You’ve heard of it.
You’ve probably experienced it.
You may even be in it while reading this.
Burnout is a common issue for people with ADHD.
What is it?
Why does it happen?
What can we do?
All will be answered below!
ADHD burnout is multifaceted and has various causes.
Put simply; it’s your nervous system’s way of saying:
“F***ing stop!”
You’ve been busy at work. There was your friend’s birthday last week. Traffic’s horrendous so you’re home late. Your partner’s working away and you’ve had to keep up with all the housework, childcare etc.
You’re trying your hardest to keep up but your sleep is starting to suffer and you forgot to eat yesterday.
Your mood is gradually declining, alongside your concentration, your motivation.
You go to bed exhausted and somehow wake up feeling more tired.
Your neck, back and knees are aching.
You know you need to eat but it’s simply too much.
Any time off is usually spent in paralysis worrying about your to-do list, or stuck doom scrolling to distract yourself from how crap you’re feeling.
This is burnout.
An all-encompassing feeling of fatigue; affecting every aspect of your executive function.
The ADHD nervous system is more excitable than the average person’s.
We’re expending a tonne of mental effort processing stimuli and following multiple thought paths.
This causes our “normal” day-to-day tasks to feel much bigger than they are to other people.
Your nervous system (well, your entire body, to be fair) is constantly working on maintaining a state of equilibrium.
This is known as homeostasis.
Too hot? Let’s increase sweating and superficial blood flow.
Too cold? Direct blood to the organs and trigger shivering.
Guess what else your nervous system is trying to maintain?
Your energy levels. And your sanity.
Overworked? Not eating? Stressed?
Fatigue, body aches, low mood, less excitability.
Why is your nervous system doing this?
Because you’re not listening!
Chaotic as it may be; you’re still the one running the show.
So when you ignore hunger cues, when you’re overworked and not resting, your nervous system will start to show you the stress it’s under.
All humans need adequate periods of down time to rest & recharge. Given the excitability of your nervous system and its’ added efforts; it needs more down time.
I’m not saying you should clear your diary, shrug all responsibilities and go lay in a field.
As nice as that sounds…
But if you’re not prioritising periods of time that are less stimulating, if you’re not fuelling your body; you’re likely to suffer for it.
Down time for the ADHD nervous system can look like calmer activities such as yoga, reading, walking, creative projects.
It can also look like more intense physical exercise like weight lifting.
Seeing a movie. Attending a class. Coffee with friends.
The difference here is that we are still providing stimulation.
I know you already understand how painful boredom gets.
So sitting around doing nothing likely won’t be the answer!
Myself & Sarah are always trying to tell people about this.
But sadly, ironically, we still have a habit of not following our own advice.
We’ve been a little quiet on socials recently for the sole purpose of allowing our nervous systems to be “off” for a while.
We have jobs. Pets. Partners. Homes to run. You know the drill.
We’ve allowed ourselves to not feel guilty for dropping some tasks for a while.
We hope you take this as a message that;
You can do the same.
Incredible stuff as always my fren. 🥹🎯
My daughter has ADHD. She runs her own business and frequently suffers from burnout. As the diagnosis is only a year old, and there may be ASD and/or BPD as well (but not diagnosed as the stress of all the intrusive questions and form filling is just too much at the moment), we are both still learning about all this and reading your blog posts have been so helpful to my understanding. Thank you x