistic burnout, it is crucial to identify the activities or practices that help you recharge and calm your senses. By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you can manage your energy levels and reduce the likelihood of burnout. Additional Resources: Check out Dora M. Raymaker's study on autistic burnout: “Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew: Defining Autistic Burnout."  Megan's Resources for Autism and Burnout:  How to Spot Autistic Burnout: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autistic-burnout-symptoms What Causes Autistic Burnout: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/what-causes-autistic-burnout Autistic Burnout Recovery: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autistic-burnout-recovery Autistic Burnout Workbook:  https://neurodivergentinsights.com/neurodivergentstore/p/autistic-burnout-guide-and-worksheets   Transcript PATRICK CASALE: Hey everyone, you are listening to another episode of Divergent Conversations podcast. I'm your co-host, Patrick Casale. MEGAN NEFF: And I'm Dr. Neff. PATRICK CASALE: And we are going to talk about autistic burnout today, because Megan and I are both in it MEGAN NEFF: This will make for an interesting conversation [CROSSTALK 00:00:22]. PATRICK CASALE: All these conversations are and we're going to look at each other and say, "Did that feel too fucking dark again?" But in reality, I think, that's the purpose here. So, I'm in it for sure. And, you know, Megan, I'm always going to defer to you when we're talking clinically, because I think you're by far the expert when it comes to all the research that you do and all the effort that you put in. So, what is autistic burnout for all of our listeners who may not really have a good grasp of that? MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, no, that's a great question. And we should definitely add a link to this in the notes. I think her first name is Dana Ashlie? So, I think, I actually don't know her pronouns. So, I shouldn't assume her. But Dana Raymaker. They did a fantastic article that is the first to clinically define and research autistic burnout. It's a qualitative study. For people who don't know what that is, I really like qualitative studies, because it stays with people's stories.  So, they interviewed like 19 autistic people. 10 of them were women, which is rare for an autistic study, foreword genderqueer or gender, not in the binary, which is, again, fantastic for a study on autism. And then, I think there were like six or seven men.  So, first of all, I love a study that's representing autism from a more diverse lens, gender-speaking. And they found some themes, I realize I'm doing the very autistic, like, [INDISCERNIBLE 00:02:07] like, here's the design of the study, here's the people versus just like, what is autistic burnout? Okay, I'm zooming back out. PATRICK CASALE: It's cool, you're fun. MEGAN NEFF: So, okay, fantastic study, people should read it and there's a lot of kind of versions of it that I think it's a more accessible read than some peer-reviewed studies. So, they interviewed folks and listened for themes. That's how you do qualitative study, you listen for themes and you pull those out. Their definition of autistic burnout is, it's defined by three features, chronic exhaustion, this is emotional, this is physical, this is all the domains of exhaustion that are possible. It is a loss of skills. So, particularly, executive functioning skills, speaking skills. I know for me that is a big one, my ability to speak coherently or speak at all is really impacted by burnout. And then sensory sensitivities increase during burnout.  So, those are the three core features. They define it as three months or longer. Honestly, I think just when you're defining anything clinically you have to kind of put a timeframe around it. But I'm curious about that three months mark, why that's there. And they show how it really is distinct from like, you know, culture talks a lot about occupational burnout, that this really is distinct from that. It's also distinct from depression. Now, it often leads to depression, but it is distinct from depression.  I think this is such an important thing for mental health therapists to understand, because this is one of the leading pathways to suicidality for autistic people. And mental health therapists often don't understand burnout. They think it's depression, they treat it like depression, but it needs a different support, different treatment.  It's also more common among high maskers. They identified that masking was one of the huge factors contributing, which makes so much sense to me. So, I think this really sets people up to be misunderstood by their therapist, if their therapist not aware of high masking autism, not aware of suicidality. Okay, I'll stop there, because I've done a bit of a little info. But yeah, that's the clinical definition of autistic burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love this, because this is Megan and my process where we're obviously processing information very differently, and then, relaying it very differently, too.  And I think it's important to have your info dumps and your perspectives, because people need to know that component too, right? Like, this is the definition, this is, clinically speaking, what this looks like. And I think so often we're you using the term burnout in society in general, right? And you mentioned it was more related, workforce-related. Like, hey, yeah, we get it, work is stressful, and it's hard, and you're overworked and underpaid, and all the things that come with it, and then that leads to burnout. But this is different. And I think main component that you mentioned really set that apart.  And, I mean, we can go layer upon layer here, where it's like, what about autistic people in the workplace experiencing both like workplace burnout, autism burnout, etc. But in reality, like, it gets missed a lot. And clinically speaking, for sure, but also in friend groups and society in general. Like, the general advice around burnout is like, take a break, and like, go on vacation, or like, take a week off from work, and you'll be okay. And that is not what we're talking about here. I mean, even in that situation, a week off doesn't do it justice, but like… MEGAN NEFF: Right, right? Because then we're returning to the life that's burning us out. And that's what's different about, you know, allistic person, or neurotypical person who's experiencing burnout. They often can go through a recovery period, and then, like, bounce back. But for the autistic person, like, what I see a lot, what I've experienced a lot into the last two years when I deeply restructured my life it's like burnout, go back to my normal, but then I burnout again, because it was the normal life that was burning me out.  And so, that kind of bounced back and forth between burnout, like somewhat functional burnout, functional burnout, functional… And so, there isn't that idea of like bouncing back to some idea of normal. Often, it's not the case when we're talking about autistic burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love that you made that distinction, because that's an important one here. And for the autistic person who's experiencing autistic burnout, when you said a minimum of three months, right? I know we're talking clinically speaking, this could be going on for years, this could be going on for- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, yeah. PATRICK CASALE: …lifetimes.  MEGAN NEFF: Totally, totally.  PATRICK CASALE: You and I DM each other on Instagram a lot, like, and I did it before we started recording and I wish we were recording. I'm glad you kind of pointed that out. I asked you like, "Hey, how are you doing today?" And that's such a like conditioned question. You know, like, I'm supposed to introduce that way. And you were like, "I don't know. Like, I'm kind of here." Right? Like… MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I do wish we were recording that moment of… And then, I think I told you. "No, that's a terrible question." Which is funny. That's actually how I respond to that question now. I mean, with you, I'm obviously really comfortable and will be like, "Yoh, that's a terrible question. Why you're asking me that neurotypical…." But with people who maybe aren't as an autistic culture, I will ask them to clarify like, what part of my life are you asking about? Because it's such a complex, like, what bucket in my life are we talking about when you ask me that? PATRICK CASALE: One, I love that. We are comfortable enough to just name it in our interaction. And two, I think that's such a good fucking point.  And I was talking to a caller yesterday about like, fluffing up emails of like, I kind of get straight to the point, you know, ask you what I need to ask you, or give you the information that you need, or whatever, and just be done with it. But then I always find myself, like, inserting a smiley face, or a lol, or like punctuation mark to emphasize my point, or like going back and copying and pasting, like, "Hey, how are you today, I hope all is well." Then jumping into the point that I actually want to make, and even operating from that neurotypical lens and expectation of communication leads to burnout, because that [CROSSTALK 00:09:09]- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, yeah. PATRICK CASALE: …energy to constantly think about how you are responding to things and how you're being received. MEGAN NEFF: Yep, yep, it takes that extra step of, I do the same thing. I read an email, and then I go back, and I like I warm it up. It's like, okay, I need to, like, have some sort of intro. And, oh, I shouldn't just say the thing. So, yeah, that whole extra step. And it is, it's prefrontal cortex work every time we're doing that. We do it in email, we do in conversation. So, all of these things that are happening on a more intuitive level for other people that we do when we mask, you know, that's all that prefrontal cortex, which is part of why it makes so much sense to me that masking is such a significant factor when it comes to burnout. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, just think about how much energy is being spent all the time. And then, how much is being absorbed all the time? And the differentiation there between like, once you start to get into that burnout place where you mentioned, a lot of it is sensory and overstimulation.  I'll give you an example. I was hosting a retreat that I was running a couple of weeks ago in New Orleans, and you know, I'm recovering from surgery, my energy is low, my capacity is low, my distress tolerance is already low. It hit me in a moment where I was sitting in the room with 20 people, they're all socializing, they're all having fun, but I'm picking up on like every word that everyone is saying. It's starting to get louder. And then, every noise is starting to like become more and more irritating. And the temperature is getting really hot. And I'm starting to find myself like stemming and like, needing the need to just regulate myself.  And I just realized in that moment, like, you're burnt out already, and you haven't even started what you're embarking upon this year. And combined surgery recovery with, you know, the autistic burnout piece of just the realization of when you're in that moment your distress tolerance skills kind of dissipate. Like, your executive functioning, like you mentioned, just starts to crumble.  And that was the first time for me, and I'm going to be really vulnerable here and honest, for our listeners, like, where I realized, I am so much closer to feeling that I am disabled or unable to function. And that world that sees me does not see it, because of how much energy and effort goes into doing whatever I'm doing.  And I had this major fucking grief moment and that moment where I was like, not only am I recognizing this, but I also realized like, I've created this thing in my business that am I really not capable of actually doing? That was really hard to try to process in that moment. MEGAN NEFF: It sounds like such a claustrophobic moment when you describe, like being in that moment, seeing what you had to do in front of you. And then, like the limits you are encountering in your body? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah, it was hard. And you were one of the first people I thought about messaging that to, because I was like, "I need to talk to someone about this who kind of understands what I'm talking about." MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. PATRICK CASALE: It's just such a challenge in that moment. And all you want to do is like retreat, and turn off the world, and disappear from it. And I know that that is a way to sensory soothe, too, but when you're expected to be participating, or involved, or hosting, or coaching, or whatever the responsibility is, it becomes too much. MEGAN NEFF: I know for me in those moments there's a narrative that kicks in, I should be able to push through, what is wrong with me that I can't push through? Was that part of it, too? PATRICK CASALE: Oh, absolutely. It was like, that was coming up, "You're letting your co-host and business partner down, because you're not pulling your weight. Why can't you just do the thing that you've done before? Clearly, something is wrong with you." And, "You're not able to do this thing." I like having fucking limitations placed upon what I can do. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, my gosh, right? Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's something I've thought so much about the last two or three years, is the limits and how that is for me, claustrophobic, that is the word for it. I feel claustrophobic when I encounter the limits in my body.  And they feel like they shouldn't be there. Like, even when I am, like my head knows, right? Like, the social disability model. And autism is a disability, and, like, I know these things, but in those moments, like, my felt experience is still, there's something wrong with you that you can't push through. And I'm not attributing it to being disabled. I'm not attributing it to being autistic, because it's been so baked into me my whole life that you should be able to do what others can do, you should be able to push through. Why are you making this so hard? It's in your head. Like, all those narratives are still baked into my body. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah. When that's coming up for you, I mean, how are you managing that? How are you kind of getting through those moments, because they can be so painful too and so debilitating? MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I mean, so I'll answer two ways. On one level, I think I've restructured my life to reduce those moments, right? It's interesting sometimes when I disclose this to people, people seem surprised. And I realize like, "Oh yeah, if you encountered me digitally you might not realize this." Like, I rarely leave my house. I mean, I'll go on walks. But I rarely see people, I rarely interact with people in body form, I rarely commit to things where I know I might encounter that claustrophobic, like, I've got a pretty fierce-like autonomy demand avoidance streak going on.  So, one, I've structured my life, I think, to avoid those moments. Last year, I was adjunct teaching at a university leading like a clinical team once a week. And it was three hours, eight students, but I'd come home exhausted, and be so exhausted the next day. And I stopped doing that this year. So, that'd be an example of I have restructured my life to avoid those painful moments.  And then, what do I do when I am encountering those moments? Like, I'm very meta in how I talk to myself. So, I'll talk myself through it of like, I'll identify the scripts that are playing, and I'll remind myself of the scripts I know that are true, but that I don't yet, like they're not living in my body yet. So, I'll do a lot of that kind of mindful naming of scripts in the way I talk to myself and remind myself. And then, I'll check in of like, what do I need? And I'm typically able to get myself some version of what I need. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I love that answer. And, you know, I think the ability to restructure is wonderful. And I also think that for us, we've talked about this before, it's also a privilege that we have [CROSSTALK 00:16:57]. MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah.  PATRICK CASALE: And I start thinking about, like, what if you don't have the ability to restructure and really be mindful of how your days are laid out and who you're interacting with, and when, and having control and autonomy over your situation like that? MEGAN NEFF: I'm so glad you brought the privilege piece up, because I think this is such an integral part of the autistic burnout pieces, is I'm very aware, I've been able to restructure my life because of all of my privileges.  When I started my business, at that point, we were dependent on my spouse's income. So, there's economic privilege. I have a doctorate. So, there's a lot of education that gives me a lot of mobility in the professional space.  So, I feel that when I work with clients in burnout, you know, whether they're in middle of graduate school, or due to socio-economic barriers, or name any of the barriers, cannot restructure their life, I think that's when I as a therapist feel the most stuck of like, there are systemic issues here, there are like neurobiological vulnerabilities here, there's very little I can say. Like, yes, we can talk about their sensory profile and we can talk about how to recover. But at the end of the day, there's these very real systemic blocks that we're running into that I have no control of and that feels claustrophobic. That's like my word of the day, apparently. I feel very stuck when I'm in that place with clients. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah. That's a great point, because there's nothing as the therapist that you can do to change that situation or their experiences, or responsibilities, even. And it's so challenging, because the system is not designed for folks who can't fit into that neurotypical model, especially, in the workforce. It's just, 99% of it just doesn't feel well-suited or set up with our needs in mind. MEGAN NEFF: And then, also, thinking about kind of supports for disabled people of like, when someone… when they're functioning, there's issues with that word, but it… Okay, when they're functioning [CROSSTALK 00:19:34]. Yeah, when their function ebbs and flows, like, we don't really have societal support for people like that. I think, individually, we don't know what to do with ourselves when we're someone who's, you know, I can go from, like, speaking on a stage to be non-speaking and laying flat on the couch the next day. Like, there's not really a template for folks of us who have such a range, because there's so many spikes, and there's so many valleys, and yeah, there's not great supports built-in, we have to kind of figure them out ourselves. Which again, if you have privilege, you're able to do that. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah. And I think that's the paradox here, right? Is like, but even with that being said, to share from our own experiences of recognizing our privilege, but also recognizing that we are currently stuck or feeling like we're in our own versions of our own autistic burnout of, we still have responsibilities to take care of, right? Like, I know, you have your kiddos, I have two businesses to run, those responsibilities don't go away. And that means that I have to get really laser-focused, and really intentional about what I'm saying yes to, and what I'm not responding to.  And for the people pleasers and us, like myself, who I feel like I'm a recovering people pleaser, I feel like shutting off the world, there's this almost push pole guilt feeling of like not responding to people. And it feels good to have people in your life where you can just tell them very honestly, like, "I can't do this right now, this is all I'm capable of doing." And for me, that typically looks like turning all the lights off and laying in bed, watching something that's mindless over, and over, and over again, and not able to do anything else. But there's a cost there too, with like, partnerships, and communication, and just connection. But that's really all I can do. And coming back from New Orleans, I laid in bed for almost a week and a half. Like, if I wasn't doing one or two things a day that I had built in, that was all I could do. MEGAN NEFF: So, I'm having a new thought listening to you talk and like the picture of you in a room, lights off, week and a half, and knowing you, knowing that like, yes, Game of Thrones like is enlivening for you, but also knowing that you do thrive on relationship and connection.  Okay, so here's the thought I'm having. What if the recovery from autistic burnout is depressing, like in the sense of like, isolation, darkness? Like, what a brutal Catch-22 if what we need for our bodies to recover are also things that disconnect us and like, slow our bodies down to a degree that we're then losing connection with the things that give our life meaning and joy. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, like, can I ask how are you faring after a week and a half of like dark room recovery? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, one, I think that's a wonderful point that you just pointed out, like, you're spot on. The things that we need may also be the things that do lead to that depressive state. So, it is that Catch-22.  And you and I are both ADHD. The ADHD parts of me are like, "This is fucking terrible. Like, laying here, doing nothing, not creating, not feeling energized, like not feeling like there's a spark or something to get excited about." And the autistic part wins every time, because it's like, waving the white flag, right? Of like, I can't. Like, I can't do more than I can do right now.  But to answer your question, how am I doing now? I still feel it and I can't connect the dots between what is still recovery from surgery and what is also this autistic burnout piece. I think that they're both kind of intensifying the other. Does that make sense? Like- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: I just feel like if I'm typically running on like at 100% right now I feel like I'm at like 20%. So, it's pretty depleted. And then, the question becomes like, how do you replenish that to even get to a place where you can at least get through the day and the tasks that you've created for yourself? I think that's a Catch-22 of being an autistic entrepreneur, because, in New Orleans, I was saying thinking, "Okay, you're going to Costa Rica to speak at a conference." Which I actually backed out of today and I feel very proud of myself for doing, "And then you're hosting a retreat in Ireland." And I just kept thinking, "I can't do this stuff. Like, this is my world right now." And that's why I think the next month going into February, you know, I don't know when we're going to publish this episode, just for frame of reference, like, I'm going to be doing very little until I leave to go to Ireland in March because I want to conserve and like, regenerate, and replenish as much energy as I can. But here's the Catch-22 to that Megan, Ireland will then take all of it and more. So, you're playing this catch up game all the fucking time of like, how do I replenish? How do I recharge if I'm constantly depleting? MEGAN NEFF: I wonder if, not necessarily better, but an alternative term for demand avoidance would be like energy scarcity mindset of, like demand avoidance is so logical, based on what you're just describing of you have to store up energy for six weeks to go do a 10-day thing and then you have to recover from it. Yeah, energy scarcity mode. Can we make that a thing? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I think we could definitely make that a thing. I think we can do an episode on that. I mean, I think you're so right, because the demand avoidance, like you said, is very logical. When you lay it all out [INDISCERNIBLE 00:26:31]. Of course, I'm going to avoid doing this. But in reality, it's like, I'm just so aware of how much energy it is going to take and how much I'm going to be depleted, that you have to go into that scarcity mode of like, I can't give it anywhere else, because there's nowhere else to give it or to receive it. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I'm thinking of, like, when I get an alert on my, you know, iPhone, or like, Apple Watch of like, you have low battery, would you like to go into low power mode? Where it's like, okay, all of the things that are draining power, we're going to turn it off. It's kind of like living in low-power mode. And then when that becomes your life, I think it's hard to not be depressed. PATRICK CASALE: Yep, because that's really when you're in that mode, where, okay, you turn it all off, right? And you recognize that you're there or you're very aware of what's going on. But then you can't say yes to the things that do bring you satisfaction and joy, because you're depressed, and you feel rundown, and you feel antisocial. Like, I feel like I don't want to interact with people. And that's a good indicator for someone like myself to acknowledge like, this is where I'm at, because I thrive on the connection that I have. And for me to want to avoid that at all costs is usually a very good indication of like, okay, we've arrived here, and this is where we're at. MEGAN NEFF: I love that you have a litmus test of like, this is my gauge of I know kind of where my power mode's at. For you, it's kind of how you respond to connections. For me, it's how I respond to ideas or books. And this was before I realized I was autistic. I've always been an avid reader. I love philosophy. I love kind of existential deep books and reading, and playing with ideas. When I can't pick up a book it's like, "Oh, my goodness, what is wrong with me?" And partly because I've had so much chronic fatigue, I could pretty much always sit on the couch and read a book.  But those moments in my life where I couldn't pick up a book, I couldn't listen to a podcast that had ideas, I couldn't take in any new ideas, that was my litmus test. Pronunciation is a hard thing for me. You'll realize that by doing a podcast with me. I'm speaking make up words all the time. But yeah, so I think it's really helpful for people when they know what their litmus test, however you say that word is of, oh, this is a sign, I'm entering low power mode, I'm entering burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love that you just named that. Are you in that mode right now where books and new ideas are just [INDISCERNIBLE 00:29:21]. MEGAN NEFF: So, I actually can't tell. I was thinking about that as we started like, okay, am I in autistic burnout, or is this like winter chronic fatigue? And I think I've had chronic fatigue, essentially, since I had kids. So, it's hard for me to tease out what is burnout, what is chronic fatigue.  You know, I make a workbook a month, which is a lot of work, but I've been able, right now I'm working on one about just how we relate to our thoughts and cognitions, and I've been able to really enjoy learning about some of these concepts and reworking them to the fact that I'm able to enjoy parts of it. To me, I'm like, okay, I'm not at completely, like, burnout mode. But other areas of my life are definitely, I can tell I'm in burnout mode. So, I would say, I'm like, yeah, 50%. If you're at 20%, I would say I'm at 50%, because I still have things that can spark my curiosity. When I'm in deep burnout nothing sparks my curiosity. PATRICK CASALE: And I think that's the exact point right there, that's it. You just nailed it. Something can spark your curiosity, but if it can't that is a great indication that that is where you are, that you are in autistic burnout.  And I want all of you listening to think about what are the things that spark your curiosity? What are the things that you feel really, like, energized by and passionate about, interested in? If nothing is coming to mind right now, if you're feeling any of the things that Megan and I are talking about, could be a very good indication that that's where you're at, as well.  And I think one thing that we're not touching on and that's important to name too, is I think, when you are in autistic burnout substance use is going to ramp up, drastically.  MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: And I noticed that for me that I was out of a fucking retreat in New Orleans, which is a city of debauchery and surrounded by 20 people that I had to be on for the entire time, so alcohol is my best friend at that moment, because I was messaging you about that of like, the socializing piece, the dropping into the, "Socially [CROSSTALK 00:31:37]" Right? Of being able to interact with people, to be able. To have some semblance of small talk alcohol has to be the lubricant for me. And acknowledging that is the realization of like, you have to pay attention to that for yourselves, for any of you who are listening, like, whatever the substance of choice or process of choice is, because it can get dangerous very quickly, and it can get out of hand very, very quickly, too. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, this is interesting. This isn't something I've talked too much about. I hope to talk more about, because I think it's a really important part of being neurodivergent, of burnout. But I have struggled with disordered relationship to alcohol in the past, and particularly, around burnout.  So, it's interesting. I'm curious about… there's something I've noticed. So, my spouse and I respond really different to alcohol. For me, it energizes me. For them, he's like ready to go to sleep after a glass or two of wine, or beer, or whatever it is. I noticed among autistic people and this is totally anecdotal, I noticed that it tends to be more energizing for them, which I'm really curious about.  So, for me, I often used it to energize and as like liquid dopamine. So, if I had papers to grade or some tedious task, and I was in burnout, then I'd be like, "Oh, well, I'll pair it with some wine tonight." And that became… like, because I could not mobilize. And it was before I knew about ADHD and autism, so I had no like medication support around dopamine and stimulants.  So, I think whether it's socializing, because it takes a sensory edge off, and it makes socializing easier, or whether it's to try and motivate us, or because it gives us this kind of faux sense of regulation and energy, I think there's so many reasons we're really vulnerable to, particularly, I would say alcohol during burn out. PATRICK CASALE: I agree 100% and with everything you just said, including the energizing component. And you know, there's such a cost to it too, because you don't sleep well, and then you throw in alcohol into the mix. And I mean, it's just so challenging.  So, really trying to, you know, figure out, for our listeners, too, you do a great job, Megan, I want to highlight this of like, really posting valuable, tangible content where you can put it into motion immediately and start putting it into place. And you talk about sensory soothing a lot, and you talk about skills and techniques to kind of manage burnout when you're in it. And I'm just curious about things that our listeners who may not be mental health professionals and have access to the things that we do, that they can do when they're experiencing some of this stuff. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I've got cascading thoughts happening. So, on one, I think, identifying those self-soothers that are like faux self-soothers. Like, they're self-soothing in the moment, but they're actually making your burnout worse. So, things like alcohol use or other substance use. I would think identifying those and really targeting those things, because those create a cycle, a loop that then perpetuate the burnout.  And I think for a lot of people working with a medical provider or mental health therapist when they're targeting those self-soothers that are actually in the long run causing more harm, it can be really helpful to work with someone around those things.  And then, yeah, I talk about sensory detox a lot, sensory soothing. You have to have some interoceptive awareness to be able to identify when you're sensory overloaded and then soothe yourself. So, sometimes you have to actually go back a few steps and kind of work on interoceptive awareness, which there's some kind of simple mindfulness. That sounds like a big thing, work on interoceptive awareness, but there's simple mindfulness things. Like, I have a smoothie right here, I can grab my smoothie, I can focus on the sensation of the coldness on my hand and what that feels like, I can do that for 10 seconds while I drink my morning smoothie. And by mindfully attending to the sensory experience, putting my smoothie down, noticing the difference in my hand, that's interoceptive awareness builder right there. And it's not an extra I have to do in my day, it's when I'm grabbing my coffee or my smoothie.  Wow, I'm like diverging all over the place, so interceptive awareness, sensory soothers, like using all the kinds of sensory accommodations that can be helpful, and it often, I think, takes a lot of experimenting, especially, for later in life diagnosed people and high maskers who maybe are so disassociated from the body by the time they get to diagnosis or identification. It takes a lot of experimenting to figure out what is soothing for my body? What does my body, like? What doesn't it like?  So, giving yourself a lot of kind of play space to figure that out. Rest, there's lots and lots of rest, dropping demands, and those can be small. Like, sometimes we think, "Well, I can't leave my job." Or "I can't, you know, walk away from my business."  For our family, there's some demands that can always be dropped, for example, family dinner. If someone is having an overloading day they can eat in their room, they can eat in a quiet space. That's an example of a more simple demand drop or maybe not showering that day. Like, there can be these more simple demand drops. But I think thinking through where can I drop demands.  And spending less time masking. So, figuring out who are the safe people to be around who I don't have to mask as much. Are there things I can say no to? To say no is huge, just like working on boundaries. And then that gets into people pleasing.  And, again, working with a therapist, I think around why I say no hard can be really helpful. I just spewed off a random list. There's more and I think I have a few blog posts that talk about recovery tips, we can link to that. You're going to get a more linear version of me when I write versus when I talk. PATRICK CASALE: I like to get both versions because both are unbelievably helpful. And I just learned a new word today from you. So, interoceptive, I did not know that term. So, here we are.  But these are great tips. And I think you're so spot on when it's like different things are going to work for different people. And it's so easy to say like, here's a list of 10 things to try things out. You know, for me, I always need to take hot showers, and like I've always been obsessed with them. MEGAN NEFF: Me too. PATRICK CASALE: And I never realized why I take two showers a day. But now I have a very good understanding and just doing those types of things have been really helpful. And, again, hitting home on having a neurodivergent affirmative therapist really important. If you're, you know, struggling and you're autistic, if you're ADHD, if you have any form of neurodiversity. Like, having good therapy is so crucial.  And yeah, being able to unmask, like Megan said, so when you go on a podcast with your friend, and you know each other you don't start with the conversation with, "Hey, how are you doing today?" Knowing that Megan is going to say, "Oh, that's a really bad question." But those are the things, right? That we were talking about, the little things that build up. So, if you can remove these little things from your day-to-day, like the energy it takes to revisit your emails, the energy it takes to communicate with your friends or your loved ones, it's really helpful, because it's just that one extra fucking thing that you don't have to do, or you don't have to worry about, or you don't have to put your energy into. And I think it's so hard when everything takes that extra little bit of energy, MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: Well, this has been a really great conversation about a topic that I think is, obviously, near and dear to our hearts and that we know a lot of you are experiencing in the moment or have experienced. And I hope that this has been helpful. And we're going to continue to have conversations about these topics that a lot of people are just not having. And I think that getting this perspective is really great.  So yeah, I don't have anything else to add today. I think I'm hitting my limit. So, I'm going to be honest about that on air. And, yeah, I think that's where I'm at. MEGAN NEFF: I love that. And that's perhaps the best you asked about, like, what can people do to help with burnout? I think that's actually probably one of the best things is to recognize when we're at our limit and honor it. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah. I've gotten used to now post-surgery two things a day. And my schedule is my limit. And that used to be really hard. And it's getting to be a welcomed part of my week where I can say like, all right, I get to talk with Megan for my second thing of the day, and then I'm done.  But yeah, I think for any of you listening, all this information will be in the show notes, too. All the links to the blogs Megan's talking about, and the articles. And I just hope that this has been helpful for everyone, too. We still don't know how to close this podcast out, so… MEGAN NEFF: Didn't we come up with like an awkward…? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, we're just going to say goodbye and then turn it off. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, but we had some kind of tagline. I'm trying to remember at the moment, like the place where we do awkward goodbyes, goodbye. PATRICK CASALE: The place where we do awkward goodbyes on the Divergent Conversations podcast coming out every single week. Goodbye.  MEGAN NEFF: Perfect.

