Dr. Service explains autistic burnout, how to stop it, how to recover, and how to prevent it.

Dr. Service shares his experiences, insights, and opinions on autistic burnout. Unfortunately, autistic burnout can have lasting, sometimes permanent effects on the brain and body. Learn what to do about it now.

[myworldautistic]

Unfortunately, in my experience, I have found that most employers I have had will not give Autism accommodations if you are "high functioning. "

[sjnok]

I have been in burnout and major depression for 5 years now. I'm finally starting to recover, wish me luck!

[myworldautistic]

You also have to take into account the fact that we are constantly and incessantly being bomarded and neurologically assaulted by sensory overload and many us find it impossible to ever get real rest. So we never have neurological rest and recovery. And we are socially abused and bullied all the time which doesn't help.

[relentlessrhythm]

When I had a long term burnout at 22, my mom told me to stop acting "severely" autistic. Just another reason not to use functioning labels.

[Sunweaver]

I am so glad you don’t play background music

[dakrontu]

I used to have a secret time-out event every week, lunch at 2.45 pm at Chillis every Thursday. I never told anyone where I was going, not even my wife. I always ordered soft tacos with guacamole and fries and a large iced tea, the waitresses knew that, so they would place the order as soon as I arrived at the door, so I always gave them a good tip. It was ME time. The only such time I got, as I was in demand at work or home all the rest of the week. Did I deserve this luxury? Who knows. Well, it kept me sane. It was like a pressure relief valve. A predictable routine, and therefore a release from stress, as that predictability meant no surprises to have to contend with, and surprises for autistic people can be darn tedious to cope with. I got enough of those the rest of the week, doing IT support.

[katooga]

HOLY SHIT I am NOT used to the amount of RESPECT GIVEN to me!!! This guy is the best!!!!

[BW]

my experience with Autistic burnout is an amplified depression and apathy. I am there now. My dog passed away 2 months ago and that broke my heart even more.

[AskingSpot]

If you are turning to this for help with a side of ADHD skip to 8:57 or 11:10 if you’re in a burnout. Great information

[mathilda]

I started feeling better when I stopped feeling ashamed for spending time with my special interest.
Yes, going outside, regular showers and doing sports is good too, but they all require a lot of energy.
engaging brain in something it wants to be challenged in was much easier. to research, create, write...that was a good way to not only get easy-produceable happiness-feels in my brain, but also to prove myself that I am not stupid. from there is was much easier to work in other areas.

[lollibear]

Whats hard is when you know your autistic but don’t realize it until your an adult and now it feels like just seeking a diagnosis is impossible let alone getting help! And it’s so hard for my literal brain to accept my autism without an official diagnosis. Even though my trauma counselor has noted my neurological differences and said she can see my autism she is just not licensed to make any diagnosis which I know that. It makes having autism so much harder when the medical world makes it so hard for adults that fell through the cracks as kids because they over looked girls with autism and even if they found both autism and ADHD they would only diagnose ADHD, that is what happened to me. Now we are going through the diagnosis process with my daughter and it is still a struggle just to get the diagnosis. Like I’m sorry I’m not having fun over here, having autism is a daily struggle why do they make the diagnosis so difficult to obtain especially when they say earlier intervention is key?😭

[ShadoeLandman]

Most of these steps are impossible for many of us. We don’t have the support network.

[relentlessrhythm]

During my last major burnout, I had zero tolerance for being touched by others.

[bxxmb]

I think I've been having burnouts for decades but unaware what is was... Every 6/8 months I'll have a shutdown where I'll pull the blinds down and stay in bed for 3 whole days.. After which I'll get up, shower change my bedding and carry on facing my world!
You said the word I've been searching for.. "RESET" that's what I was unconsciously doing all these years!

[quilted_lamb]

what if i can't get rest? what if my responsibilities can't be put aside because i need to fulfill them to survive no matter how burnt out i am?

[GraeDay]

Oh for love… this good doctor put CITATIONS in the transcript. This is creative genius and compassionate to folks diligently trying to solve desperate circumstances with demonstrable evidence

[JTheoryScience]

I have found that quitting your job and finding another one can get you out of a slump, may be extream but if you are in a good position financially it can be a game changing move

[michaelbrannaka]

That explains a lot of why I had a constant amount of severe migraines during my early childhood.

[WillyKillya]

Yeah when I got stressed at work I would fantasize about jumping off the roof. I never came close in afterwards I did feel like I was being dramatic, but it is nice to hear that it wasn't just me.

Thankfully I don't get to that point anymore, but although I am normally a happy optimistic person, when something goes wrong I can immediately get to a helpless hopeless state, so fast it's unbelievable

[raven]

This is one of the best videos I've found on autistic burn out. You covered a lot of things other people leave out. On the water thing, I'd like to add, that ideal water temp depends on the person. I've had arthritis since I was little, so the cold water suggestions made me cringe. Warm or hot water works better for me, because cold water hurts, but I love being near oceans, rivers, or any natural body of water. It balances the soul. I live near a river now.