(Simple list of tips and tricks below my monologue)
As much as I previously hyped up how often I would post on this blog, you can see that this is my second post. I will try my best to post a life update soon, but this subject is more important to me.
Shortly after starting my classes for the semester I noticed that I wasn’t able to keep up with the homework as well as I thought I’d be able to. Keep in mind, I was taking TWO classes at a time. (An intensive German language course, and an anthropology course.) Turns out, I was starting to fall into the worse burnout I’ve had since I started university.
Thus, the idea for this blog post was born.
To start, burnout is a mental and/or physical condition that results from being overworked (usually from a career). The burnt-out person will probably feel exhausted, unable to do tasks, and possibly physically sick as well.
However, this definition is catered towards neurotypical people, and I am neurodivergent. So my burnout is more like being completely overwhelmed from stimuli, masking my autistic traits, homework, and other daily routine tasks, while also being too exhausted to do anything but take a nap.
Needless to say, I’m surprised how well I passed my classes this semester. But that’s besides the point! The point is, I bet one of you reading this is either nervous about burning out, or is currently burnt out. I also bet that you want a simple list of tips and tricks for how to get through this safely and as quickly as possible. I will give you this list in a second, but first I need to state that I am in no way a health professional. I’m just an autistic person with too much experience in burning out. Okay, now you can have your list.
Tip #1: Allow yourself to rest.
Yes, I know. You want to rest but feel bad about it because you have so many things you need to get done. Well in order to complete a task quickly, you need to have rested and eaten something so your brain can process whatever you need to do. Even if you don’t get everything you want to get done, taking a nap or doing something that recharges your social battery will help.
Tip #2: Note down what gives and takes energy.
I went a little…well…overboard with this. But if you are very analytical like me you might want to copy what I did! I don’t know! Anyways, I made a quadrant chart with the x-axis showing how much energy the task gives/takes and the y-axis showing how much effort it takes to start/complete the task. Here’s the original graph I made, as well as a graph with different tasks laid out on it.
With this graph, I was able to sort out which tasks take the most energy and effort. I also made a version with different sensory experiences, and one with the different people in my life and how much they drain my social battery. These helped a lot with figuring out what social experiences I was able to handle. With these graphs, I was able to figure out which tasks I was able to do for the day.
Tip #3: Make non-strict to-do lists.
I had a couple different formats for how I would do these to-do lists, mostly depending on however I was feeling, but these were the main two formats I used.
This first one, I made three lists. One for the things I had to get done, one for optional things that I could do if I had the energy to, and one to note down all of the things I had accomplished that day. As you might’ve noticed, I would purposely put tasks that were more fun or easier to complete in the list of things I had to get done. That way I had an easier time starting the task list, which would make it easier to complete in the end.
This second one, I listed lots of tasks by how much effort and/or energy they took, with no pressure to complete all of them. I also listed some ideas for more fun things I could do as breaks. The “improvements” section on this task list is there because this was one of my first to-do lists and I was still figuring out how to format things. Later on, that section became a “notes” section for any miscellaneous items like reminders.
Tip #4: Make reminders/markers for tasks that have to be done regularly.
Fun fact: Many neurodivergent people struggle with/are unable to form habits. For me, this means I need to consciously think about things like eating, drinking, brushing my teeth, showering, etc..
If you also struggle with this, I highly recommend making alarms or calendar notes to remind you when you have to do or did certain tasks. My main thing I used this for was to mark down when I last showered, because even if I shower on a regular basis, I will always forget that that is a something I have to do until I look at my calendar and see all of the little blue markers.
Tip #5: Talk to your professors.
I know I know, “but professors are scary!” To that I say, they don’t want to be scary! Don’t fear them!! I promise they are there for you and that their office hours are for students like you. If you have a question about literally anything or need help with completing an assignment talk to them or shoot them an e-mail.
I only had one professor for this semester, and talking to him about how I was doing assignment-wise and asking for his opinion on how to go about things was the main way I got through the semester. I even asked him once which of two assignments I should sacrifice so I would be able to get one of them done on time. He was incredibly chill about my struggles to get things done and actively showed that he trusted in my abilities as a student.
Tip #6: BE KIND TO YOURSELF.
I cannot stress this enough. I can list so many other tips and tricks and advice to get through tough burnout situations but it really just boils down to this. Burnout is hard enough on it’s own, to have the voice in your head berating you for trying your best every second is way harder. It might take time to get used to, and no one ever masters this 100%, but it helps tons. Even if it’s just a simple “good job” after completing a task or a “oh my outfit is kinda cute today”, it might boost your mental health a little.
To finish off…
A note for those currently in burnout.
Burnout is something that every single person experiences at some point. In a world not designed for neurodivergent people, we’re destined to burnout more often. In the end, it doesn’t matter how you ended up burning out and it doesn’t matter out long it takes you to recover. What matters is that you’re doing whatever your best is at the moment. Even if that’s just getting up and getting a drink of water. If you’re reading this, that means you’re on the right track. You will get through this.