THANK YOU for joining us today for this important episode! Dr. Alice Nicholls, Autistic Psychologist, talks with me about autistic burnout and the signficant impact it has an the lives of children and teens. We are covering -  ➡️ Reasons burnout can occur, ➡️ Identifying burnout, ➡️ Prevention, ➡️ And how we can support autistic children and teens! ❤️ Holly- The Mom/Psychologist Who Gets It Holly's ONE STOP RESOURCE - Social skills guide, Behavior Guide, and MORE! Learn more about Dr. Alice Nicholls Learn more about Holly's private practice in North Carolina Learn more about Holly's speaking services and courses ⭐️Join the Facebook Groups ➡️ Parents, Come on over and join the Autism ADHD Facebook Group for Parents ➡️ Professionals, Join the Facebook Group for Therapists and Educators

Whether you feel like you have some energy or zero energy I can help…. I recently discovered a new layer to sustainable energy. I put it to the test with my clients and have seen impressive results! This is something so easy to perform and anyone can do it….and in little time! Watch this quick content packed video now! P. S. Make sure to watch this video NOW! At the end I show you how to get my latest 2 Day Live “Nail Your #1 Need MasterClass” and Sensory Rest Tool Kit absolutely free! …..but act now! This *SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER* comes down Tuesday, Dec. 5th at 11:30 pm CDT. Learn More about the Special Offer: https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/products/offers/view/1160395?coupon=specialoffer23 or Purchase the HOLIDAY SPECIAL OFFER HERE: https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/products/offers/view/1160395?coupon=specialoffer23

What impact does hustle culture have on autistic people? In this episode, Livia chats with Louise AKA @neurodivergent_lou on how to navigate autistic burnout, the importance of slowing down, and how to lead a meaningful life in a society that is obsessed with productivity. Lou answers the following questions: What does day-to-day life feel like for you when it comes to time? We live in a society of “hustle culture.” What do you believe are some additional pressures us autistics face when it comes to work and productivity? How do the societal expectations around productivity contribute to autistic burnout? On Instagram, you recently shared how you've been unable to keep up with the pace of life in the same way when you were younger. Can you elaborate on that? How have you started slowing down in life, and what impact has this had on your physical and mental health? Part of slowing down means letting go of activities that fill up your time with “busy work.” What activities have you specifically incorporated or let go of? I believe slowing down can help us feel more present, and thus live a more meaningful life. What does a meaningful life mean to you? Connect with Lou: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodivergent_lou/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@neurodivergent_.lou X: https://twitter.com/neuro_lou Connect with Livia: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livlabelfree Buy my books! https://www.livlabelfreebooks.com Schedule a coaching call: https://www.livlabelfree.com/schedule This episode is sponsored by Nuzest. Nuzest Clean Lean Protein is a 100% plant-based protein powder made from premium European golden peas. Allergen-free, sensory-friendly, and lab tested to ensure the highest quality vegan protein! Get 20% off Nuzest worldwide: https://livlabelfree.com/nuzest

In this episode we go straight into banter, so good luck if you're a new listener and have no idea who we are and what our podcast is about. (haha) Our questions of the episode involve a listener who wants guidance for avoiding Autistic Burnout and our first question in a year asking for romance advice!  Our deck of the episode isn't a normal review you would expect from us, but more of an introduction/celebration of Seaborn Kipper by Siolo Thompson and Thomas Witholt (Hermitsmirror).    Our book, The History of Tarot Art: Demystifying the Art and Arcana, Deck by Deck, is available now! Please leave an Amazon review to help with the algorithm! Do you love Holly and Esther, Existential Dread, and Bed? Then you'll love our face on everything! We got mugs, totes, phone cases, and even a tarot certification! You can find our merch here! Interact with us between episodes and join our Wildy Tarot Patreon , Facebook Group and Discord Server! You can follow us on Instagram, and while you're there you can also follow Holly and Esther. 

On this episode of 'My Friend Autism', Orion Kelly explores the topic of Autistic Burnout. Orion Kelly is an Autistic YouTuber, podcaster, author, actor and Autistic advocate. Find out more and check out his podcasts & YouTube videos at Orion's website: https://orionkelly.com.au   All rights reserved.

It's time for another update on all things Liv Label Free! In this episode, I talk about: How slowing down has helped me navigate autistic burnout My experience of food poisoning in Bali The chaos that comes with uncertain living situations How I'm approaching my four different book projects Progress on the Rainbow Girl audiobook as well as the Dutch version Progress on my book about beating extreme hunger Why I'm on social media less How Ciandra Birnbaum (Flourish with Ciandra) infringed on my copyright Buy my books! www.livlabelfreebooks.com Get on the waitlist for How to BEAT Extreme Hunger: www.livlabelfree.com/extremehungerbook View the screenshots of Ciandra's copying my work: https://www.livlabelfree.com/blog/major-life-update

In this episode, hosts Haley Moss and Dr. Lori Butts speak with self-advocate, writer, and entrepreneur Nicole Igarashi, aka The Autistic Burnout. Nicole is a neurodivergent peer support specialist with a late diagnosis of autism. She uses lived experience and expertise to empower and support others on the spectrum. She is an advocate for neurodiversity and social justice, writing critically and creatively about issues that affect the autistic community. Fore more about Nicole's work : www.nerdynicole.com facebook.com/theautisticburnout instagram.com/theautisticburnout medium.com/@theautisticburnout A TRANSCRIPTION FOR THIS EPISODE CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://www.differentbrains.org/autism-entrepreneurship-with-nicole-igarashi-spectrumly-speaking-ep-148/ ----------------- Spectrumly Speaking is the podcast dedicated to women on the autism spectrum, produced by Different Brains®. Every other week, join our hosts Haley Moss (an autism self-advocate, attorney, artist, and author) and Dr. Lori Butts (a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and licensed attorney) as they discuss topics and news stories, share personal stories, and interview some of the most fascinating voices from the autism community. Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ http://differentbrains.org/category/spectrumlyspeaking/

Autistic burnout is very different from the work-related burnout that non-autistics experience. In this episode, I cover the official definition of autistic burnout, how autistic burnout differs from non-autistic burnout, the latest research on this topic, how burnout relates to shutdown and social hangover, and more. I also discuss my own experiences with burnout and some strategies for avoiding it.Watch this episode on YouTube. If you'd like to know more about topics discussed in this episode, check out:"Risk Markers for Suicidality in Autistic Adults" by Sarah Cassidy et al."Autistic Burnout Explained" by Sarah Deweerdt"Defining Autistic Burnout Through Experts by Lived Experience: Grounded Delphi Method Investigating Autistic Burnout" by Julianne M. Higgins et al."'Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left With No Clean-Up Crew': Defining Autistic Burnout" by Dora M. Raymaker et al.Episode outro music: "This Time Around" by oomiee  Support the showThe Other Autism theme music: "Everything Feels New" by Evgeny Bardyuzha. All episodes written and produced by Kristen Hovet.If you would like to submit a question to possibly be answered in a future episode, please email kristen.hovet@gmail.comBecome a supporter of the show for as little as $3 a month!The Other Autism podcast on InstagramThe Other Autism podcast on FacebookBuy me a coffee!For transcripts, go to The Other Autism on Buzzsprout, click on an episode and then click on "Transcript" to the right of "Show Notes".

Are you one of the 89% of professionals who have reported experiencing #burnout in the last year? Are you also #ADHD #Autistic? If so, knowing what level of burnout you are in is the first step to restoration and getting out of burnout for good. Take the QUIZ to discover your spicy pepper level, from a Level 1 Poblano Pepper to a Level 5 Ghost Pepper, so that you can get the specific map to get you out of burnout, maybe for the first time in your life. Click this link to take the quiz: https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/af/170120466/1155744

Having an autistic adult on the podcast is always an opportunity to learn how we, as practitioners, can do our best for our clients. Joining me today is Larissa Minner, a passionate and experienced disability rights advocate, speaker, and consultant. Burnout is commonly talked about, and I've even done an episode where we talked about professional burnout in the field. Larissa talks about Autistic Burnout and Neurodivergent Burnout and what that looks like for many individuals. Signs and symptoms of Autistic (or Nuerodivergent) Burnout can include feeling drain in all aspects of life, an increase in executive functional challenges, a lowered coping skill level, regression and loss of skills, brain fog, physical fatigue, mimicking and causing depression/anxiety, and even being a factor involved in suicidal ideation. This causes a lot of problems for autistic individuals, like finding a job or making their way through university. So what can we do? As professionals, we can provide Neuro Affirming Environments. A Neuro Affirming Environment applies to social, emotional, and physical aspects, and Larissa explains some ways to do that without putting the burden on the autistic person. Firstly, use the person's preferred language, whether they prefer Autistic Person or Person with Autism. Also developing language that is not based on a person's deficit; for example, Larissa uses the term Strategic Explorer to verbalize her preference for routine. Additionally, consider sensory friendly rooms with adjustable lighting and noise accommodations, validations in different listening and communicating skills, and always giving ample warning when it comes to events and changes. Larissa is active in making changes across the field for both autistic children and autistic adults when it comes to healthcare, education, and career opportunities. This is a great conversation that shares some less talked about advocacy for autistic people and encourages professionals to check themselves when it comes to providing compassionate care.  #autism #speechtherapy  What's Inside:What is Autistic Burnout?What are signs and symptoms of Autistic Burnout?What is a Neuro Affirming Environment?How can providers be Neuro Affirming?Advocacy goals for education, healthcare, and career finding.The importance of preferred language surrounding autism and disabilities. Mentioned In This Episode:You can participate in her ongoing research study at Shape in Healthcare Survey (Healthcare Equality)You can find out more about Larissa and her work at: https://linktr.ee/larissaminner

A guided meditation to heal from autistic burnout while embracing your neurodivergent brain!

Welcome to Beyond Autistic Burnout, where we dive into the world of career stages and managing burnout among ADHD/Autistic employees with a touch of fun and a sprinkle of expert advice!  In this episode #122, our special guest, Oliver Fenghour from Advance: The Disability Consultants, joins our awesome host, Carole Jean Whittington, to explore the ins and outs of navigating the challenges of burnout in the workplace. Burnout can be tricky, right? It shows up differently at different stages of our careers, making it essential to know the signs and causes to help our fantastic employees recover and thrive. Human resource departments are often seen as the go-to for burnout management, but hey, here's a brilliant and more effective suggestion from Oliver and Carole Jean. Guess what? Over 80% of HR professionals are experiencing burnout as we speak! So, it's high time we shake things up and learn how to manage ADHD/Autistic burnout like total pros. Join us for this exciting episode as we uncover tips, tricks, and strategies to optimize employee recovery and well-being. You won't want to miss it! Subscribe now and get ready to unleash the power of supportive workplaces. JOIN US for the LUNCH & LEARN Sign up HERE: https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/products/courses/view/1155097/?action=signup

In this very special episode, I talk with neurodistinct burnout restoration specialist Carole Jean Whittington from the "Beyond Autistic Burnout" Talk showLink to get your ticket to the ENERGIZE & RESTORE Experience Dayhttps://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/products/courses/view/1154816Link to pre-order Carole Jean's book, “Unleashing Sustainable Energy: A Strategic Approach to Transforming Spicy Burnout for ADHD/Autistic Professionals”https://resources.mindyourautisticbrain.com/spicyburnout

