# Resources for Burnout Recovery Featuring the Autistic Social Network - [Resources for Burnout Recovery Featuring the Autistic Social Network](https://queenofthedrowned.com/2019/05/26/resources-for-burnout-recovery-featuring-the-autistic-social-network/) [^queenofthedrownedResourcesBurnoutRecovery2019] [^queenofthedrownedResourcesBurnoutRecovery2019]: [@queenofthedrownedResourcesBurnoutRecovery2019] ##### Initial Reading Notes - [[autistic burnout|autism burnout]] # Highlights ## Regression vs Fluid Adaption > Even autie strengths are framed negatively in the pathology model of autism. Our hyperfocus, intense interests, and fiercely logical mode of processing the world are considered “disordered” due to deviation from the “norm”. > [Cynthia Kim](https://musingsofanaspie.com/2013/12/19/autistic-regression-and-fluid-adaptation/?fbclid=IwAR1WCEbhxmZtGwi4rjlJLvPjMC0VIeDuPZMN5WEX3D0o1BXZQfLqDZ5tVGs) challenges the idea that autistic people are exhibiting “regression”, referring to the apparent loss of skills and coping ability, during burnout. Regression assumes that the autistic person is reverting back to an earlier developmental stage which is just inaccurate. Instead, she posits that this reaction is better described as the “demands of life exceeding a person’s resources”. > She coins the term **[[Fluid Adaptation]]** to describe this phenomenon. These skills are usually not “lost” or destroyed, she explains, our brains have simply temporarily revoked access to them. > Imagine a hot summer day in a city. Everyone turns on their fans and air conditioners to beat the afternoon heat, exceeding the ability of the power grid to supply power to all of the homes and businesses in the city. To cope, the electric company might implement a brownout–an intentional reduction of power to each building–or a series of rolling blackouts in which some locations get full power while others get none. > This, she states, perfectly explains the autistic brain’s mode of dealing with excess demands on resources. “Some coping skills or abilities are temporarily taken offline or run at reduced efficiency.” These changes in skill or behavior can be permanent, but they generally return to their original functioning capacity. > Being autistic means a lifetime of fluid adaptation. We get a handle on something, develop coping strategies, adapt and we’re good. If life changes, we many need some time to re-adapt. Find the new pattern. Figure out the rules. Test out strategies to see what works. In the mean time, other things may fall apart. We lose skills. We struggle to cope with things that had previously been doable under more predictable conditions. This is not regression to an earlier developmental stage, it’s a process of adapting to new challenges and it’s one that we do across a lifetime of being autistic. - **note** this - with the pandemic, stuff is changing all the time, it's hard to keep up with - it's hard to figure out what's working or not, before some other curve ball or routine change comes my way ## Masking’s Detrimental Effect > [Judy Endow](https://ollibean.com/autistic-burnout/?fbclid=IwAR2JgvefYAJR_t4znVjgKitVRwlm8qHknqjG1SpMbKUCIMsD-g6ADBBR-k0) discusses the effect of learning new skills and developing masking techniques to more easily move through society. Learning new skills can be beneficial, but it can also be tiresome and dangerous, as Endow describes. > I like being able to converse in an expected manner and to inhibit all my autistic noises so as to keep earning an income. Even though this means I must have considerable down time to ==stabilize my sensory system== every day, I still love being able to make this choice. - **question**: how can I stabilize my sensory systems⁉️ > She describes presenting as neurotypical as a hole that is impossible to climb out of. It is no longer apparent that she is autistic and backtracking doesn’t feel possible. ==She is trapped in this fake personality society impelled her to construct==. This mirrors my story and that of many autistics I know. ## Isolation and Controlled Environment > Social activity will likely need to be suspended and added back slowly. In the early stages of burnout, I find it impossible to even read messages. I avoid social media entirely and notify the important people in my life that they can expect radio silence from me for awhile. - **note** - I can really relate to this, the idea of opening slack, seeing an email notification, text message - even the thought of a notification is enough to feel exhausting. ## Quality Rest and Relaxation > Recovery is equal parts gentle effort and restorative rest where possible. _(See the Creative Activities and Positive Tasks section below to understand the distinction.)_ I enjoy watching ASMR and it sometimes puts me to sleep as well. ## Reintroduction to Society > As I begin to come out of burnout, conversation with other autistic people about special interests or sharing my feelings and thoughts regarding what’s been going on is something I really crave. > > Even when I think I’m ready for social contact, I try to refrain from engaging too much. I am more vulnerable to a burnout relapse in the late stages of recovery. So, even when my motivation is returning, I always subtract from the amount of activity I _perceive_ myself to be ready for. - **note**: I remember when I burned out from Rangle, and when returning to work - needing to use a modified work schedule. - I remember showing up on the first day back thinking I'd be able to have a full day, and all scheduled and this and that - and I just froze, at my desk - and then went home and had a multi-day melt down - after talking with work and my therapist - worked out a modified back to work schedule. -> [[202103091935 that time I burned out at Rangle]] ## Putting it all Together This is a helpful graphic to keep around when you need to assign meaning to alarming behavioral changes and recall strategies and causes discussed here.