![]() ![]() This also means we struggle to estimate how much time and effort something will take, making it easy to overcommit by accident. Part of executive dysfunction means that we have trouble sequencing, initiating, and organizing our tasks-which are all symptoms of ADHD. It can be hard to pump the brakes and practice rest when there are so many negative associations with it.Īfter a lifetime of being told to “try harder,” it can feel counterintuitive-sometimes impossible-to try less and rest more. The irony is that denying yourself rest is the quickest route to exhaustion, and can exacerbate ADHD symptoms. We might even believe that if we were to allow ourselves to rest, we would never get anything done, because we would struggle to get started again ( task initiation is a big struggle for us). It can feel easier to be in constant motion (whether we experience hyperactivity or not!) because it feels safer to be doing something than risk the judgment that can come with doing “nothing.” When we’re already combating a stereotype of laziness, many of us feel guilty about resting. This relentless effort to appear neurotypical is often referred to as “ ADHD masking,” and can be a source of real fatigue for people with ADHD. It also makes it difficult to admit that we’re struggling, because we don’t want to let others down. This tendency to people-please can be carried into our adulthood, and is a recipe for overexertion. We’re constantly striving, though the goal posts keep moving on us. These false beliefs can lead to overcompensation, in which we compulsively try to please people and make up for these “shortcomings” we think we have. This is where many of us internalized the idea that we were lazy, careless, or unintelligent. In actuality, we were being asked to function like neurotypical children, and without adequate support for our ADHD brains and executive dysfunction struggles. It felt like we were always just shy of reaching our full potential. Whether it was caregivers or educators, we were often told that we weren’t trying hard enough. Growing up, many ADHDers experienced the crushing weight of expectation. There are more than a few reasons why people with ADHD may experience burnout. Why do people with ADHD struggle with burnout? Here are the top three reasons why ADHDers struggle with burnout-and how we can combat it. But why is burnout so prevalent in our community especially? and then spit it out where no one can see for fear of rejection or letting others down if they were to see us struggling. ![]() In other words, it’s our tendency to bite off more than we can chew. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we’re unable to fulfill all of our obligations. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. The overlap of symptoms and comorbid conditions can make it difficult to identify when ADHDers are truly struggling with burnout, though.ĪDHD burnout is often something a little deeper. Symptoms of ADHD burnout more broadly include: It’s possible that you’ve heard of Autistic burnout however, ADHDers have a unique experience of burnout. As your job performance plummets and your home looks like a tornado ran through it, you’re left wondering, “How did this all get away from me again?” What is ADHD burnout? What begins as overwhelm ends in complete and total exhaustion. Your boss starts asking you about your “careless mistakes” and your friends wonder why they haven’t heard from you in weeks. Your dishes begin to pile up to impossible heights. Deadlines hit you much faster than they used to. Your systems that kept you afloat are suddenly failing you. You might even feel accomplished as you look at everything on your plate-even if there’s a tiny voice in the back of your head telling you, “I can’t actually keep this up!” But as you’re frantically trying to keep it together, there comes a point when something hits the ground. There’s often a brief, shimmery moment when it seems like you might actually be getting the hang of this thing. If you have ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, chances are, you know what it’s like to have about ten thousand balls up in the air.Īt first, juggling it all can be exhilarating, if not a little chaotic.
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