Neurodivergent Burnout Basics

For many autistic, ADHD and AuDHD adults neurodivergent burnout is a deep, long-lasting state where:

🧠 taken-for-granted skills suddenly feel hard to access
🎧 sensory tolerance shrinks and you hit overload faster
💛 emotions are harder to regulate or feel far away
🏠 daily tasks feel heavier than they used to
😴 weekends or holidays no longer bring you back

It can feel like you’ve quietly slid out of your own life and can’t find the way back.

ND Burnout Basics is here to give you:

🧠 clear words for what is happening
🗺 a simple map of where you are in the burnout process
🧃 a few realistic steps you can take, even with low capacity

No productivity worship. No “just think positive”.
Just an ND-aware way of understanding burnout and starting to respond to it.

🧠 Who This Course Is For

This course is mainly for:

🧠 autistic, ADHD and AuDHD adults (diagnosed or self-identified)
🧠 people who feel far beyond “normal tired”
🧠 anyone who suspects what they are living might be ND burnout

You might recognise yourself in statements like:

🧠 “I used to cope better than this. Now even basics feel like climbing through mud.”
🧠 “I can still do some things, but my overall capacity is clearly lower than it was.”
🧠 “Time off doesn’t reset me anymore. I come back just as exhausted.”
🧠 “I keep asking why I can’t handle adult life like other people seem to.”

It can also be useful if you are:

👥 a partner, friend or family member who wants to understand ND burnout
👥 a professional who works with ND people and wants a clear framework

You do not have to be sure you are in burnout to start.
This course is built to help you figure that out.

🎯 What You Will Get From ND Burnout Basics

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Explain ND burnout clearly
🧠 describe neurodivergent burnout in plain language
🧠 distinguish it from ordinary stress and your usual ND difficulties

Recognise your own state on the ND burnout map
🧭 use a simple cycle (ND Neutral → Rising Load → Capacity Narrowing → Burnout State → Slow Recovery)
🧭 locate where you are right now, using your own ND baseline as reference

🌪 See why you are overloaded
🌪 identify your main ND Demand Domains
🌪 connect them to real parts of your life: work, home, relationships, sensory environments

Take a few realistic steps
🌱 build a Tiny ND Recovery & Prevention Menu
🌱 choose small load-reduction actions, body supports and grounding interest actions that actually fit low capacity

You will not fix everything in one go.
But hopefully, you will stop feeling like you are standing in a fog with no map.

⚠️ What This Course Is and Is Not

This course is:

🌱 education for ND adults about ND burnout
🧠 grounded in current research and ND lived experience
📚 focused on understanding, mapping and taking small, realistic steps
🛠 designed to sit alongside therapy, coaching or medical care

This course is not:

🚫 a diagnostic tool or a replacement for medical or psychological assessment
🚫 an emergency service – if you are in immediate danger, you need crisis support
🚫 a promise that you will never experience burnout again

It is also not about fixing autism, ADHD or AuDHD.
Your neurotype is not a mistake. The aim is to help you live with it in a way that hurts less.

🧃 How to Use This Course With Low Capacity

This course assumes you are not at full power. It is written for:

🧠 foggy focus
🎧 low tolerance for long text
📆 inconsistent energy

You are encouraged to:
🧃 read one topic at a time, not whole lessons in one sitting
🧃 skim headings and emoji lists first, then read sections that feel relevant
🧃 do the “light version” of each practice when that is all you can manage
🧃 pause and come back later if something feels too much

There is no behind. You are allowed to move slowly, repeat, or skip and return.

🔗 How ND Burnout Basics Fits Into the Wider Burnout Series

ND Burnout Basics is the foundational course on SensoryOverload.info:

🧩 ND Burnout Basics – map, language, tiny steps
🌊 ND Burnout Deep Dive – your burnout history, patterns and triggers in depth
🌱 ND Burnout Recovery – practical changes in your daily life while you are still in or near burnout
🧯 ND Burnout Prevention – designing a baseline life that is safer for your ND system