The many faces of neurodivergent burnout and why it isn't always obvious

Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

Burnout is central to the experience of most late-diagnosed neurodivergent people. If we’re not in it, we’re recovering from it or at the very least, trying to avoid it.

For many of us, it was the catalyst that unearthed our neurodivergence, perhaps prompting a diagnosis. It’s not as though it’s the first time we’ve experienced burnout, but there is something about this time that is different. We’ve reached a tipping point that guarantees that our lives will never be the same again.

Each of my diagnoses - for autism in 2020 and ADHD in 2023 were preceded by periods of burnout. In early 2020, I was reeling from an incredibly stressful year at work and a horrendous breakup of a horrendous relationship. If it wasn’t for the dramatic pandemic-induced slow-down in March 2020, I honestly don’t know where I would have ended up. It gave me a soft-landing. Ironically, Covid saved me.

The following months gave me the headspace to embark on the journey that led to being diagnosed autistic. There is no doubt it was life-changing and a lot of deep inner-transformation took place. I made some changes but in hindsight, it was probably a case of moving the deckchairs on the Titanic. More reactive than considered. It wasn’t until two years later that the shit really hit the fan.