help/info needed on "burnout"?

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hi.

a couple of months ago i started to go backwards developmentally so i went and saw my doctor. he sent me for assessments which have lasted for the last month. the end result is apparently i am going through a thing called a burnout because i have been trying too hard for too long to function on a higher level than i am capable of. i am getting worried because it seems i am starting to lose my speech and i do not want this to happen. i have been told my options are too "take a break from life" and let it take it's course (apparently it is only temporary) or to keep going as normal and get hit harder and for longer by this burnout. i am not wanting either of these options.

i can't find any information on burning out related to autism online, so does anyone know anything? or been told it's going to happen and then avoided it? i have work on and many things coming up, i do not want to regress and be forced to miss out. it seems to be getting worse every week.

I've burned out a few times and used to think it was Chronic Fatigue Sydrome, now I know it's just a sign that it is time for me to rest. All I can do is withdraw for a while to recuperate and try not to overdo it again when I feel better.

Yep! BURNOUT!


Whether the label is burnout, or chronic fatigue the result is the SAME.


DON'T push yourself further as it will take even longer to overcome it........ I know through my own experience. This "long time" could be a VERY LONG TIME.... not days, weeks or months if you ignore the signs to STOP.
As you say you don't want to regress and miss out..... if you don't listen to your body you will regress and miss out bigtime.

I've recently been losing my speech and ability to think......... I've had to hibernate for a while and only make brief excursions out, also I've had to stop persuing interests that demand concentration..... plenty of rest, sleeping, time on WP etc.... and guess what...
I'm starting to feel less burnt out!

Slowly I'm able to regain my speech, and I know that I'm not ready to attempt to resume life at even half my previous pace yet.

Don't look at it as missing out, you're giving yourself a well earned break so that you can recharge the "batteries". Sort of equivalent to giving the car a service. Run it into the ground and it becomes a wreck!

Good Luck and ENJOY your RECHARGE!

i will still investigate other option, i don't want to just give in so easily. but if nothing can be done, back down the rabbit hole i go.

There aren't any other options. If you don't rest, your brain will turn into a pile of wet noodles. Not literally, of course.

Last time I had a major burnout, I ended up first in the mental hospital and then effectively homeless (I had a friend's couch to sleep on so I wasn't actually out on the street). Take note. Don't go that far.

Take some time off. Take the time to learn coping skills; get your psych to teach you, and/or hire an OT for daily-life stuff if you can get a referral and have the money. Time off is not wasted time, any more than sleep is wasted time.

i might be experiencing that too but maybe it's just seasonal depression. anyways can't afford to get off the treadmill right now, extended rest is a luxury so i'll wick the candle at both ends with loads of caffeine as a stopgap

Give yourself a certain amount of time each day to do something you really love that doesn't require a lot of mental energy. Something that brings you enjoyment but doesn't really require you to do anything but be on the receiving end. Like listening to music, for example.

Walking.

Meditation - learn to empty your mind and keep it empty for an extended period of time, even fifteen minutes will restore peace and clarity

Yoga for you body and your mind. Stretching your body gently. It's like giving yourself a gift.

Visualization - visualize yourself calm and composed

Lighten your load. Get rid of excess baggage. If people at home are expecting too much of you, tell them there are certain things you are not willing to do any more and if they want them done they will have to learn to do it themselves. This may not apply to you, but if it does, knowing that someone else can just as easily do chores that have been piled on you is a big relief.

Good luck.

I've been in a small scale burnout for about a month now.

I am starting to be very careful about my time, and how much of it I dedicate to activities outside of work. I have an active volunteer life, but when the choice is volunteerism and my health, my health is going to win.

BREATHE.

Really. Whether you sit down to focus on it for a minute or ten minutes, or you just take a moment somewhere to notice your inhale and your exhale at that exact point in time. Do it.

Ah yes. Mindful breathing is very beneficial. Also, I wanted to add that aqua therapy is also a good thing to stave off burn out. Fill the tub with water, light a candle, shut out all other light and just soak for an hour. And try not to let bothersome thoughts invade your mind. Gently resist them or ignore them. Tell yourself and your thoughts that your bath time is for your pleasure and relaxation. Don't take your worries into the tub with you.

If it is burnout, I strongly recommend a break of at least a few weeks. I am currently severely burnt out (and have been for a year), bedbound for much of the day, and it's getting worse because the stressors cannot be removed or escaped. I do not know whether it will be possible to fully recover my previous functioning level and social services are now becoming involved. I tolerate sensory input far, far less, and feel very ill every day.

I have schizophrenia and have had so since I was 14. I spent my whole secondary school life with girls full of hormones, lots of noise, and on top of all that, LOTS of schoolwork. In my A-levels I worked 9-10 hours a day. I wanted to get into Cambridge. I got into Cambridge, but only stayed there for three weeks as I relapsed due to burnout. I'm now taking my second year out and am only just recovering. It has been a year of being able to do next to nothing. I am doing an Open University course and I am slowly buildng myself up.

My psychiatrist said that I had burned out and that I needed to take a complete break from studying, so I did. Now I am writing my first essay in over a year and I am studying a human biology course. I am hoping to go to Cambridge next October.

So, in my opinion, I think you need to take a break from life. It will get better.

Is this the same thing when your mind shuts down? Sometimes in stressful situations my mind seems to shut down, to the point where I can't concentrate to do anything, I can barely comprehend words in this state sometimes.