To stressed out to function

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I have to quit my job and move back home, it's not that I wanted at all, and it' stressing me out. I am anxious and stressed, obviously, can't think or find the strength to actually do something about my situation. I also find it extremely hard to function at a daily basis, I don't eat much because I don't have a reason too, I can't sleep and I have serious issues about taking care of my health, like showers and brushing my teeth etc. I just wonder if it's normal to react in this way? It's like I have some kind of apathy. I generally feel that way when I've quit school or a job and don't know where to turn or what to do. Usually it lasts for a week or two.

Yes, that's very common for burnout related to autism spectrum disorders. You are probably diagnosable with depression as well. That exact thing happened to me; I was hospitalized due to it. Only, for me, it lasts months rather than weeks.

If it only lasts a short while for you, then just take care of yourself as well as you can, get some rest, and wait for your brain to come back online. If it were longer, I'd probably suggest seeing a doctor about it.

Keep yourself fed as well as you can. Put the food right out in the open so you can see it. It's easier that way. (I had someone on here mention that to me about why I leave food in the refrigerator until it spoils--I'm pretty sure that if I could see it, I wouldn't do that.) Whatever you do, even if you don't eat a lot, make sure you drink enough water. You can go a long time without a lot of food; but your health starts to suffer very quickly when you don't get enough water. Compared to that, niceties like showers aren't near as important--pick those up again when you can.

As someone who gets in this state a lot due to stress and anxiety, I can recommend the following things:

1) As Callista said, keep yourself fed. What I often did was I would cook a large amount of a dish , keep it in the fridge and eat it gradually over several days. If you cant get out of your room, have some food in there. I always had a stash of granola bars and trail mix in case I had to hide in there for a few days.

2) Try to establish a routine sleeping pattern, and get up and go to bed at the same time each day. Set an alarm if you have to. I know this is easier said than done, but it's important for when you get back into the real world.

3) Be good to yourself, and try your absolute best not to see yourself as worthless or a failure. You just need a break. Put on a comedy or some cartoons, and laugh. Make a list of all the things you value about yourself and reflect upon them, and try some CBT exercises. Try your absolute best not to get caught of in the downward spiral of negative thought.

I remember on one occasion during burnout, I actually managed to straighten up and reorganize my bedroom, watched a ton of Comedy Central, played Diablo II to death, and eventually moved elsewhere because the house was associated so strongly with panic attacks.

I've been stress free for three months. Ever since I stopped visiting my dad.

Yes, yes, yes, this is very normal so don't beat yourself up while your trying to survive this. Please listen to those who have already posted and take care of yourself. I greatly benefited from quitting caffeine (very slowly as I was quite addicted), drinking fresh juices, and improving my diet. I did it slowly and focused on small frequent meals and lots of water.

And keep asking for help because you deserve it. Oh, if you have netflix and don't mind me suggesting a possible mood lifting series, I recommend Samantha Who? I experience these burnouts frequently and at different degrees. I have to just go with it sometimes and for me, a good distraction that has an element of entertainment helps. Smallville and Eureka are on my favorites list.

Oh, and try to get good sleep at night when your body needs it to repair. Sleep deprivation will always lead to emotional meltdowns, and I have a very low threshold. I speak from experience with chronic sleep deprivation. It made me completely vulnerable to depression, anxiety, etc and when I finally address the problem and found some relief, I was surprised to realize just how damaging the insomnia was to my emotional growth.

Aromatherapy worked surprisingly well on me but I'm equally adversely affected by certain smells like diesel or perfumes. I find tea tree oil mild and pleasant. Origins has a sensory therapeutic products with peppermint, tea tree and something else. It's just a thought.

I'm sorry you're struggling and it makes me a little anxious for you because I know it's hard to stay positive during these times. I hope you feel better soon.

Stress can make it hard for me to do things too. I tried to do some exercise while I was angry, ended up throwing things across the room. Sometimes I loose the ability to move at all.