I've Been in Autistic Burnout for Years. Here's What Actually Helped (Slightly).

5 years ago, I hit burnout.

Multiple meltdowns from my mom over minor things. Forgetting certain chores. Not mowing the lawn "properly." Her yelling and screaming at me.

The constant sensory overload from my family's loud voices and unpredictable outbursts kept me in a perpetual state of nervous system activation. I couldn't recover because the source never stopped.

Research shows chronic stress from sensory overload can keep autistic people in prolonged burnout states when environmental triggers persist.

I'm still burned out now. 5 years later.

What I Tried First

Headphones. Intentionally not talking to family as often.

Helped a little. My family was the primary source of my autistic burnout. Living in their house meant constant exposure to the exact environmental triggers that burned me out in the first place.

But still problematic since my family forces themselves into my room all the time.

You can't recover when the source of burnout keeps happening.

The Advice That Didn't Work

Typical neurotypical advice: "Just talk things through." "Do something that makes you happy."

The issue? These problems keep recurring. They drain my spoons. My special interests—drawing, animation—become more exhausting than fulfilling when I'm this drained.

"Do something fun" doesn't work when you have no spoons left to enjoy it.

What Actually Helped (Slightly)

Noise-canceling headphones on all the time. No exceptions.

Unless an emergency is ongoing, I never take them off. Only when I need to be aware of my surroundings, like driving.

This isn't preference. This is survival.

Where I'm At Now

Slightly better. But I have a long way to go toward recovery from autistic burnout.

Recurring drains are still ongoing. Loud stomping and conversations at home. Noise-canceling headphones and a white noise machine help slightly, but just barely.

What Tracking Showed Me

Tracking my spoons allowed me to adjust my environment wherever possible. I picked up on subtle drains around my family's house and at work.

White noise machines. Earplugs. Noise-canceling headphones. Masking less—hiding my autistic traits around my family, forcing eye contact, pretending their yelling didn't affect me. Dropping some of that performance saved me spoons.

These help, but barely make a dent in an environment that ignores your accommodations entirely.

The Reality

5 years in. Still burned out. Slightly better, but not recovered.

Recovery isn't linear. It's not fast. And it's nearly impossible when the environment that burned you out is still your daily reality.

Tracking helps you see patterns. Make small adjustments. Know what drains you most.

It won't fix systemic problems. But it shows you what you CAN control.

This is my survival blueprint—not a recovery plan, but the adjustments that keep me functional in an environment that won't accommodate me.
I'm Omari, a 23-year-old autistic adult who's been managing chronic burnout for 5+ years while working warehouse shifts.

This is why I built Spoons. To see the patterns. To manage what's manageable. And to survive environments that won't accommodate me.

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.

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