In this week's episode, a panel of disabled speech pathologists speak join us to celebrate disability pride month. Sheridan Forster, Erin Mills, and Ashleigh Chapman speak about disability, ableism, and celebrating disability pride.   Speech Pathology Australia acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of lands, seas and waters throughout Australia, and pay respect to Elders past, present and future.   We recognise that the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grounded in continued connection to culture, country, language and community and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.  Resources:  Dynamic disability : https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/what-are-dynamic-disabilities Intersectional disability: https://medium.com/dna-s-blog/identity-beyond-disability-3d59d19b1dad Social model of disability- Youtube Tom Shakespeare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqJLRnqd5JE The Way We Roll on Ableism. With Professor Fiona Kumari Campbell, Phil Friend and Simon Minty Job Access: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYt5BzslHv8 Spoon theory: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ How does Spoon Theory help us to understand Autism and ADHD (Digital Download): https://neurodivergentally.com/shop/how-does-spoon-theory-help-us-to-understand-autism-and-adhd/ Autism CRC report on Autistic Burnout: https://www.autismcrc.com.au/sites/default/files/reports/3-076RI_Autistic-Burnout_Final-report.pdf Defining Autistic Burnout: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/aut.2019.0079 Neurodiversity affirming practice modules via SPA learning hub, sign in for member discount   Did you know you can get transcripts from season 5 of Speak Up for free on the Learning Hub? Want a transcript from an earlier season? Email Nathan and Nadia on speakuppodcast@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Autistics are at a high risk of burning out. The main cause is having to navigate a neurotypical world. There are ways to recognize and deal with it. Listen to learn more.Support the showShare this podcast with your friends and family. Let's help people understand what it's like to be autistic. Twitter: @anautisticwomanEmail: info@theautisticwoman.comWebsite: theautisticwoman.comLinktree: https://linktr.ee/theautisticwomanPayPal: info@theautisticwoman.comThis is a great autism resource - Rated in the top 1.5% globally in 2023! ©TheAutisticWoman 2021-2023Check out my friends' 5-star rated, fun podcast about neurodivergence and more: Atypical the Podcast: http://atypicalthepodcast.buzzsprout.com

This feels like the perfect storm for another meltdown - being taken out of my routine while in survival mode, otherwise known as ADHD + Autistic burnout. Will my coping strategies be enough to get me through? If I open up (more) to my coworkers, is that going to change anything? x Lauren Blog: https://lmnpodcast.wixsite.com/lmnpodcast/post/doctors-missed-my-adhd-autism-audhd-for-12-years-an-essay Email: littlemissedneurodivergence@gmail.com Instagram: @littlemissedneurodivergence Patreon: patreon.com/LittleMissedNeurodivergence

