Guidance for: This has been going on for weeks and I can't do it any more

This one needs subtraction, not effort

When skills you used to have stop working, sensory tolerance drops through the floor, and rest doesn't touch it, that's a recognised state with a name. It comes from too much demand for too long, and pushing harder is the thing that made it.

Then, if you have room for it

• Reduce demands first. Recovery here is about what you remove, not what you add.
• Protect the things that restore you, especially the ones that look unproductive from outside.
• This overlaps with depression and the two need different responses — worth reading about, and worth raising with someone who knows both.
• It takes longer than you want. Planning for weeks rather than days makes the plan more likely to work.

Watch

Read

• How to spot autistic burnoutNeurodivergent InsightsBy a psychologist who is autistic and ADHD. What burnout is, and how it differs from a bad week.(opens in a new tab)
• Autistic burnout recoveryNeurodivergent InsightsRecovery as subtraction — what to take away rather than what to add.(opens in a new tab)
• Autistic burnout or depression?Neurodivergent InsightsThey overlap and need different responses. Useful if you're trying to work out which this is.(opens in a new tab)