I’m wondering if I’m experiencing autistic burnout

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For the last few years I’ve been ‘more autistic’ than I ever was before, even as a kid. A lot of it comes from chronic fatigue, but this has heavily intensified my autism (and adhd) symptoms. My sensory issues are extremely severe on a lot of days, it’s become extremely difficult to communicate with others and I have to limit the time I spend around people because I get overloaded from anxiety so easily. I’ve lost the ability to work or do a lot of things for myself, because of my reduced energy I find it much harder to control my body language and tone and generally present as more autistic in nonverbal terms. I make constant and embarrassing social mistakes whenever I talk to people. I’m more than aware of the change in how others perceive me and it’s incredibly humiliating. A lot of these changes can be traced to sleep problems due to severe allergies, but I’ve read the symptoms of autistic burnout and noticed the parallels, so I’m wondering if there’s something more going on. The allergies themselves got much more severe which is how these problems started, and I’m wondering if that could be increased sensitivity due to burnout. It followed a period of extreme stress, where I started having problems that hadn’t existed for me before - e.g. eye contact, how to smile, how to use the right tone - as I became more and more anxious.

It certainly could be burnout. It may not be that severe. Most people will find it increasingly difficult to mask after stressful events, or more social activities than is usual for them. Sometimes a few days will help you re-charge, sometimes it takes longer.

How old are you? I got burnout three years ago and found my autism and adhd have worsened with age. I don't have the energy to sustain a 'normal' presentation anymore. Talking to people is extremely difficult now and I'm practically a recluse.