What are the RED FLAGS of Autistic Burnout? What are some Autistic Burnout symptoms and signs? How can you better manage your energy and regulation to avoid Autistic Burnout in the future? Vera is the Founder of @HappyAutisticLady with her sister Ivi, which is a business offering resources, stickers, art, and speaking about Autism and Neurodiversity. Residing in the UK and the Czech Republic, Vera works with the Ambitious About Autism youth network and within Civil Services, where she looks at governmental papers, and trains Mental Health workers to understand Autism alongside the MIND charity. My Links - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thomashenleyUK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ // Vera's Insta - https://instagram.com/happyautisticlady?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg== Dbud Noise Cancelling Adjustable Ear Buds (20% Off with code: THOUGHTYAUTI) - ⁠⁠⁠https://dbud.io/thoughtyautipodcast⁠⁠⁠ They start off by talking about the concept of accent switching or mirroring in social interactions, as well as sleep chronotypes and hustle culture, before chatting about the difficulties of managing a wide variety of business roles and introducing the topic… Autistic Burnout! Vera goes through 6 main causes of burnout: Tiredness, Fairness, Control, Insufficient Reward, Lack Of Community, and Values. Thomas highlights some modern-day difficulties like atomisation, Vera mentions how lack of fairness is a difficulty for Autistic people in a neurotypical world. Diving deeper into the specifics of Autistic burnout, how burnout impacts Autistic people differently, and the unique causes of Autistic burnout. In a larger conversation about Autistic masking, they highlight how masking can impact short-term energy/stress as well as long-term mental health. Sensory difficulties are a big issue for Autistic people in the workplace and out in the world due to our lack of habituation to sensory stimuli; Thomas highlights the importance of environmental adjustments and sensory supports in reducing overall stress. Thomas adds that concepts like interoception and issues with sleep can also impact Autistic burnout; many individuals don't fulfill their hydration and food intake needs which are important to overall functioning and well-being, but struggling to wake/sleep due to melatonin differences can also impact energy levels and stress long term. It can be easy to think of psychology as a separate thing from our biology, but the brain is an organ, and exposure to cortisol and adrenaline has some real bodily effects. Cortisol impacts autistic people more strongly and takes longer to die down, and in our modern day, this can lead to chronic stress and impaired cognitive function. Looking into Vera and Thomas' experiences with burnout, they talk about the concept of Spoon Theory and the importance of distinguishing capability from capacity... Vera uses the cupcake analogy to explain this. Thomas and Vera list some common RED FLAGS for incoming Autistic burnout, some unhelpful coping strategies, and mentalities that stop you from managing burnout - Tics, social burnout, transition time differences, brute force problem solving, and leaning into anxiety are highlighted. They talk about how one can distinguish between mental health issues and Autistic burnout, before jumping into some useful analogies and strategies for preventing Autistic burnout in the future. The Three Legged Stool analogy was particularly impactful for Vera, which helped her understand the impact of task switching. Stimming, safe foods, addressing internalised ableism, setting emotional boundaries, delegating or task prioritisation, and focusing on individual measures of success were all underscored as impact factors to consider when addressing Autistic burnout. Song Of The Day (Listen Here) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5UDIyN5TSYN4zMcRoQPrG8?si=9255ed3480d840b5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Interview me, 1:1 Autism Consultancy, public speaking for events & workplace training - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thomashenley.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Do you ever find yourself in a state of paralyzing burnout that can happen even when you're doing activities that you enjoy? Have you ever taken a vacation to fight the fatigue of life only to find that your post-vacation burnout-recovery state is reversed sooner and more severely than others? Do you wonder how you can reduce your burnout in a way that works and actually lasts? Then this episode is for you. Top 3 reasons to listen to this episode: Understand what autistic burnout looks like and how it differs from the burnout that might be experienced from things like work. Identify ways to provide self-care when you are experiencing autistic burnout, as well as how to incorporate sensory soothers. Learn how autistic burnout and ADHD can affect each other. Autistic burnout can be a very tiring and frustrating experience. It can have a significant impact on your productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life. Therefore, it is important to understand what it is, how it affects you, and how to deal with it effectively. By doing so, you can preserve your energy and improve your quality of life. To cope with autistic burnout, it is crucial to identify the activities or practices that help you recharge and calm your senses. By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you can manage your energy levels and reduce the likelihood of burnout. Additional Resources: Check out Dora M. Raymaker's study on autistic burnout: “Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew: Defining Autistic Burnout."  Megan's Resources for Autism and Burnout:  How to Spot Autistic Burnout: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autistic-burnout-symptoms What Causes Autistic Burnout: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/what-causes-autistic-burnout Autistic Burnout Recovery: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autistic-burnout-recovery Autistic Burnout Workbook:  https://neurodivergentinsights.com/neurodivergentstore/p/autistic-burnout-guide-and-worksheets   Transcript PATRICK CASALE: Hey everyone, you are listening to another episode of Divergent Conversations podcast. I'm your co-host, Patrick Casale. MEGAN NEFF: And I'm Dr. Neff. PATRICK CASALE: And we are going to talk about autistic burnout today, because Megan and I are both in it MEGAN NEFF: This will make for an interesting conversation [CROSSTALK 00:00:22]. PATRICK CASALE: All these conversations are and we're going to look at each other and say, "Did that feel too fucking dark again?" But in reality, I think, that's the purpose here. So, I'm in it for sure. And, you know, Megan, I'm always going to defer to you when we're talking clinically, because I think you're by far the expert when it comes to all the research that you do and all the effort that you put in. So, what is autistic burnout for all of our listeners who may not really have a good grasp of that? MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, no, that's a great question. And we should definitely add a link to this in the notes. I think her first name is Dana Ashlie? So, I think, I actually don't know her pronouns. So, I shouldn't assume her. But Dana Raymaker. They did a fantastic article that is the first to clinically define and research autistic burnout. It's a qualitative study. For people who don't know what that is, I really like qualitative studies, because it stays with people's stories.  So, they interviewed like 19 autistic people. 10 of them were women, which is rare for an autistic study, foreword genderqueer or gender, not in the binary, which is, again, fantastic for a study on autism. And then, I think there were like six or seven men.  So, first of all, I love a study that's representing autism from a more diverse lens, gender-speaking. And they found some themes, I realize I'm doing the very autistic, like, [INDISCERNIBLE 00:02:07] like, here's the design of the study, here's the people versus just like, what is autistic burnout? Okay, I'm zooming back out. PATRICK CASALE: It's cool, you're fun. MEGAN NEFF: So, okay, fantastic study, people should read it and there's a lot of kind of versions of it that I think it's a more accessible read than some peer-reviewed studies. So, they interviewed folks and listened for themes. That's how you do qualitative study, you listen for themes and you pull those out. Their definition of autistic burnout is, it's defined by three features, chronic exhaustion, this is emotional, this is physical, this is all the domains of exhaustion that are possible. It is a loss of skills. So, particularly, executive functioning skills, speaking skills. I know for me that is a big one, my ability to speak coherently or speak at all is really impacted by burnout. And then sensory sensitivities increase during burnout.  So, those are the three core features. They define it as three months or longer. Honestly, I think just when you're defining anything clinically you have to kind of put a timeframe around it. But I'm curious about that three months mark, why that's there. And they show how it really is distinct from like, you know, culture talks a lot about occupational burnout, that this really is distinct from that. It's also distinct from depression. Now, it often leads to depression, but it is distinct from depression.  I think this is such an important thing for mental health therapists to understand, because this is one of the leading pathways to suicidality for autistic people. And mental health therapists often don't understand burnout. They think it's depression, they treat it like depression, but it needs a different support, different treatment.  It's also more common among high maskers. They identified that masking was one of the huge factors contributing, which makes so much sense to me. So, I think this really sets people up to be misunderstood by their therapist, if their therapist not aware of high masking autism, not aware of suicidality. Okay, I'll stop there, because I've done a bit of a little info. But yeah, that's the clinical definition of autistic burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love this, because this is Megan and my process where we're obviously processing information very differently, and then, relaying it very differently, too.  And I think it's important to have your info dumps and your perspectives, because people need to know that component too, right? Like, this is the definition, this is, clinically speaking, what this looks like. And I think so often we're you using the term burnout in society in general, right? And you mentioned it was more related, workforce-related. Like, hey, yeah, we get it, work is stressful, and it's hard, and you're overworked and underpaid, and all the things that come with it, and then that leads to burnout. But this is different. And I think main component that you mentioned really set that apart.  And, I mean, we can go layer upon layer here, where it's like, what about autistic people in the workplace experiencing both like workplace burnout, autism burnout, etc. But in reality, like, it gets missed a lot. And clinically speaking, for sure, but also in friend groups and society in general. Like, the general advice around burnout is like, take a break, and like, go on vacation, or like, take a week off from work, and you'll be okay. And that is not what we're talking about here. I mean, even in that situation, a week off doesn't do it justice, but like… MEGAN NEFF: Right, right? Because then we're returning to the life that's burning us out. And that's what's different about, you know, allistic person, or neurotypical person who's experiencing burnout. They often can go through a recovery period, and then, like, bounce back. But for the autistic person, like, what I see a lot, what I've experienced a lot into the last two years when I deeply restructured my life it's like burnout, go back to my normal, but then I burnout again, because it was the normal life that was burning me out.  And so, that kind of bounced back and forth between burnout, like somewhat functional burnout, functional burnout, functional… And so, there isn't that idea of like bouncing back to some idea of normal. Often, it's not the case when we're talking about autistic burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love that you made that distinction, because that's an important one here. And for the autistic person who's experiencing autistic burnout, when you said a minimum of three months, right? I know we're talking clinically speaking, this could be going on for years, this could be going on for- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, yeah. PATRICK CASALE: …lifetimes.  MEGAN NEFF: Totally, totally.  PATRICK CASALE: You and I DM each other on Instagram a lot, like, and I did it before we started recording and I wish we were recording. I'm glad you kind of pointed that out. I asked you like, "Hey, how are you doing today?" And that's such a like conditioned question. You know, like, I'm supposed to introduce that way. And you were like, "I don't know. Like, I'm kind of here." Right? Like… MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, I do wish we were recording that moment of… And then, I think I told you. "No, that's a terrible question." Which is funny. That's actually how I respond to that question now. I mean, with you, I'm obviously really comfortable and will be like, "Yoh, that's a terrible question. Why you're asking me that neurotypical…." But with people who maybe aren't as an autistic culture, I will ask them to clarify like, what part of my life are you asking about? Because it's such a complex, like, what bucket in my life are we talking about when you ask me that? PATRICK CASALE: One, I love that. We are comfortable enough to just name it in our interaction. And two, I think that's such a good fucking point.  And I was talking to a caller yesterday about like, fluffing up emails of like, I kind of get straight to the point, you know, ask you what I need to ask you, or give you the information that you need, or whatever, and just be done with it. But then I always find myself, like, inserting a smiley face, or a lol, or like punctuation mark to emphasize my point, or like going back and copying and pasting, like, "Hey, how are you today, I hope all is well." Then jumping into the point that I actually want to make, and even operating from that neurotypical lens and expectation of communication leads to burnout, because that [CROSSTALK 00:09:09]- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, yeah. PATRICK CASALE: …energy to constantly think about how you are responding to things and how you're being received. MEGAN NEFF: Yep, yep, it takes that extra step of, I do the same thing. I read an email, and then I go back, and I like I warm it up. It's like, okay, I need to, like, have some sort of intro. And, oh, I shouldn't just say the thing. So, yeah, that whole extra step. And it is, it's prefrontal cortex work every time we're doing that. We do it in email, we do in conversation. So, all of these things that are happening on a more intuitive level for other people that we do when we mask, you know, that's all that prefrontal cortex, which is part of why it makes so much sense to me that masking is such a significant factor when it comes to burnout. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, just think about how much energy is being spent all the time. And then, how much is being absorbed all the time? And the differentiation there between like, once you start to get into that burnout place where you mentioned, a lot of it is sensory and overstimulation.  I'll give you an example. I was hosting a retreat that I was running a couple of weeks ago in New Orleans, and you know, I'm recovering from surgery, my energy is low, my capacity is low, my distress tolerance is already low. It hit me in a moment where I was sitting in the room with 20 people, they're all socializing, they're all having fun, but I'm picking up on like every word that everyone is saying. It's starting to get louder. And then, every noise is starting to like become more and more irritating. And the temperature is getting really hot. And I'm starting to find myself like stemming and like, needing the need to just regulate myself.  And I just realized in that moment, like, you're burnt out already, and you haven't even started what you're embarking upon this year. And combined surgery recovery with, you know, the autistic burnout piece of just the realization of when you're in that moment your distress tolerance skills kind of dissipate. Like, your executive functioning, like you mentioned, just starts to crumble.  And that was the first time for me, and I'm going to be really vulnerable here and honest, for our listeners, like, where I realized, I am so much closer to feeling that I am disabled or unable to function. And that world that sees me does not see it, because of how much energy and effort goes into doing whatever I'm doing.  And I had this major fucking grief moment and that moment where I was like, not only am I recognizing this, but I also realized like, I've created this thing in my business that am I really not capable of actually doing? That was really hard to try to process in that moment. MEGAN NEFF: It sounds like such a claustrophobic moment when you describe, like being in that moment, seeing what you had to do in front of you. And then, like the limits you are encountering in your body? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah, it was hard. And you were one of the first people I thought about messaging that to, because I was like, "I need to talk to someone about this who kind of understands what I'm talking about." MEGAN NEFF: Yeah. PATRICK CASALE: It's just such a challenge in that moment. And all you want to do is like retreat, and turn off the world, and disappear from it. And I know that that is a way to sensory soothe, too, but when you're expected to be participating, or involved, or hosting, or coaching, or whatever the responsibility is, it becomes too much. MEGAN NEFF: I know for me in those moments there's a narrative that kicks in, I should be able to push through, what is wrong with me that I can't push through? Was that part of it, too? PATRICK CASALE: Oh, absolutely. It was like, that was coming up, "You're letting your co-host and business partner down, because you're not pulling your weight. Why can't you just do the thing that you've done before? Clearly, something is wrong with you." And, "You're not able to do this thing." I like having fucking limitations placed upon what I can do. MEGAN NEFF: Oh, my gosh, right? Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's something I've thought so much about the last two or three years, is the limits and how that is for me, claustrophobic, that is the word for it. I feel claustrophobic when I encounter the limits in my body.  And they feel like they shouldn't be there. Like, even when I am, like my head knows, right? Like, the social disability model. And autism is a disability, and, like, I know these things, but in those moments, like, my felt experience is still, there's something wrong with you that you can't push through. And I'm not attributing it to being disabled. I'm not attributing it to being autistic, because it's been so baked into me my whole life that you should be able to do what others can do, you should be able to push through. Why are you making this so hard? It's in your head. Like, all those narratives are still baked into my body. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah. When that's coming up for you, I mean, how are you managing that? How are you kind of getting through those moments, because they can be so painful too and so debilitating? MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I mean, so I'll answer two ways. On one level, I think I've restructured my life to reduce those moments, right? It's interesting sometimes when I disclose this to people, people seem surprised. And I realize like, "Oh yeah, if you encountered me digitally you might not realize this." Like, I rarely leave my house. I mean, I'll go on walks. But I rarely see people, I rarely interact with people in body form, I rarely commit to things where I know I might encounter that claustrophobic, like, I've got a pretty fierce-like autonomy demand avoidance streak going on.  So, one, I've structured my life, I think, to avoid those moments. Last year, I was adjunct teaching at a university leading like a clinical team once a week. And it was three hours, eight students, but I'd come home exhausted, and be so exhausted the next day. And I stopped doing that this year. So, that'd be an example of I have restructured my life to avoid those painful moments.  And then, what do I do when I am encountering those moments? Like, I'm very meta in how I talk to myself. So, I'll talk myself through it of like, I'll identify the scripts that are playing, and I'll remind myself of the scripts I know that are true, but that I don't yet, like they're not living in my body yet. So, I'll do a lot of that kind of mindful naming of scripts in the way I talk to myself and remind myself. And then, I'll check in of like, what do I need? And I'm typically able to get myself some version of what I need. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I love that answer. And, you know, I think the ability to restructure is wonderful. And I also think that for us, we've talked about this before, it's also a privilege that we have [CROSSTALK 00:16:57]. MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely, yeah.  