Autistic Burnout: Unseen Problem in Teenagers and Adults - Sumalatha Vasudeva

When people think of autism, they often think of early childhood treatments, therapies, and help for little kids. It's true that helping a child with autism early on can change their future, but autistic burnout is an important part of autism that is often ignored.

Many teens and adults on the autism spectrum feel this level of intense mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, but it's not always noticed, so it's not always dealt with properly.

Autism Burnout: What Is It?

When someone with autism tries too hard to hide their autism symptoms in order to fit in with neurotypical people, they can become completely worn out. This is called autistic burnout. Masking is when a person with autism hides or controls their normal behaviours, feelings, or responses to social cues so that they seem more "normal" or "acceptable" to other people.

For many people on the spectrum, this isn't just a one-time thing; it's a problem that lasts for years or even decades. Over time, this constant hiding can cause what is known as autistic burnout, which is marked by extreme tiredness, emotional breakdown, and a clear decline in mental health.

What Makes Autistic People Tired?

Autism burnout takes time to happen. It's caused by long-term worry, which is often caused by things like:

• Masks and Social Expectations: People with autism often feel like they have to act in ways that are expected by society, like making eye contact, small talk, or reading social cues.
• Overloading the senses: A lot of people with autism are very sensitive to sensory stimulation. Everyday things, like loud noises, bright lights, or even certain textures, can be very painful. Fighting against visual overload all the time can lead to burnout.
• Lack of Support: Autistic people may feel alone and unsupported if they don't get the right kind of understanding and support from family, friends, or coworkers. This can make the stress of managing a world that doesn't always seem to be friendly worse.
• Overly High Expectations: Feeling like you need to perform as well as your neurotypical peers in school, at work, and with friends can cause a lot of stress. This pressure can get too much after a while, especially if people don't see or understand the problems someone with autism is having.

Signs of Autistic Burnout

Autism stress can show up in a lot of different ways, and the signs are often misunderstood or ignored. There are a lot of these signs:

• Extreme Fatigue: This kind of weariness is more than just being physically tired. It drains your mind and emotions so much that even the smallest jobs seem impossible to complete.
• Withdrawal from Social Interaction: People who are feeling burnout often pull away from other people or can't do the things they used to enjoy. Because they are under so much stress, they may pull away from friends, family, or work.
• Problems with Daily Tasks: Everyday tasks like taking care of yourself, your responsibilities at work, or juggling your life at home can feel very stressful. Things that were simple before might become hard to handle all of a sudden.
• Heightened Sensitivity: During burnout, sensory problems that a person with autism may already have can get worse. It's possible for a child or adult to become very sensitive to sounds, lights, or textures, which would make the world feel even worse.
• Mental health issues: Anxiety, sadness, and irritability are common symptoms of autistic burnout. Feelings of hopelessness and anger can be very strong, making it seem like you're stuck in a cycle of constant stress.

How to Deal with Autistic Burnout?

Even though autistic stress can be very hard to deal with, there are ways to help people get better. Take a look at these strategies:

1. Getting people to stop masking: Making spaces where people can be themselves without feeling like they have to hide can help lower stress. This can mean meeting physical needs, being more open to changing social norms, and giving people time to express themselves.

2. Rest and Recovery: It's important to get rest and recovery after a time of burnout. To do this, you might need to take time off from work, school, or social responsibilities. It's important to get energy and balance back.

3. Therapy and Support: It can be very helpful to work with a therapist, especially one who knows about autism. People can learn to deal with stress, set limits, and work through their thoughts in therapy. Also, having help from family, friends, and peers who understand autism can make you feel a lot less alone.

4. Workplace and School Accommodations: Schools and businesses need to take the initiative to make accommodations for autistic people. This can mean giving them quiet places to work, letting them set their own hours, and making sure they can communicate clearly.

5. Self-Care and Coping Strategies: Encouraging people to do self-care activities like exercise, sports, or mindfulness can give them the breaks they need from things that are stressful.

Autistic burnout is a real and difficult thing that many teens and people on the autism spectrum go through. It's still not widely known or talked about, which is a shame. We can help make environments that are better for people with autism by learning about the reasons and signs of burnout.

This will lower their risk of burnout and make their quality of life better. More study, education, and caring support are needed to make sure that autistic people are helped not only in their early years but also for the rest of their lives.