Autism and Why I Can’t “Just Get a Better Job”
This post is about why I simply cannot switch to a better job and why it still costs me ton of energy just to go to work.
Months in advance, I already knew
Months in advance, when working other jobs before I started my warehouse job, I realized that majority of jobs that I worked at barely accommodated me or were too draining to work at. I worked at Target, customer service, and at a grocery store, and I still ended up quitting most of them within a month or so due to the constant demands to mask and deal with small talk from management, often way more than the job itself. That exhausted me very quickly to the point of quitting.
The Food Lion example
I worked near the counter at the Food Lion I used to work at, and customers would constantly bring up long conversations while I was working. It was expected, but it was still very exhausting and frustrating since it came up so much.
Starting most of my days at around 6/10 energy, I’m usually at around 2 or 3 energy by the time my shift is over since the mental demands vastly outweigh the physical one.
Sensory overload is the main driver
Definitely the sensory overload. Constantly navigating myself around customers in the grocery store, not knowing which aisle they are going through, whether or not they are going to be talking to me and for how long.
Unpredictability pushes it over the edge
Unpredictability was the main driver for me quitting, as the constant surge prices just to get to work and go home and have no other alternative (due to controlling parents) encouraged me to go look for another job a little under a month from when I started.
Another thing that contributed to this massive drain is the unpredictability of the schedule. Some days it could be 3 days, 4, or even 5 days.
The numbers don’t work
For example it costs around $17–20 to get to work and another $17–20 to go home. The pay while working there is insufficient to cover that massive cost, which scales above that price range most of the time.
I could schedule my ride to get a more predictable price and to be more likely that I could get to work on time, which did work well for the most part. But the rideshare price scaled to $25–30, which added up quickly since I worked 3–6 days a week.
After looks like this
I’m mentally exhausted and I don’t want to engage in anything that requires any cognitive output that demands my attention. Tasks that are most autonomous work just fine since I don’t have to think about it.
Chores such as cleaning dishes or organizing items on my countertop, I don’t end up doing it at all and just hope tomorrow I have enough energy to tackle it. If I do have to do it, I’ll simply place them anywhere that has space and just make my meal to eat, not really caring on how “good” it looks as long as it doesn’t exhaust me and it fills me up.
About Me
I'm Omari, a 23-year-old autistic adult who's been managing chronic burnout for 5+ years while working warehouse shifts.
Spoons
This is why I built Spoons.
To track when certain events and job positions exhaust me more than I can recover with on my days off so that I can switched to warehouse work and have been doing so for over 2 years now.
It’s not ideal either, especially in regards to how I’m treated but the predictability and the ability to build my own schedule and work little hours on cognitive-heavy days made a massive difference on my mental health.
Launching April 2026. getspoons.app - One email when it's ready. No spam.
— Omari
Note: I'm sharing my personal experience as an autistic adult, not medical advice. If you're experiencing severe burnout or crisis, please consult a healthcare provider familiar with autism.