PATRICK CASALE: And I start thinking about, like, what if you don't have the ability to restructure and really be mindful of how your days are laid out and who you're interacting with, and when, and having control and autonomy over your situation like that? MEGAN NEFF: I'm so glad you brought the privilege piece up, because I think this is such an integral part of the autistic burnout pieces, is I'm very aware, I've been able to restructure my life because of all of my privileges.  When I started my business, at that point, we were dependent on my spouse's income. So, there's economic privilege. I have a doctorate. So, there's a lot of education that gives me a lot of mobility in the professional space.  So, I feel that when I work with clients in burnout, you know, whether they're in middle of graduate school, or due to socio-economic barriers, or name any of the barriers, cannot restructure their life, I think that's when I as a therapist feel the most stuck of like, there are systemic issues here, there are like neurobiological vulnerabilities here, there's very little I can say. Like, yes, we can talk about their sensory profile and we can talk about how to recover. But at the end of the day, there's these very real systemic blocks that we're running into that I have no control of and that feels claustrophobic. That's like my word of the day, apparently. I feel very stuck when I'm in that place with clients. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah. That's a great point, because there's nothing as the therapist that you can do to change that situation or their experiences, or responsibilities, even. And it's so challenging, because the system is not designed for folks who can't fit into that neurotypical model, especially, in the workforce. It's just, 99% of it just doesn't feel well-suited or set up with our needs in mind. MEGAN NEFF: And then, also, thinking about kind of supports for disabled people of like, when someone… when they're functioning, there's issues with that word, but it… Okay, when they're functioning [CROSSTALK 00:19:34]. Yeah, when their function ebbs and flows, like, we don't really have societal support for people like that. I think, individually, we don't know what to do with ourselves when we're someone who's, you know, I can go from, like, speaking on a stage to be non-speaking and laying flat on the couch the next day. Like, there's not really a template for folks of us who have such a range, because there's so many spikes, and there's so many valleys, and yeah, there's not great supports built-in, we have to kind of figure them out ourselves. Which again, if you have privilege, you're able to do that. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, yeah. And I think that's the paradox here, right? Is like, but even with that being said, to share from our own experiences of recognizing our privilege, but also recognizing that we are currently stuck or feeling like we're in our own versions of our own autistic burnout of, we still have responsibilities to take care of, right? Like, I know, you have your kiddos, I have two businesses to run, those responsibilities don't go away. And that means that I have to get really laser-focused, and really intentional about what I'm saying yes to, and what I'm not responding to.  And for the people pleasers and us, like myself, who I feel like I'm a recovering people pleaser, I feel like shutting off the world, there's this almost push pole guilt feeling of like not responding to people. And it feels good to have people in your life where you can just tell them very honestly, like, "I can't do this right now, this is all I'm capable of doing." And for me, that typically looks like turning all the lights off and laying in bed, watching something that's mindless over, and over, and over again, and not able to do anything else. But there's a cost there too, with like, partnerships, and communication, and just connection. But that's really all I can do. And coming back from New Orleans, I laid in bed for almost a week and a half. Like, if I wasn't doing one or two things a day that I had built in, that was all I could do. MEGAN NEFF: So, I'm having a new thought listening to you talk and like the picture of you in a room, lights off, week and a half, and knowing you, knowing that like, yes, Game of Thrones like is enlivening for you, but also knowing that you do thrive on relationship and connection.  Okay, so here's the thought I'm having. What if the recovery from autistic burnout is depressing, like in the sense of like, isolation, darkness? Like, what a brutal Catch-22 if what we need for our bodies to recover are also things that disconnect us and like, slow our bodies down to a degree that we're then losing connection with the things that give our life meaning and joy. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, like, can I ask how are you faring after a week and a half of like dark room recovery? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, one, I think that's a wonderful point that you just pointed out, like, you're spot on. The things that we need may also be the things that do lead to that depressive state. So, it is that Catch-22.  And you and I are both ADHD. The ADHD parts of me are like, "This is fucking terrible. Like, laying here, doing nothing, not creating, not feeling energized, like not feeling like there's a spark or something to get excited about." And the autistic part wins every time, because it's like, waving the white flag, right? Of like, I can't. Like, I can't do more than I can do right now.  But to answer your question, how am I doing now? I still feel it and I can't connect the dots between what is still recovery from surgery and what is also this autistic burnout piece. I think that they're both kind of intensifying the other. Does that make sense? Like- MEGAN NEFF: Oh, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: I just feel like if I'm typically running on like at 100% right now I feel like I'm at like 20%. So, it's pretty depleted. And then, the question becomes like, how do you replenish that to even get to a place where you can at least get through the day and the tasks that you've created for yourself? I think that's a Catch-22 of being an autistic entrepreneur, because, in New Orleans, I was saying thinking, "Okay, you're going to Costa Rica to speak at a conference." Which I actually backed out of today and I feel very proud of myself for doing, "And then you're hosting a retreat in Ireland." And I just kept thinking, "I can't do this stuff. Like, this is my world right now." And that's why I think the next month going into February, you know, I don't know when we're going to publish this episode, just for frame of reference, like, I'm going to be doing very little until I leave to go to Ireland in March because I want to conserve and like, regenerate, and replenish as much energy as I can. But here's the Catch-22 to that Megan, Ireland will then take all of it and more. So, you're playing this catch up game all the fucking time of like, how do I replenish? How do I recharge if I'm constantly depleting? MEGAN NEFF: I wonder if, not necessarily better, but an alternative term for demand avoidance would be like energy scarcity mindset of, like demand avoidance is so logical, based on what you're just describing of you have to store up energy for six weeks to go do a 10-day thing and then you have to recover from it. Yeah, energy scarcity mode. Can we make that a thing? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, I think we could definitely make that a thing. I think we can do an episode on that. I mean, I think you're so right, because the demand avoidance, like you said, is very logical. When you lay it all out [INDISCERNIBLE 00:26:31]. Of course, I'm going to avoid doing this. But in reality, it's like, I'm just so aware of how much energy it is going to take and how much I'm going to be depleted, that you have to go into that scarcity mode of like, I can't give it anywhere else, because there's nowhere else to give it or to receive it. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I'm thinking of, like, when I get an alert on my, you know, iPhone, or like, Apple Watch of like, you have low battery, would you like to go into low power mode? Where it's like, okay, all of the things that are draining power, we're going to turn it off. It's kind of like living in low-power mode. And then when that becomes your life, I think it's hard to not be depressed. PATRICK CASALE: Yep, because that's really when you're in that mode, where, okay, you turn it all off, right? And you recognize that you're there or you're very aware of what's going on. But then you can't say yes to the things that do bring you satisfaction and joy, because you're depressed, and you feel rundown, and you feel antisocial. Like, I feel like I don't want to interact with people. And that's a good indicator for someone like myself to acknowledge like, this is where I'm at, because I thrive on the connection that I have. And for me to want to avoid that at all costs is usually a very good indication of like, okay, we've arrived here, and this is where we're at. MEGAN NEFF: I love that you have a litmus test of like, this is my gauge of I know kind of where my power mode's at. For you, it's kind of how you respond to connections. For me, it's how I respond to ideas or books. And this was before I realized I was autistic. I've always been an avid reader. I love philosophy. I love kind of existential deep books and reading, and playing with ideas. When I can't pick up a book it's like, "Oh, my goodness, what is wrong with me?" And partly because I've had so much chronic fatigue, I could pretty much always sit on the couch and read a book.  But those moments in my life where I couldn't pick up a book, I couldn't listen to a podcast that had ideas, I couldn't take in any new ideas, that was my litmus test. Pronunciation is a hard thing for me. You'll realize that by doing a podcast with me. I'm speaking make up words all the time. But yeah, so I think it's really helpful for people when they know what their litmus test, however you say that word is of, oh, this is a sign, I'm entering low power mode, I'm entering burnout. PATRICK CASALE: I love that you just named that. Are you in that mode right now where books and new ideas are just [INDISCERNIBLE 00:29:21]. MEGAN NEFF: So, I actually can't tell. I was thinking about that as we started like, okay, am I in autistic burnout, or is this like winter chronic fatigue? And I think I've had chronic fatigue, essentially, since I had kids. So, it's hard for me to tease out what is burnout, what is chronic fatigue.  You know, I make a workbook a month, which is a lot of work, but I've been able, right now I'm working on one about just how we relate to our thoughts and cognitions, and I've been able to really enjoy learning about some of these concepts and reworking them to the fact that I'm able to enjoy parts of it. To me, I'm like, okay, I'm not at completely, like, burnout mode. But other areas of my life are definitely, I can tell I'm in burnout mode. So, I would say, I'm like, yeah, 50%. If you're at 20%, I would say I'm at 50%, because I still have things that can spark my curiosity. When I'm in deep burnout nothing sparks my curiosity. PATRICK CASALE: And I think that's the exact point right there, that's it. You just nailed it. Something can spark your curiosity, but if it can't that is a great indication that that is where you are, that you are in autistic burnout.  And I want all of you listening to think about what are the things that spark your curiosity? What are the things that you feel really, like, energized by and passionate about, interested in? If nothing is coming to mind right now, if you're feeling any of the things that Megan and I are talking about, could be a very good indication that that's where you're at, as well.  And I think one thing that we're not touching on and that's important to name too, is I think, when you are in autistic burnout substance use is going to ramp up, drastically.  MEGAN NEFF: Absolutely, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: And I noticed that for me that I was out of a fucking retreat in New Orleans, which is a city of debauchery and surrounded by 20 people that I had to be on for the entire time, so alcohol is my best friend at that moment, because I was messaging you about that of like, the socializing piece, the dropping into the, "Socially [CROSSTALK 00:31:37]" Right? Of being able to interact with people, to be able. To have some semblance of small talk alcohol has to be the lubricant for me. And acknowledging that is the realization of like, you have to pay attention to that for yourselves, for any of you who are listening, like, whatever the substance of choice or process of choice is, because it can get dangerous very quickly, and it can get out of hand very, very quickly, too. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, this is interesting. This isn't something I've talked too much about. I hope to talk more about, because I think it's a really important part of being neurodivergent, of burnout. But I have struggled with disordered relationship to alcohol in the past, and particularly, around burnout.  So, it's interesting. I'm curious about… there's something I've noticed. So, my spouse and I respond really different to alcohol. For me, it energizes me. For them, he's like ready to go to sleep after a glass or two of wine, or beer, or whatever it is. I noticed among autistic people and this is totally anecdotal, I noticed that it tends to be more energizing for them, which I'm really curious about.  So, for me, I often used it to energize and as like liquid dopamine. So, if I had papers to grade or some tedious task, and I was in burnout, then I'd be like, "Oh, well, I'll pair it with some wine tonight." And that became… like, because I could not mobilize. And it was before I knew about ADHD and autism, so I had no like medication support around dopamine and stimulants.  So, I think whether it's socializing, because it takes a sensory edge off, and it makes socializing easier, or whether it's to try and motivate us, or because it gives us this kind of faux sense of regulation and energy, I think there's so many reasons we're really vulnerable to, particularly, I would say alcohol during burn out. PATRICK CASALE: I agree 100% and with everything you just said, including the energizing component. And you know, there's such a cost to it too, because you don't sleep well, and then you throw in alcohol into the mix. And I mean, it's just so challenging.  So, really trying to, you know, figure out, for our listeners, too, you do a great job, Megan, I want to highlight this of like, really posting valuable, tangible content where you can put it into motion immediately and start putting it into place. And you talk about sensory soothing a lot, and you talk about skills and techniques to kind of manage burnout when you're in it. And I'm just curious about things that our listeners who may not be mental health professionals and have access to the things that we do, that they can do when they're experiencing some of this stuff. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, yeah. I've got cascading thoughts happening. So, on one, I think, identifying those self-soothers that are like faux self-soothers. Like, they're self-soothing in the moment, but they're actually making your burnout worse. So, things like alcohol use or other substance use. I would think identifying those and really targeting those things, because those create a cycle, a loop that then perpetuate the burnout.  And I think for a lot of people working with a medical provider or mental health therapist when they're targeting those self-soothers that are actually in the long run causing more harm, it can be really helpful to work with someone around those things.  And then, yeah, I talk about sensory detox a lot, sensory soothing. You have to have some interoceptive awareness to be able to identify when you're sensory overloaded and then soothe yourself. So, sometimes you have to actually go back a few steps and kind of work on interoceptive awareness, which there's some kind of simple mindfulness. That sounds like a big thing, work on interoceptive awareness, but there's simple mindfulness things. Like, I have a smoothie right here, I can grab my smoothie, I can focus on the sensation of the coldness on my hand and what that feels like, I can do that for 10 seconds while I drink my morning smoothie. And by mindfully attending to the sensory experience, putting my smoothie down, noticing the difference in my hand, that's interoceptive awareness builder right there. And it's not an extra I have to do in my day, it's when I'm grabbing my coffee or my smoothie.  Wow, I'm like diverging all over the place, so interceptive awareness, sensory soothers, like using all the kinds of sensory accommodations that can be helpful, and it often, I think, takes a lot of experimenting, especially, for later in life diagnosed people and high maskers who maybe are so disassociated from the body by the time they get to diagnosis or identification. It takes a lot of experimenting to figure out what is soothing for my body? What does my body, like? What doesn't it like?  So, giving yourself a lot of kind of play space to figure that out. Rest, there's lots and lots of rest, dropping demands, and those can be small. Like, sometimes we think, "Well, I can't leave my job." Or "I can't, you know, walk away from my business."  For our family, there's some demands that can always be dropped, for example, family dinner. If someone is having an overloading day they can eat in their room, they can eat in a quiet space. That's an example of a more simple demand drop or maybe not showering that day. Like, there can be these more simple demand drops. But I think thinking through where can I drop demands.  And spending less time masking. So, figuring out who are the safe people to be around who I don't have to mask as much. Are there things I can say no to? To say no is huge, just like working on boundaries. And then that gets into people pleasing.  And, again, working with a therapist, I think around why I say no hard can be really helpful. I just spewed off a random list. There's more and I think I have a few blog posts that talk about recovery tips, we can link to that. You're going to get a more linear version of me when I write versus when I talk. PATRICK CASALE: I like to get both versions because both are unbelievably helpful. And I just learned a new word today from you. So, interoceptive, I did not know that term. So, here we are.  But these are great tips. And I think you're so spot on when it's like different things are going to work for different people. And it's so easy to say like, here's a list of 10 things to try things out. You know, for me, I always need to take hot showers, and like I've always been obsessed with them. MEGAN NEFF: Me too. PATRICK CASALE: And I never realized why I take two showers a day. But now I have a very good understanding and just doing those types of things have been really helpful. And, again, hitting home on having a neurodivergent affirmative therapist really important. If you're, you know, struggling and you're autistic, if you're ADHD, if you have any form of neurodiversity. Like, having good therapy is so crucial.  And yeah, being able to unmask, like Megan said, so when you go on a podcast with your friend, and you know each other you don't start with the conversation with, "Hey, how are you doing today?" Knowing that Megan is going to say, "Oh, that's a really bad question." But those are the things, right? That we were talking about, the little things that build up. So, if you can remove these little things from your day-to-day, like the energy it takes to revisit your emails, the energy it takes to communicate with your friends or your loved ones, it's really helpful, because it's just that one extra fucking thing that you don't have to do, or you don't have to worry about, or you don't have to put your energy into. And I think it's so hard when everything takes that extra little bit of energy, MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, absolutely. PATRICK CASALE: Well, this has been a really great conversation about a topic that I think is, obviously, near and dear to our hearts and that we know a lot of you are experiencing in the moment or have experienced. And I hope that this has been helpful. And we're going to continue to have conversations about these topics that a lot of people are just not having. And I think that getting this perspective is really great.  So yeah, I don't have anything else to add today. I think I'm hitting my limit. So, I'm going to be honest about that on air. And, yeah, I think that's where I'm at. MEGAN NEFF: I love that. And that's perhaps the best you asked about, like, what can people do to help with burnout? I think that's actually probably one of the best things is to recognize when we're at our limit and honor it. PATRICK CASALE: Yeah. I've gotten used to now post-surgery two things a day. And my schedule is my limit. And that used to be really hard. And it's getting to be a welcomed part of my week where I can say like, all right, I get to talk with Megan for my second thing of the day, and then I'm done.  But yeah, I think for any of you listening, all this information will be in the show notes, too. All the links to the blogs Megan's talking about, and the articles. And I just hope that this has been helpful for everyone, too. We still don't know how to close this podcast out, so… MEGAN NEFF: Didn't we come up with like an awkward…? PATRICK CASALE: Yeah, we're just going to say goodbye and then turn it off. MEGAN NEFF: Yeah, but we had some kind of tagline. I'm trying to remember at the moment, like the place where we do awkward goodbyes, goodbye. PATRICK CASALE: The place where we do awkward goodbyes on the Divergent Conversations podcast coming out every single week. Goodbye.  MEGAN NEFF: Perfect.

