Burnout, Neurodiversity, and Navigating NLD
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Good morning and happy Friday. I am going to be recording today on a topic I've done before, but I thought I would want to. Do it again since it's been a while so Today's episode will be about burnout and being neurodiverse. I experience a lot of this because of having chronic migraines along with NLD. I also know that I'm not the only one who does. I have many friends who are neurodiverse and have chronic pain conditions, too.
I'll use some articles to support this episode and my own experience with this, too. I have tried everything the FDA has approved for migraines. And only ten treatments helped me consistently. Many of the things I have tried stopped working after my body got used to them over time. Everyone is different, so I'm not sure if it's helpful for me to say what helped and didn't.
I'll share what I do now. So I take Botox. Viopty, peppermint oil, migraine relief tea capsules, hot showers, eat food regularly, and ginger ale if I'm nauseous. I drink lots of water with electrolytes in it. And basically, that's what I use. Botox is administered every three months. So is Vyepti. That's an IV. That's a pretty new drug.
And peppermint oil. I apply that onto my skin, near my ears and the temples and the back of my ears, and I actually apply it to my tongue as well, and it does help with the pain. It's homeopathic, so it's okay to use. The migraine relief tea is pretty easy as well because it's from loose leaf tea, and Carlsbad.
And, one of my friends found that for me, and I did use it as a tea first, but I decided to try it as capsules. So what I do, I grind it up into a powder and then I put it into capsules and I do that because it's stronger that way than drinking it as a tea all day long.. And then, for a wrapper meal, I take 180 milligrams of that every day.
That's quite a bit, but some people take more. Ginger ale, that's as needed if I'm nauseous. Topiramate, that's 25 milligrams every other day. That's actually to curb my hunger. That's not particularly for migraines, but it can help as well. Memetitin, that is, 10 milligrams twice a day, and that does seem to be helping with the pain level.
That's an off-label drug for migraines, meaning it's not usually prescribed for migraines. Benadryl. That I take 25 milligrams twice a day, and that I kind of added in myself because I know the weather, weather changing is a trigger for me, and so that seems to help. And then drinking lots of fluids and taking hot showers.
Anything with heat seems to help me. Some people have different triggers. Some people like to be hot. Some people like to be cold. Some people like to be in between, but I run cold. So I like to be warm. It, you know, everybody's different. So I do have other friends who have migraines too, and they also experienced burnout.
I feel like it catches up with me towards the end of the year. I like to rejuvenate myself when I am up at our family cabin, and during the holidays, you need to take care of yourself. And sometimes your body reminds you when to do that. So the first article is titled, What to Know About Neurodivergent Burnout, medically reviewed by Nicole Washington, written by Beth Sions in July of this year.
Neurodivergent burnout may cause symptoms such as chronic exhaustion, increased sensory sensitivity, and loss of skills. This is the quote from the article. Taking time off and luring. Self-expectations may help with recovery. Neurodivergent burnout experienced by those with autism or ADHD often involves exhaustion, anxiety, skill loss, and reduced quality of life.
Recovery tips include early recognition, social support, taking breaks, focusing on strengths, and setting boundaries. For autistic individuals, unmasking and building a supportive community can aid recovery, while ADHD specific approaches include using assistive tools and enjoying outdoor activities.
Support for neurodivergent children may involve teaching energy management. Creating routines and encouraging authentic self-expression for crisis support call or text 988 in the U. S. or find local resources, close quote. Excuse me. That was a suicide number that they gave. I've used that myself sometimes.
I've never attempted suicide, but sometimes I've had those thoughts of just, How do I put this? Last year, or a couple of years ago, when I wasn't where I am now, I was very lonely and just didn't have many friends outside of where I work. And, I felt like I didn't want to be here.
And I was too consumed with the pain of migraines. Sometimes it's still full that way. And I did reach out to 988, and they are very helpful. Actually. They can help you understand your situation and give you support, and, you know, ask you, Do you have support around you now. For me, I don't have those feelings as much anymore.
I mean, I do wish I didn't have migraines. I do have some more friends, which is better. And, I have a place of my own to live in. So I'm doing a lot better than I was.
Now that I wasn't doing well before, it just was harder before I would say on me. And that article does give some good suggestions for taking breaks and trying to. Have early recognition of your burnout and have social support, and focus on your strengths and set boundaries. I mean, you need to be able to do that for yourself. Even if you're neurotypical, I'm sure you have burnout as well.
And you need to be able to, you know, see if you need to take care of yourself, like take a day off or maybe even take a weekend retreat, depending on what you need to do. So the next article is titled Burnout and Neurodiversity. Katie Rose Guest, Pyro, is the author. Living Neurodivergence. What does this mean?
What is the connection? What is the solution? Posted May 20th of this year, reviewed by Jessica
Schwartzter. Sorry if I said that wrong. Quote, key points. Burnout is a collapse from long-term overwork or stress recognized as a real syndrome by the ICD-11. Neurodivergent people are more susceptible to burnout because they use energy acting in ways that are not considered normal. Burnout is an Institutional problem, not an individual one, and it requires institutional solutions close quote So I wanted to provide that because I want you to feel like you're not alone in this situation.
Everybody has these experiences, and it is common. I mean, I think, I think you can take COVID as an example because that was a big time of isolation, and people were probably recuperating from it. Maybe being laid off, unfortunately, or losing some family members, unfortunately, as well. And being isolated as well.
