Where exhaustion, overfunctioning, and silence finally have language. These reflections explore autistic burnout, emotional overwhelm, and the cost of holding everything together — and what it feels like to slowly come back to yourself.
Burnout didn’t arrive suddenly for me. It accumulated quietly, masked by competence and endurance, until the systems relying on my silence could no longer be stabilized.
Burnout and Autism: Why Masking Accelerates Collapse (Part II) Read Post »
It didn’t look dramatic. I didn’t explode or confront anyone. What changed was quieter than that. I stopped absorbing what had always been mine to carry, and the system felt the absence.
When You Stop Absorbing, the System Feels It Read Post »
I didn’t burn out because I ignored the signs. I burned out because I learned how to absorb strain quietly enough that the system never had to change.
Burnout and Autism: Why Masking Accelerates Collapse (Part I) Read Post »
I didn’t know I was burned out because I never stopped long enough to see it. I was still functioning. Still moving. It wasn’t until the motion paused that the cost became visible.
Why I Didn’t Know I Was Burned Out Until I Stopped Read Post »
Rest helped, but it didn’t resolve what had been building. When the nervous system never exits survival mode, rest becomes a pause rather than a reset. This essay explores why relief matters more than stillness when exhaustion runs deeper than fatigue.
When Rest Doesn’t Restore You Read Post »
Being capable didn’t break me.
It kept me functioning long enough that the cost went unnoticed.
This isn’t about collapse.
It’s about what accumulates when you’re relied on without consent.
The Cost of Being Capable Read Post »
Masking can work for a long time. Until it doesn’t. A reflection on grief, capacity, and what becomes visible when the system reaches its limit.
When Masking Stops Working Read Post »
Burnout isn’t always caused by too much work. Often, it’s a response to broken systems, powerlessness, and lack of recognition rather than a lack of resilience or effort.
Burnout Isn’t Always About Workload Read Post »