Many Autistic People have co-occurring health conditions, in addition to Autism. I am no exception. When I became burned out, these conditions flared, leading to my diagnosis at the age of 29. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2023/03/24/autistic-burnout-saved-my-life-is-how-i-learned-that-im-autistic/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/neurodivergentrebel/support

 Sunehra speaks with Dr Paula Gerber, Professor of Law at Monash University, discussing how the collapse of Home Builder, Porter Davis affected thousands of customers and the construction industry. Grace speaks with writer, editor and critic, Ben Brooker, about his recent article called "Congo line to Armageddon: the rush to get us into war with China" (Overland 24/3/23) in which he critiques the uproar brought by media outlets Sydney Morning Herald and The Age as a result of warmongering commentary ​badged 'Red Alert' against China​​​​ . They also discussed the tales of China's invasion and why war continues to be a discussion at this time.  Universities continue to be under fire from disgruntled overworked staff, many of whom claim they are doing work which is unpaid. The National Tertiary Education Union report issued earlier this year showed that university employees around the country have been subsidising employers through unpaid work to the tune of over $80 million dollars. This figure is now reported to have risen to over $100 million. We hear from Dr Alison Barnes, national president of the National Tertiary Education Union who spoke to Annie McLoughlin from 3CR's Stick Together programme about the report and the workplace issues facing staff at Australia's tertiary institutions. This conversation first aired on Stick Together on March 1st.  Claudia speaks with autistic autism researcher, PhD candidate and Neurodiversity Project Manager at La Trobe University, Beth Radulski about neurotypical privilege, autistic burnout and safety for autistic staff and students in the university environment. You can follow Beth on Twitter @BethRadulski and Tik Tok @bethradulski.Further resources: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/support/wellbeing/resource-hub/Neurodiversity https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/masking-my-autism-at-work-was-exhausting-the-program-boosting-employment-for-the-neurodiverse-20230409-p5cz2y.html To learn more about autism head to the Amaze website www. amaze.org.auFor support call the Autism Connect National autism helpline Phone: 1300 308 699​​​​​​​The Young Leaders Program is open for young Victorians aged 14-25 who identify as having a disability.Applications close Wednesday 12th April at 5pm. http://YACVic.org.au/youngleaders Songs  Hammock by Pirritu Lavender by Pphoebee_Still Running by Spacey Jane Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd  

Season 4 is here! We kick off the season with a very chunky episode on Autistic Burnout. In this episode we cover what is burnout in general, the difference between optimal and peak performance, what is Autistic Burnout and what are the signs, what causes and what exacerbates Autistic Burnout, preventative and recovery strategies, and what burnout can signal to us.   Find the study on autistic burnout that we mentioned here.   Contact us at ndwomanpod@gmail.com, or visit our website: www.ndwomanpod.com   We are on Patreon! Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 2!Today we are talking about "burnout".  Specifically autistic burnout, and how it differs from neurotypical understanding of burnout.Joining me is Dr. Megan Anna Neff, a clinical psychologist working in Oregon. She specializes in working with neurodivergent adults and provides neurodivergent affirming assessments.  And she has a special interest in autistic burnout.Key Moments:00:06:32 Burnout can lead to depression.00:07:03 Autistic burnout: exhaustion, skills loss, sensitivities.00:14:04 Sensory sensitivities can cause burnout.00:20:04 Autistic people more vulnerable to chronic conditions.00:31:07 Prevent burnout through universal design.00:36:39 Find supports and accommodations.00:38:08 Heal with nature and body.About the Guest:Dr. Megan Anna Neff is a clinical psychologist working in Oregon. She specializesin working with neurodivergent adults and provides neurodivergent affirming assessments. They are a late in life diagnosed Autistic-ADHDer who is passionate about educating the mental health field on non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD. Neff has co-authored two books, and published in several peer-reviewed psychological journals. They have a passion for research and for translating research into visualization which she provides on her website, Instagram and monthly workbooks. You can also find their work at www.neurodivergentinsights.com or on instagram (@Neurodivergent_Insights). Resources cited in the episode:Raymaker et al research on Autistic Burnout:“Having All of YourInternal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and BeingLeft with No Clean-Up Crew: Defining Autistic Burnout."https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/aut.2019.0079Free PDFs available on Neurodivergent Insights siteAutism in Adulthoodhttps://home.liebertpub.com/publications/autism-in-adulthood/646Increased Chance for Chronic Diseases articleFollow Neuroversity on all our social platforms:Neuroversity WebsiteIGFacebookTwitterLinkedInPatreon

Autistic burnout is a newly recognized syndrome that affects people with autism spectrum disorders.  In this episode Dawn discusses why it occurs, how it presents and ultimately how to support your loved one through this difficult time.  

What is Autistic burnout? Although it can be different for everyone, there can be some of the same signs and symptoms. In this episode, I give my experience of Autistic burnout as well as give some other examples of how others have described it. Being Autistic YouTube Channel --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/being-autistic/support

I'm honored to kick off the season with a powerful conversation about autistic burnout with autism and neurodiversity support specialist, Kristy Forbes. Kristy and I talk about what exactly autistic burnout is and how it presents, why “deep rest” is critical for someone experiencing autistic burnout, and how autistic burnout is differentiated from mood disorders or depression. We also talk frankly about the challenges of seeing burnout in autistic children through a neuronormative lens, and how that may lead to therapies and strategies that may be the opposite of what a child in autistic burnout actually needs.Kristy Forbes is an Australian-based autism & neurodiversity support specialist with experience working with clients both nationally and internationally. This includes neurodivergent people and their families; and professionals who wish to support them, such as educators, psychologists, pediatricians, allied health professionals, support workers and integration aides.Kristy is formally identified autistic, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) as well as being a parent to four neurodivergent children.Things you'll learn from this episodeWhat autistic burnout is and how it's different from other types of burnoutHow mental health challenges might be misinterpreted in autistic burnout treatmentHow to support young people, adolescents, and children in recognizing the value of taking pause and restingClues to help parents have a better understanding of what their child is struggling withExamples of what deep rest might look like for children and young peopleHow to recognize when your child is starting to emerge from burnoutResources mentioned for Autistic BurnoutKristy Forbes' website InTune PathwaysKristy Forbes on FacebookA Conversation with Dr. Melissa Neff About Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) (podcast)In Tune Families Core ProgramsKristy Forbes on InstagramHarry ThompsonA Conversation with Neurodiversity & Support Specialist Kristy Forbes (Tilt Parenting Podcast)Kieran Rose, The Autistic ActivistKristie's Critical Care & Recovery ProgramSupport the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram

In this episode I talk about why it can be hard for non autistics to understand what it really means to experience sensory overload or burnout as an autistic person. I explain what it's like to have sensitivities that trigger reactions that we can't control and end up getting judged and ostracized for. This is all due to systematic social constructs which are rooted in ableism.