Not very good combination during that period, but if you were burned out before that period, it might've been a blessing in disguise COVID, to just kind of recuperate and be like, okay, let me reassess myself and figure out what I want to do in life. What is my purpose? Am I doing what I want to do?
You know, do I like the job I have? I'm just trying to say that COVID might be giving you a chance to do that if you were in a situation where you were blessed in that way. So the next article is titled, Autism and ADHD Burnout Recovery by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Written by Megan Anne Neff, quote: Neurodivergent burnout experienced by autistic and ADHD individuals is marked by chronic exhaustion, skill loss, heightened sensory sensitivity, and executive functioning challenges often exacerbated by masking unmet needs and lack of support.
So the quote was, restart it was neurodivergent burnout experienced by autistic and ADHD individuals is characterized by chronic exhaustion, skill loss, heightened sensory sensitivity, and executive functioning challenges, often exacerbated by masking unmet needs and lack of support. Contributing factors include sensory overload, hyper focus, and overwhelming demands.
Recovery involves reducing sensory loads, unmasking, adapting, shifting boundaries, prioritizing restorative activities, and creating supportive accommodations. Traditional depression treatments such as behavioral activation and cognitive reframing may worsen burnout unless adapted for neurodivergent needs tailored to their needs.
Recovery strategies focusing on sensory activities, special interests, and rest are crucial for effective healing, close quote. So, for that article, it was just basically giving you a breakdown of what Neurodivergent burnout can be caused by and how you can try to attack it in a good way and be able to combat it and kind of surround it with
Support and reframe yourself in terms of maybe seeing what the blessing is behind being burned out in terms of, okay, I need to reassess my priorities and take care of myself and be able to, you know, surround myself with friends that can help me do that and family members as well. And, you know, maybe a dog if you have one too, and be able to, you know, just help yourself out.
The last article is titled Mental Health, The Other Side of Having NLD, by Gabriel. Gabriel is a social worker, a professional working and living with NVLD. She is passionate about social justice, community connection, and the human experience. Her journey with NVLD was once focused solely on her challenges and failures, but has now transformed into a lifelong experience of healing and self-acceptance.
Gabriela is a professional, sorry, project social ambassador for the NVLD project. So am I. Quote: In childhood, I developed several tics noticed by my parents and other caretakers eventually discussed with my pediatrician. She will grow out of those, just a little glitch in her development, but nothing to worry about.
What my doctor thought were simply habitual behaviors that needed to be corrected. No intervention was what I now realize as an adult and licensed clinical social worker, the early signs of my NNLD, and the eventual onset of my OCD and anxiety. These tics and in quotes, strange habits, peculiarities about me eventually morphed into a full-blown breakdown.
When I would become overstimulated by my own emotions as a small child and or by the environment around me With no way to fully express what I was experiencing in my body This often looked like screaming needing to be held down by an adult biting my Hand until it left a mark and hitting my head against the wall or table to name a few examples They were a typical temper tantrum but on steroids triggered by seemingly the smallest things like a champ chain in environment or routine close quote so Actually, I've had experience with some clients in the past that I worked with had tantrums like that and, So I know what some of those are like and It's not uncommon that you can have those if you, Are autistic or you have ADHD or you have both.
Or, in this case, Gabriella, has NVLD. Anxiety and OCD, and so she had those when she was little. She probably doesn't have them anymore as an adult because she has probably created some behaviors or coping skills, I should say. But this is a very good quote just to kind of show you what a doctor was saying, were ticks or glitches.
That's kind of unfair and is a, makes it sound like it's a stigma because it's like something that she was probably born with or got genetically. And it's just, it's not fair to say that they're going to grow out of it when that, when they probably will, but they need help to grow out of it. But, so this episode explores neurodivergent burnout and its connection to chronic.
Pain conditions like migraines, drawing from personal experiences and research articles, neurodivergent burnout is common in those with autism, ADHD, or NVLD, involving chronic exhaustion, sensory sensitivity. Skill loss and heightened emotional challenges often exacerbated by masking and societal pressures, recovery requires rest, supportive accommodations, boundary setting, and tailored strategies. The host shares their journey with migraines, that's me, including treatments and self-care practices, emphasizing the importance of rejuvenation and listening to the body's needs.
The discussion highlights the symptomatic nature of burnout and the necessity of compassionate and developmental individualized solutions. So I hope that episode was helpful for you in terms of letting you know that you're not alone in your burnout and that you can see how I experience it and how others experience it as well.
And, as always, I will provide the links for the articles and the show notes if you want to read more of them on your own. I will talk to you guys next week.
I hope that episode was Well worth it for you to listen to and that you were able to take something away from it Even if you don't have a learning challenge or if you do, I hope it was extra worthwhile for you so that you can learn something and maybe journal and jot down some few takeaways so that the next time you experience that challenge.
And then you can, you know, but if you're able to challenge yourself, you're able to, learn how to breathe through it more easily, or maybe not have a meltdown or a tantrum, or be able to take away more learning from it, and not make the same mistake twice, you know, and, be able to also help somebody else go through that experience, if you have a friend who has a learning difference, and you are neurotypical.
So I hope you will be able to have those experiences in your life now that you have listened to this episode.
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