ADHD burnout is a feeling of exhaustion largely brought on by stress, made more complicated by ADHD symptoms. People with ADHD are more likely to experience burnout. Common signs of ADHD burnout include: irritability.
Other problems specific to people with ADHD also add fuel to burnout. “ADHDers experience something called 'hyperfocus,' periods of time in which we are transfixed and fully focused on a subject or project. These periods can last from hours to days and we often neglect taking care of ourselves when we are hyperfocused.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
People with ADHD can find tasks like complex projects or deciding between too many choices overwhelming, and often get distracted or find themselves avoiding tasks altogether when faced with stress. This feeling of overwhelm is often referred to as ADHD paralysis.
Symptoms of understimulation
Some signs that you might be understimulated include: Lack of motivation. Physical hyperactivity. A sense of unease, making you feel "flat" or irritable.
Sometimes with ADHD, we can become so overwhelmed that we feel paralysed or shut down completely [7]–[9]. If this is the case for you, it's important to seek help as soon as possible. ADHD can be associated with other elements such as anxiety, RSD, and emotional overwhelm.
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Do you squander your precious time and energy trying to “act normal” at the expense of your mental health? That's ADHD masking, which may include suppressing symptoms, trying to hide your ADHD in public settings, or denying the real effect ADHD has on your life.
If you hide your adult ADHD symptoms from other people, that's called masking. Basically, you're trying to seem more “normal” or “regular.” ADHD causes some people to act hyperactive or impulsive. It makes other folks have trouble paying attention. And still other adults have a combination of those symptoms.
The cycle of failure in adults with ADHD looks like this: Feelings of failure and inadequacy. Desire to avoid tough situations and back away from challenges. Diminished achievements due to lack of effort.
Sleep Struggles Can Also Lead To Exhaustion
But for some adults with ADHD, it can be difficult for the mind to shut down and relax even after a busy day. This means that it can be hard to fall asleep or wake up naturally in the morning, resulting in sleep deprivation.
Depression is estimated to be 2.7 times more prevalent among adults with ADHD than among the general adult population. Studies also show that about 30 percent of people with ADHD will experience a depressive episode or have a mood disorder in their lifetimes.
Kids with ADHD may feel like involuntary experts on the topic, but even some adults with ADHD may feel like it's a constant battle to seek new and exciting things to keep boredom at bay. Research shows that people with ADHD (among others) report higher frequencies of boredom.
You're calm under pressure.
High-stress situations get the dopamine pumping in the brain, which is why adults with ADHD tend to make great firefighters and ER doctors, as well as brilliant stock-traders and entrepreneurs.
It happens when an ADHDer is hyper-sensitive to the sensory information their brain receives, causing them to experience certain sensations more intensely or longer than normal. This leads to overstimulation and a “fight or flight” response, which may affect how a person functions daily.
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.
People with ADHD will have at least two or three of the following challenges: difficulty staying on task, paying attention, daydreaming or tuning out, organizational issues, and hyper-focus, which causes us to lose track of time. ADHD-ers are often highly sensitive and empathic.
Why? Sugar and other high carb foods boost dopamine levels in the brain, leading us to crave them more often when dopamine levels are low. Since children with ADHD have chronically low levels of dopamine, they are more likely than other children to crave and eat sugary or carbohydrate-heavy foods.
Though brain scans cannot yet reliably diagnose ADHD, some scientists are using them to identify environmental and prenatal factors that affect symptoms, and to better understand how stimulant medications trigger symptom control vs. side effects.
The most impairing symptoms in one person might be that they blurt things out in anger or take too many risks while driving, while another person may daydream too much. Many might identify from time to time with such symptoms.
A very common (also annoying and distressing) element of ADHD is 'time blindness'. Adults with ADHD often have a weaker perception of time and it has been proposed that this symptom is a possible diagnostic characteristic. 'Time blindness' can mean you are always late, or always way too early to avoid being late.