On this episode of 'My Friend Autism' Orion Kelly shares his key strategies to avoid Autistic burnout. Orion Kelly is an Autistic YouTuber, podcaster, radio host, actor and Autistic advocate. Find out more and check out his podcasts & YouTube videos at Orion's website: https://orionkelly.com.au All rights reserved.

As our bodyminds change, so too do our routines and creative practices. Elle sits down with guest Isabel Abbott to talk burnout, silence, plant care, and carving out small pockets of joy to nurture ourselves. Join in as these two spoonies share a heartfelt laugh over their affinity for a good complaining session with fellow disabled folks. Nothing quite compares to the camaraderie of shared experience. Subscribe to Hoorf! Radical Care in a Late Capitalist Heckscape wherever you listen to your favorite podcast:AppleSpotifyGoogleBecome a Patron:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hoorfpodcast/membership Connect with Elle Billing:  Website: www.hoorfpodcast.com / www.elleandwink.com Instagram: instagram.com/hoorfpodcast Support the show

Something that we tend to agree upon, when talking about Autistic burnout, is that it is the result from having to force ourselves into a society that wasn't designed to take our needs and considerations into account, whether that is our sensory processing differences, our differences in the ways our bodies move and the ways we communicate. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2022/12/14/autism-and-burnout-my-experience-with-autistic-burnout/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/neurodivergentrebel/support

On World Mental Health Day, I am talking about what it's like to have autistic burnout, and the impact it has on mental health. To send any comments or questions, or to request to join the Autistihood forum on Discourse - email Toni at autisticat40@outlook.com or find me on Instagram (@Autistic_at_40_podcast).

NOTE: This is the second-half of a two part series on my recent discovery of Autistic Burnout. In yesterday's Adulting post, I discovered some of the signs and what to do in order to practice restorative care for myself. Today, I share what I discovered as the best practices for me in order to restore my energy following periods of burnout. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2022/09/06/reflections-restoring-autistic-burnout/

As this post is published on a holiday such as Labor Day (in the US), I would like to share a little more on how I have recently discovered that I recently met my terms with Autistic Burnout and that I accepted the need to better take care of myself. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2022/09/05/adulting-accepting-autistic-burnout/

In this video I share my experience of discovering autistic burout, the generalization of it and how I plan to recharge from it based on the knowledge I gained various various autistic YouTubers. Originally uploaded to YouTube: https://youtu.be/m6um4suEgUU

ADHD-friendly Weekly Planner · Helps with Executive Dysfunction https://etsy.me/3NigpLR ·ONE ON ONE COACHING· https://selfembark.com ·Connect with me·

Over the years, I have been reading more about Autistic Burnout and exactly what it is. I think that I have always experienced it, but never understood it, nor have I accepted the fact that it is OK to not be constantly engaged in something, whether it be a special interest or something that I like to do that isn't an interest. I am starting to learn finally that autisicic burnout is something that comes with the autism diagnosis and that accepting it will put my mind more at ease and I will be able to function better in life. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2022/07/12/reflections-autistic-burnout-free-time/

In this video, I define Autistic Burnout, what it is, how I accepted it as part of the diagnisis along with what I do routinely to prevent it from occuring. Originally Uplaoded to YouTube @ https://youtu.be/UwyE-5ziI1s Sources: Understanding Autistic Burnout (National Autistic Society, U.K.) ANTIDOTES TO AUTISTIC BURNOUT (Organization for Autistic Research) Review of New Headset

In this episode, The Lads talk Autistic Burnout.

the first episode!!! this week I talk about my struggles with getting burnt out and how it impacted me as a teenager!

Kieran Rose is an Autistic parent, published academic, published author and international public speaker who has worked professionally in and around the autism field for around 20 years. His background is specifically in Primary and Specialist SEND Education and service delivery for Autistic adults.   He consults organisations and institutions in the UK and globally on policy, best practice and service delivery. He is also retained by The Star Institute, a US Occupational Health charity, as their Neurodivergence Educator.   Kieran delivers bespoke training validated by fellow academics and embedded with up-to-date research, alongside knowledge based on decades of engagement with Autistic people, Professionals and Parents. Nearly two million people have read his writing at www.theautisticadvocate.com.   He has guest-lectured on a variety of Psychology and Education Masters courses at various Universities across the UK and is an Honorary Research Associate with the University of Sunderland and a researcher with GRRAND University College London. He is also a peer reviewer for the Academic journal ‘Autism in Adulthood'.   Kieran's academic work focuses on Autistic Masking, Autistic Burnout, Autistic Identity, Trauma and Stigma. He has also co-produced workplace employment research for Neurodivergent people with the Institute of Leadership and Management.   You can find Kieran:   www.theautisticadvocate.com https://twitter.com/kieranrose7  https://www.facebook.com/theautisticadvocate  www.linkedin.com/in/kieran-rose-38574b55/   If you want to hire or become a Work Pirate get started at https://www.workpirates.com/ or follow us @WorkPirates

In this video I explain the process of my first "true" self-care day and how I am realizing that I need more of them currently due to additional burnout both of the general and autstic types. Also Uploaded to YouTube: https://youtu.be/_sp-hdPgNnw

Carole Jean Whittington, also known as the ‘Social Autie', is a late-identified ADHD-Autistic woman and Host of the Mind Your Autistic Brain Talk Show. She uses a NeuroDistinct perspective to educate on Autistic accommodations in the workplace, relationships, burnout, masking, and more! In this episode, Candice and Carole Jean cover a variety of sexy and inspiring topics including sexuality myths and realities of Autistic women, misidentified emotions and alexithymia, knowing (and loving) ourselves completely, and how what goes on outside the bedroom will impact what goes on in the bedroom! There is also talk of mental health, autistic burnout, and finding oneself after hitting rock bottom. The episode is wrapped with Candice and Carole Jean reading and answering some Neurodiverse Love Conversation Cards! Click here to get a FREE copy of the Top 20 Warning Signs You May Be in Autistic Burnout!

Joe talks about his personal experiences with autistic burnout as well as how we could help our students who might be struggling with the same issues.

Today I am going to talk about strategies for dealing with Autistic Chronic Fatigue. I want to be clear at the start here that I have no idea what causes chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS. CFS may have multiple underlying causes. We don't know. However the symptoms do seem to be shared in a similar way by multiple people. My working hypothesis is that it seems like a different condition in Autistics for the same reason that everything else seems different in Autistics. It's because Allistics and Autistic are wired differently.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and you or someone you know.

Autistic Burnout is devastating and we know a lot about what can trigger it but very little about what causes it.

We've all been burnt out at least once in our lives. Where sustaining your lifestyle and/or job becomes genuinely impossible to do and you now have to pay for the repercussions of pushing yourself long past your limit. On today's episode I wanted to talk about my experiences working multiple people-centered jobs in the past--the benefits of those experiences and also the very real pitfalls of them as well. ·Connect with me·

If you've wondered whether you are in autistic burnout, if you've downloaded your free copy of my Top 20 Warning Signs You May Be In Autistic Burnout and had a few questions about if a sign applied to you, this is your episode. Join me and my guest, Melissa Tacia from Oh, That's Just My Autism podcast as we spend a coaching session together going through the questions she had from the Top 20 List and see if you experience the same breakthrough Melissa did or a new one. Get your FREE Download: Top 20 Warning Signs You May Be In Autistic Burnout https://linktr.ee/socialautie Melissa is a mother, student, & business owner who received her Autism & ADHD diagnoses in August of 2021 at the age of 41. While awaiting her diagnosis appointment, she started the podcast, “Oh, That's Just My Autism”, where she chronicles her journey to diagnosis and beyond. CONTACT- Email - ohthatsjustmyautism@gmail.com Instagram - @oh.thatsjustmyautism Podcast - https://anchor.fm/justmyautism --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/socialautie/support

I am so excited to welcome Carole Jean Whittington to the Neurodiverging Podcast today. She's known as Social Autie throughout the Autism community and is known for her unique approach to Autistic Burnout. She hosts the Mind Your Autistic Brain Talk Show for Late Identified Autistics. Like me, Carole Jean is a late identified ADHD-Autistic, who discovered at 39 years old why life had been so confusing and such a struggle. We're discussing Carole Jean's new course, Rest Is More Than Sleep, in the Autastic community, as well as both of our own personal experiences with autistic burnout. Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/Bsp1nkH52xU Learn more about Carole Jean's course, Rest Is More Than Sleep, here: https://community.autastic.com/share/Nc1oGvp2SC1ChaGL?utm_source=manual Download the Top 20 Warning Signs You May Be in Autistic Burnout: https://socialautie.ck.page/af5e10de27 And see the transcript, show notes, and more information here: https://neurodiverging.com/autistic-burnout-and-autistic-rest-with-carole-jean-whittington/ I was a featured guest on Carole Jean's podcast a while back - check out Family Relationships & Emotional Intelligence on Mind Your Autistic Brain! https://youtu.be/bZQ0GsO0fXA Like the Neurodiverging Podcast and want to hear more? Check out our Patreon: http://patreon.com/neurodiverging --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/neurodiverging/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/neurodiverging/support

One of the reasons why most BURNED OUT AUTISTICS are stuck with SELF-CARE and not seeing BURNOUT RECOVERY is they are NOT SURE WHAT TO DO OR FEEL TOO TIRED AND OVERWHELMED TO EVEN DO ANYTHING and before you know it you have SLIPPED DEEPER INTO THE BURNOUT CYCLE LOOP OF DEATH. In this episode, what we're going to talk about is how to get rid of those problems and create a SIMPLE AND ACTIONABLE PLAN EVEN IF YOU ARE IN BURNOUT RIGHT NOW that WILL GIVE YOU A PLACE TO GET CALM AND QUIET, A PLACE TO RESTORE YOUR ENERGY AND EVEN RESTORE YOUR SOUL. I am willing to bet that you don't have a SELF CARE PLAN FROM THE INSIDE OUT THAT INCLUDES NANO VACATIONS AS PART OF YOUR AUTISTIC BURNOUT RESTORATION PLAN. So if that interests you and you'd like to learn about my unique autistic self care element called a Nano Vacation, check out S3 E11 of the Mind Your Autistic Brain Talk Show on Podcast. Listen HERE: https://anchor.fm/socialautie Sign up for the MYAB Email List Here: https://socialautie.ck.page/4e9c4651b8 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/socialautie/support

On this episode of 'My Friend Autism' Orion Kelly explores the topic of Autistic burnout, the signs and causes, and strategies to avoid experiencing it.Orion Kelly is an Autistic YouTuber, podcaster, radio host, actor and Autistic advocate. Find out more and check out his podcasts, YouTube videos & blogs at Orion's website: https://orionkelly.com.auAll rights reserved.

In this episode, Nicnac gives explaining and defining Neurodivergance another try, having felt that they may have glossed over a few things in recent episodes. They return to their favorite historic Psychologist Abraham Maslow to point out an important oversight in his research that some current scholars are beginning to understand. Namely, the internal experience of autism and other forms of neurodiversity. They highlight the recent work done by Dr. Dora Raymaker and The Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education at Portland State University around the topic of Autistic Burnout and the age range when it becomes most severe. Generally speaking, around the time of transition into adulthood between about 15 and 25. In Nicnac's case, this period extended well into their early 30's. Nicnac notes that they relied heavily on and connected strongly to the work of John Lennon and The Beatles during this period of their life. Nicnac notes some notable parallels between John's life experience and their own with both Nicnac and John seeming to express less external public distress by their early to mid-30s. Nicnac suspects that in both cases it's more a matter of masking and avoiding known triggers than anything else. Nicnac makes mention of a recent survey invitation they got to contribute to the creation of a guidebook for autistic teens as one example of improved research and collaborative methodology that is inclusive of the first-hand internal experience. Nicnac hopes that if researchers continue to include and involve people with the lived internal experience that mental health at large might slowly turn an important corner. Nicnac again notes the importance of the neurodivergent online community. A community that often seems to be lightyears ahead of researchers especially when it came to finding an overlap between neurodiversity and gender diversity. Nicnac mentions where they are in their translation and that they are hoping they've found the right support in this area. Finely, Nicnac mentions plans they have to branch out with the podcast despite their social limitations. This will hopefully include an interview with Antony Rotunno in the next episode. A podcaster, teacher, truth seeker and recording artist who knows John Lennon about as well as anyone who wasn't John Lennon can. They also mention the story of Robert Pirsig. A person they hope to research and cover in some depth down the line. Finely, they mention their desire to interview other neurodivergent people and activists who are similarly hell-bent on making the world better even if we can't stand humanity overall. Donate Credits The opening music is Raindrop Rhapsody by Josh Eikenberry. The closing music is Catch Me If You Can by Attica Attica. Find them at atticaattica.bandcamp.com. The Nicnac Podcast & FSRideAlong Series is © 2006-2021 by Nicnac Marsh and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nicnacmarsh/message

