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Do you periodically burn out?

I've just learned something while researching that could benefit you...

I was reading the work of autistic researcher Dora Raymaker.

She explained that the functioning of an autistic person running up to burnout can look like a "seneca cliff".

A seneca cliff is a model of a system which shows that growth or functioning is pretty good (even seeming to increase) and then, when decline comes, functioning falls off the cliff...at a rate much faster than growth.

It occurred to me that lots of people say to me "I was fine until I wasn't" or "I felt like I was actually ramping up or doing much more until I burnt out".

With this in mind, if it's hard for you to know when a burnout is coming (we can't always tell when we're in it), then you could reflect on whether or not you've been ramping up or putting in extra effort...this might indicate that a crash could be coming.

If this is helpful, pass the information on to your #autistic, #ADHD or #AuDHD friends and family.