Autistic people often have different sensory experiences, cognitive styles, and interests than non-autistic people.
These differences can be a source of strength and diversity, but they can also pose challenges in everyday life.
One of the common challenges that many autistic people face is fatigue. Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness or exhaustion that can affect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Fatigue can make it hard to concentrate, remember things, make decisions, or perform tasks. Fatigue can also affect your mood, motivation, and self-esteem.
Autistic people may experience fatigue more often or more intensely than non-autistic people for various reasons. Some of the possible causes of autistic fatigue are:
- Sensory overload: Autistic people may be more sensitive to sensory stimuli, such as sounds, lights, smells, textures, or temperatures.
Sensory overload can occur when the sensory input is too intense, too frequent, or too unpredictable for the person to process.
Sensory overload can cause stress, anxiety, headaches, nausea, or other physical symptoms. It can also drain the person's energy and mental resources.
- Social situations: Autistic people may find social situations stressful or exhausting for various reasons.
For example, they may have difficulties with understanding social cues, expressing emotions, maintaining eye contact, or following conversational norms. They may also feel pressured to conform to social expectations or to mask their autistic traits.
Masking is a coping strategy that involves hiding or suppressing one's natural behaviors or feelings to fit in with others. Masking can be exhausting and harmful for the person's mental health and identity.
- Stimming: Stimming is a term that refers to self-stimulatory behaviors, such as rocking, flapping, spinning, humming, or tapping.
Stimming can be a way for autistic people to regulate their emotions, cope with stress, or express themselves. However, stimming can also consume a lot of energy and attention. Some autistic people may feel the need to stim more often or more intensely when they are tired or overwhelmed.
- Changes in routine: Autistic people may prefer routines and predictability in their daily lives. Routines can provide a sense of order, security, and control.
Changes in routine can be stressful or disruptive for autistic people. They may have difficulties with adapting to new situations, coping with uncertainty, or managing transitions.
Changes in routine can also affect the person's sleep patterns, eating habits, or self-care routines.
- Expectations and pressures: Autistic people may face various expectations and pressures from themselves or others.
For example, they may have high standards for their academic or professional performance. They may also face stigma, discrimination, or misunderstanding from society.
These expectations and pressures can cause stress, anxiety, guilt, or shame. They can also affect the person's self-confidence and self-worth.
How to recognize autistic fatigue
Autistic fatigue can manifest in different ways for different people. Some of the possible signs of autistic fatigue are:
- Increased meltdowns or shutdowns: Meltdowns are intense emotional outbursts that occur when the person is overwhelmed by stress or sensory input. Shutdowns are periods of withdrawal or dissociation that occur when the person is unable to cope with the situation. Both meltdowns and shutdowns are involuntary responses that indicate that the person has reached their limit.
- Increased sensory sensitivity: The person may become more sensitive to sensory stimuli that they normally tolerate or enjoy. For example, they may find certain sounds too loud, certain lights too bright, certain smells too strong, or certain textures too uncomfortable.
- Physical pain and headaches: The person may experience physical pain or discomfort in various parts of their body. They may also suffer from headaches or migraines that are triggered by stress or sensory overload.
- Physically shutting down: The person may lose some of their physical abilities or functions due to fatigue. For example, they may lose their speech (selective mutism), their balance (ataxia), their coordination (dyspraxia), or their fine motor skills (dystonia).
- Cognitive difficulties: The person may have difficulties with thinking clearly, remembering things, processing information,
solving problems, or making decisions.
- Emotional difficulties: The person may have difficulties with regulating their emotions,expressing their feelings, understanding others' emotions, or coping with negative emotions.
- Behavioral changes: The person may exhibit changes in their behavior,such as becoming more irritable, aggressive,
withdrawn, or apathetic.
They may also lose interest in their hobbies, activities, or social interactions.
How to manage autistic fatigue
Autistic fatigue can be prevented or reduced by taking care of one's physical, mental, and emotional needs.
Some of the possible strategies for managing autistic fatigue are:
- Use energy accounting: Energy accounting is a system that helps the person to monitor and balance their energy levels. The person can set a limit on how much energy they have in a day or a week and estimate how much certain activities drain or replenish their energy. The person can then plan and prioritize their activities accordingly and make sure they have enough time for rest and recovery.
- Take time off and rest: Taking time off from work, school, or other high-stress activities is essential for preventing or recovering from fatigue.
The person should make sure they have enough sleep, hydration, nutrition, and relaxation.
The person should also engage in activities or interests that re-energize and refresh them, such as reading, listening to music, playing games, or spending time with nature or animals.
- Seek support: Seeking support from others can help the person to cope with fatigue and stress.
The person can reach out to their family, friends, peers, mentors, or professionals who understand and respect their needs and preferences.
The person can also join online or offline communities of autistic people who share their experiences and offer advice and encouragement.
- Unmask: Unmasking is a process of embracing and expressing one's authentic self. Unmasking can help the person to reduce the pressure of conforming to social norms or hiding their autistic traits.
Unmasking can also help the person to discover and celebrate their strengths, talents, and passions. Unmasking can be done gradually and selectively, depending on the person's comfort level and safety.
- Advocate: Advocating for oneself or others can help the person to raise awareness and understanding of autism and fatigue.
Advocating can also help the person to obtain reasonable accommodations or adjustments in their environment or situation. For example, the person can ask for a quiet space, a flexible schedule, a sensory-friendly setting, or a communication aid.
Autism and fatigue are closely related phenomena that can affect many aspects of an autistic person's life. Autistic fatigue can be caused by various factors, such as sensory overload, social situations, masking, stimming, changes in routine, or expectations and pressures.
Autistic fatigue can manifest in different ways, such as increased meltdowns or shutdowns, increased sensory sensitivity, physical pain and headaches, physically shutting down, cognitive difficulties, emotional difficulties, or behavioral changes.
Autistic fatigue can be prevented or reduced by taking care of one's physical, mental, and emotional needs. Some of the possible strategies for managing autistic fatigue are using energy accounting, taking time off and rest, seeking support, unmasking, or advocating.
If you are an autistic person who is experiencing fatigue or burnout, you are not alone.
There are many resources and people who can help you.
You deserve to live a fulfilling and happy life.
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Sources:
[Autistic fatigue - a guide for autistic adults - National Autistic Society](^1^)
[Autistic fatigue and burnout - National Autistic Society](^2^)
[Autistic fatigue - a guide for professionals - National Autistic Society](^3^)
Source: Conversation with Bing, 14/08/2023
(1) Autistic fatigue - a guide for autistic adults - National Autistic Society. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue/autistic-adults.
(2) Autistic fatigue and burnout - National Autistic Society. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue.
(3) Autistic fatigue - a guide for professionals - National Autistic Society. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue/professionals.