In this episode I talk about Autistic burnout. Is this what has been slowly creeping up on me over the past year? Am I in burnout? Thanks to Carole Jean from Mind Your Autistic Brain Podcast, I have a list of the 20 most common symptoms of Autistic burnout. Let's discuss, shall we? I highly recommend Carole Jean's podcast, by the way! She always has amazing guests and the most interesting conversations about being a late-diagnosed autistic. You can find her and get more info on burnout (and other things) here: https://socialautie.com If you enjoy the pod and want more content, or just want to get in touch, find me on IG @oh.thatsjustmyautism or shoot me an email me at ohthatsjustmyautism@gmail.com :-)

Is it exhaustion? Is it depression? Is it something physical? Could it be Autistic Burnout? I am sharing some of the TOP 20 Warning Signs You May be In Autistic Burnout today to help you discover if this is what you are or have experienced in your autistic life. Learn what autistic burnout is, what it can look like and feel like and what the next step is in your journey. YOU ARE INVITED to join your MYAB friends this Saturday, July 24th at 2pm EST for CELEBRATION SATURDAY where we come together to celebrate all things autistic in a safe and loving space. https://linktr.ee/socialautie To get YOUR COPY of my TOP 20 WARNING SIGNS YOU MAY BE IN AUTISTIC BURNOUT visit my website https://socialautie.com/ There are 7 forms of rest other than the passive physical form of sleep. These 7 other forms of rest are critical to autistic burnout restoration and knowing how to incorporate them into your life to prevent chronic cycle burnout, the temporary meltdowns and shutdowns we often live with is vital. Knowing how we as neurodistinct people sleep and what we need to be aware of in order to get the deep restorative sleep that we need especially during burnout is exactly what I will be sharing more in-depth on in the Rest is MORE than Sleep mini course. It is exclusively available on the new Autastic platform created by a collaboration of late identified autistcs by us for us. Join the waiting list today to be the first in the doors on August 1st to get access to this course and so much more. I am personally inviting you to join us. We are so thrilled to share this new way to connect and get the resources, advice, community and social engagement you want from some of the biggest advocates and coaches you know and love and a few new ones we are thrilled to introduce you to. Join us today. https://weareconnected.autastic.com/community-waitlist Join us each Wednesday on your favorite platform. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss the latest episode and if you are loving the show, please take a moment to give a 5 star rating (If I've earned it) and a review on your listening platform or a comment under the video. Help your friend who is just starting their autism journey and share the show with them too. We all need a helping hand and a friend looking out for us. Be that friend. We look forward to hearing what you think and what you've learned each week. If you or someone you know would be a great guest to share their story on the show please send me an email at: carolejeanw@socialautie.com SUBJECT LINE: GUEST Visit me on the web at: www.socialautie.com If you are enjoying the show and it has been helpful to you in any way, please consider sponsoring me either by a monthly contribution via Anchor or through a one time sponsorship via Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/socialautie I put a tremendous amount of time, heart and resources AKA Spoons into this show for you and appreciate your acknowledgement and assistance to ensure future episodes and to keep it ad free. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/socialautie/support

What allowances are you giving yourself? Do you ever feel disconnected from your own existence? In today's discussion, my friend artist Marc Bardon and I are talking about these questions and so much more, including the power of negative space in our artwork. Marc is also sharing some sneak peeks into his upcoming webinar for The Autistic Art Club this Saturday, July 17th. (See the links and details below) Time Stamps: 4:00 Sharing and Connection before & after identification 7:00 Early Trauma & connecting with my inner child 11:00 Embracing & sharing our enthusiasm 12:40 Indoctrination 14:20 Expectations we put on ourselves & our physical health 17:00 Feeling a disconnection to my own existence 22:00 Where our energy goes 26:00 You're allowed to feel 31:00 Building blocks of the late identified life 35:40 When you are creating art, how do you use it to communicate yourself to the world? 41:00 The Power of Negative Space 44:00 Emotional & physical connection to our work, allowance to cry 47:10 The Autistic Art Club Webinar Exclusive 52:00 How to utilize critique Hi, I'm Carole Jean Whittington. And you're about to experience the new way to thrive in life and relationships as a late identified autistic by UnVeiling who you are, what you love, how to create balance and being the leader and creator of your best life. Get ready because this is where we go against the mainstream, say no to outdated society norms, and we say yes to who we are in order to create a joy filled, balanced and more NeuroDistinct world-Unbuntu. Welcome to Mind Your Autistic Brain. Visit me on the web at: www.socialautie.com and get your copy of my Top 20 Warning Signs You May Be in Autistic Burnout. If you are enjoying the show and it has been helpful to you in any way, please consider sponsoring me either by a monthly contribution via Anchor or through a one time sponsorship via Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/socialautie I put a tremendous amount of time, heart and Spoons into this show for you and appreciate your acknowledgement and assistance to ensure future episodes and to keep it ad free. Marc Bardon- Marc Bardon is a multimedia artist and volunteer advocate living in Upstate New York. Their artistic work is an extension of their experience and ever-developing perception as a queer autist creating in the abstract realm. Marc's visual and literary work has been featured in galleries, covered & featured in journals and has been displayed on multiple online platforms. As a volunteer, Marc works as a mentor, consultant, educator and advisor focused on creating more inclusive spaces and fostering self-advocacy skills within the autistic community. Contact: MBardon.com @mbardonart on IG To sign up for the webinar on Saturday, July 17th @ 7pm GMT/2pm EST/11am PST: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpf-GtrjkjHtem8KUx6GUQPvzRuZESReL_ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/socialautie/support

I invited our Mind Your Autistic Brain community to send in their questions about burnout and I hosted a very casual zoom to answer them. We ended up with 13 questions in this episode and I hope it is as helpful to you as it was to the group. The poll results showed that the majority weren't sure if they were in burnout at the beginning of the webinar and wanted to learn more and when I asked at the end if those who answered they weren't sure now had clarity the results were very clear, yes burnout was definitely on the radar now. Time Stamps: Q1- 4:11 What is Autstic Burnout? Q2- 7:40 How can I help someone who is going through burnout? Q3- 10:51 What's the recovery journey look like? Where to start? What's the 1st step? Q4- 18:16 I have a long to do list, events and travel coming up and I'm feeling drained. Q5- 21:46 I have felt more distant & have no will to be social, is this an early sign? Q6- 26:12 Is there any way of getting motivated while in burnout? Q7- 31:43 At what age can burnout start? Q8- 34:44 How long or short could it be? How much can burnout vary? Q9- 37:44 How do I make peace with the me who was in burnout? Q10- 39:57 I've always thought I suffer from depression but could this be burnout? Q11- 43:20 Can medications make a difference and could this still be burnout? Q12- 47:19 How do I prioritize myself? Q13- 49:22 How do I recognize BO warning signs? How do I manage BO while still working full time? Mind Your Autistic Brain Talk Show hosted by The Social Autie, that's me, Carole Jean. I am a late identified, adult autistic and each week I have a conversation with another late identified autistic, who shares their voice, experiences and journey with you. I am only one voice among many and I can't wait to share my incredible friends with you and let you know that you are not alone on this autism journey, we are here with you. Join us each Wednesday on your favorite platform. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss the latest episode and if you are loving the show, please take a moment to give a 5 star rating (If I've earned it) and a review on your listening platform or a comment under the video. Help your friend who is just starting their autism journey and share the show with them too. We all need a helping hand and a friend looking out for us. Be that friend. We look forward to hearing what you think and what you've learned each week. If you or someone you know would be a great guest to share their story on the show please send me an email at: carolejeanw@socialautie.com SUBJECT LINE: GUEST Visit me on the web at: www.socialautie.com f you are enjoying the show and it has been helpful to you in any way, please consider sponsoring me either by a monthly contribution via Anchor or through a one time sponsorship via Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/socialautie --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/socialautie/support

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes. My guest today is self diagnosed. She's 26 and lives in Latvia, where an autism diagnosis is not available for adults. She briefly studied medicine at university, before switching to Sociology. She has spent time volunteering abroad with animal rights and environmental organisations, where for the first time she felt a sense of belonging, despite the challenges of living and working in a group situation in a different country. While abroad she gradually realised she is autistic. In my conversation with Luize we talk about  ➡ Sensory issues at school and work ➡ Attitudes to autism in her country ➡ Her decision to quit her medical degree ➡ What is was like volunteering abroad, and how it helped her discover her autism ➡ Sustainable activism, burnout, and some of the issues faced by neurodivergent people in volunteer projects I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences. I'm Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I'm now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn't quite fit.   EPISODE LINKS: https://www.instagram.com/mimijona/ https://www.instagram.com/the.mindful.traveller/   If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/  Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/    THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS! A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast: Cat Preston, Corinne Cariad, Elise, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Laurie Green, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Pete Burke, Sarah Hardy, Vera Cady If you're enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast 

First, what is Autistic Burnout? It's a mental, physical, and emotional state that many Autistic People battle with, because of expectations to keep pace in the NeuroTypical world. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://neurodivergentrebel.com/2021/06/03/my-recent-autistic-burnout-breaking-the-cycle-of-overwork/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/neurodivergentrebel/support

A deep dive on Autistic Burnout, what causes it and what we can do about it to help ourselves and/or support those experiencing it. Music: “Theme 27, Version 2” by Joe Kuta published by Jos. M. Kuta Music Publishing, BMI. Podcast sponsored by Tiimo (more information: https://www.tiimoapp.com). Resources mentioned: "10 things you can do to recover that don't involve sleeping" Instagram post: (https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uIXTIBR1j/), "Neurodivergent people and self-care" Instagram post: (https://www.instagram.com/p/CIGffgMB6lP/), "Sensory overload recovery ideas" Instagram post: (https://www.instagram.com/p/CLKNJyyBmdu/). "Neurodivergent Self-Care Ideas: For When You Are Feeling Drained" ebook (https://www.theautistic.life/product-page/neurodivergent-self-care-ideas). Transcript: https://bit.ly/30yP7eiSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/theautisticlife)

In Episode #5, Candice shares about her recent bout of autistic burnout that stifled her productivity (among other things) and Chris offers some useful mindfulness tools for managing stress, anxiety, and helping to alleviate symptoms of autistic burnout. Listen! 

216. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 4Related links for 216. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 4: Reply to this episode on ykyz: https://ykyz.com/p/784ac1b23d4ddb8ff95e949e2d6c55ce4567d578 Aspie and Proud microcast: https://ykyz.com/c/microcast?&username=aspieandproud

213. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 1Related links for 213. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 1: Reply to this episode on ykyz: https://ykyz.com/p/57537c66ad21da671fcf32101edea1ad9ff8a69c Aspie and Proud microcast: https://ykyz.com/c/microcast?&username=aspieandproud

214. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 2Related links for 214. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 2: Reply to this episode on ykyz: https://ykyz.com/p/1cc9e367d622826ba196b21e816e87b0f72ac1c9 Aspie and Proud microcast: https://ykyz.com/c/microcast?&username=aspieandproud

215. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 3Related links for 215. What's an autistic burnout? pt. 3: Reply to this episode on ykyz: https://ykyz.com/p/2b5c1bc714672ab8b4e7359abb22ab78cac2dca4 Aspie and Proud microcast: https://ykyz.com/c/microcast?&username=aspieandproud

‘Autistic burnout' is the intense physical, mental or emotional exhaustion, often accompanied by a loss of skills, that some adults with autism experience.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://fierceautie.com/2019/10/16/autistic-burnout-after-going-public/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Summer demands a lot of social energy, especially for parents. For autistics, the never-ending social calendar of summer can cause serious autistic burnout. Host C. S. Wyatt discusses his need to find a balance between social demands and self-care.

Research: Rebecca ArmstrongPresenter: Val OckendenProduced by Louise Ratcliffe and FreeFM89.0Guests: Joanne DacombeJoanne Dacombe has spent 21 years working at the Reserve Bank in the area of monetary policy. She was diagnosed with autism later in life and has a son on the Autism Spectrum. Joanne currently serves on the Board of Autism New Zealand as well as the Board of the ASK Trust, an autistic-led organisation for autistic adults.Cat Noakes-DuncanCat is the mother of three beautiful children, two with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Recently Cat founded 'Spectrum Playgroup' a community playgroup for children on the autism spectrum, their siblings and families. Cat is trained in Early Childhood Education and is currently undertaking a Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching: Autism SpectrumDisorders.Programme SynopsisThe difficulties parents have trying navigate the education system with an Autistic childParenting a child on the Autistic SpectrumInclusive EducationMusic“Same Page” Rich Austin, from Memories Forever albumTune in to Parent to Parent's podcast Connect, Inform, SupportConnect, Inform, Support features interviews with professionals and specialists on disability-related topics, and is a source of information and resources for families and whānau caring for people with disabilities.Discussion topics cover a range of subjects related to disability and special needs, such as inclusive education, supporting someone with special needs, and the challenges and triumphs of living with disability.LinksFurther information on Joanne Dacombe - https://altogetherautism.org.nz/autism-information/6433/6433/Autistic Burnout - https://boren.blog/2017/01/26/autistic-burnout-the-cost-ofcoping-and-passing/Further information on Spectrum Playgroup -https://altogetherautism.org.nz/autism-information/6390/playgroup-providescare-support/https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018617601/spectrum-playgroup-a-special-place-for-kids-with-autismhttps://www.richaustinmusic.com/index.htmlhttps://altogetherautism.org.nz/SafesquaresParent to Parent New Zealand IncAltogether AutismCare Matters or 0508 236 236 freephone service for carersMana Whaikaha – MidCentral only