Being me? Rebuilding energy.

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Hi,

So, this might sound ridiculous, but I have this wrong-way-around issue.

Let me cut my long story really short: I could always sort of get along with people but frequently complained (to therapists even) that it felt like I was faking it. Noone responded to that in a useful way. Now I'm at home with a burnout, learning exactly how much effort I put into all that trying-to-be-social stuff, amongst other things.

All these little energy drains really start to stand out when you are too tired to even cover the basics of taking care of yourself and your house. I'm managing, but barely, and I am certainly not making much progress towards recovering.

So obviously it helps to know what costs energy, and I'm getting the hang of either avoiding those or sort of planning for them so I leave recovery room after appointments in my mostly-empty-anyway schedule. However, I am not quite sure what I should be doing to actually _gain_ energy.

Does anyone have tips? When do you feel most alive?
Most options probably won't be feasible as it is hard to start anything with less-than-minimum energy, but maybe you can inspire me into action

Safeguarding your senses will help keep you from leaking energy, too. Make sure you have tagless and seamless socks and underclothes, sunglasses, headphones, a weighted blanket, or whatever you need to keep you comfortable. Take the recommended amounts of vitamins and supplements (Aspies seem to do especially well with extra omega-3 and vitamin D), get enough sleep, and do some gentle exercise like walking or yoga to cultivate more energy for yourself.

Thank you for your suggestions

Over the past months I've made some progress identifying issues, and basically avoiding them for now.

The vitamins are a good reminder, I'm taking extra D already but I should look into this omega stuff. Maybe at some point the bits and pieces will add up

Even though I may sound positive and upbeat about all of this, I'm pretty much at wit's end. Not exactly depressed as I do see light at the end of all this, but not very cheerful about my current predicament either. I have already given up everything that is not directly connected to survival. Too tired to find anything interesting, simply passing time.

This kind of thing takes lots of time, I know that. I suppose I'm mostly looking for ways of making it more effective, and if not that, more bearable.

^^^
that was great advice.

Nutrition is important. If you know you don't eat well (as many of us don't due to not giving a damn, sensory issues or our need for routine) they definitely find a proper supplement to take.

As already said - protect yourself from sensory issues as much as possible. For me that means sunglasses, ipod, earplugs, weighted blanket, my favourite things that calm me.

Engage in your special interest frequently. This actually does relax and recharge us, but if you're not doing much, this is probably the best way to gain energy.
If you pay attention you will find the minimum you need in order to keep you sane. It helps prevent burnouts.

What also helps is to cultivate your own space - usually your room. Find things that calm and recharge you, and make them a part of your room. They can be sounds, smells, touch (textures or materials, sensory toys), lighting or whatever else you need. It creates your own safe, personal space. which is something we really need.
For example. I am particularly calmed by water, I like playing with it, but I love the sound of it especially as I am falling asleep, so I have a small running fountain in my room. I also have a himalayan salt lamp because the light is perfect for my eyes and it also makes me feel better.

If you going to do social interaction - think through carefully how much you can take. Monitor it carefully. If you pay attention to that you will figure out how much you can handle before you start to overload. If you do that, you can account for it later, it helps to know what your limits are.

The other thing that helps is using your energy carefully. Most NT's aren't going to care if you don't do everything you're supposed to do - so try to find a balance between making an effort for them and being yourself. If you do 50% / 50% that reduces the stress on you, but you're still making an effort. Doing this usually means that you can prolong the time you spend with people.

Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to write back.

Eating-wise I'm doing fairly okay as I have to cook for others on a regular basis. For me I am definitely prone to forgetting, but keeping promises is important to me so this way I manage. Upside of this is that I get some decent food into myself too

My space is not getting the TLC it needs to be properly tranquil etc, because I simply can't keep up atm. I know I kinda need someone to do some things for me, but at the same time I need noone to touch my stuff because that is stressful too. If anyone has pointers on how to cope with accepting help (asin letting them into your home without being stressed out by that) let me know

I suppose I could indeed do better on the interest-thing. I have been so worried about all sorts of stuff lately that I keep forgetting everything that is not essential in a practical sense Yes I realize this should count as 'essential' too, just not used to prioritizing it (much). <-- I know that sounds weird, much of my energy was directed towards the whole 'yes I am like everyone else' charade
Anyone want to take a guess on what got me burned out in the first place? /o\

Anyhow I have come some way since. It's just hard to get yourself into new habits while low on energy, especially if you have this acute stress stuff going on *sigh*

I'll just keep working on resolving those issues and see if I can squeeze in some serenity here and there too..

Thanks again!