Those experiencing ADHD burnout may find it even more challenging than usual to initiate and complete tasks, maintain focus and attention, and regulate their emotions.
Autistic And ADHD burnout is characterized by pervasive, long-term (typically 3+ months) exhaustion, loss of function, and reduced tolerance to stimulus. (Raymaker et al., 2021).
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.
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.
Meltdowns, especially for people with ADHD, can be in the form of impulsive and explosive ADHD-related behaviors. They can happen when a person has too much pressure, stress, anger, anxiety or other strong emotions. During meltdown mode, a person may feel out of control and be unable to stop and think straight.
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
Causes of ADHD and tiredness
This low sense of motivation can feel similar to fatigue, especially if a person feels unable to keep up with their responsibilities. Additionally, the stress that ADHD may cause can feel exhausting, especially if a person's symptoms are not well controlled.
Many adults with ADHD use coping strategies that help them hide their symptoms. This practice is known as ADHD masking and is especially common in women with ADHD. One type of ADHD masking — known as mirroring — involves intentionally or unintentionally mimicking the speech, movements, or behaviors of someone else.
When people with ADHD are activated, they are often plagued by self-sabotaging, negative internal talk that prevents them from believing they can do things. It can be conscious or unconscious and can keep folks from setting, working towards, and reaching goals. It holds them back from doing what they want to do.
Overwhelm is a feeling all too familiar to anyone with ADHD or neurodiversity. When you're constantly bombarded with stimuli and your to-do list seems impossible to manage, it's easy to feel like you're drowning. One of the best ways to combat overwhelm is to write things down.
The nature of ADHD can create what is sometimes referred to as a cycle of failure (Selikowitz, 2009). 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.
In fact, emerging research shows that one of the most prevalent symptoms of ADHD is not excess energy but the lack of it in the form of mental fatigue.
Some people with ADHD can get overwhelmed with too much sensory information. This can be why they cannot handle the same amount of sensory inputs as well as others. As a result, numerous things might cause them to feel exhausted and they may become affected by these events more quickly than other people.
For many adults living with ADHD, overwhelm can shut them down and keep them from moving forward.
Reset your emotions by taking a break.
Learn to remove yourself from the situation. Physically remove yourself, and do something unrelated to the situation or your anger. Engage in physical activity to release tensions and negative energy.
ADHD Burnout vs Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. In contrast, ADHD burnout is related to frustration and a sense of inefficacy, and lack of control over one's situation.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do. People with ADHD do think differently though, in a sense.
A: ADHD brains need more sleep, but find it doubly difficult to achieve restfulness. It is one of those ADHD double whammies: ADHD makes it harder to get enough sleep, and being sleep deprived makes it harder to manage your ADHD (or anything else).
However, some research suggests that ADHD symptoms may peak at a certain age. One review study published in the journal Neuropediatrics indicated that peak prevalence of ADHD may be higher in certain age groups, such as among 9-year-old boys. 7 In contrast, the prevalence of ADHD in adults was estimated at 2.8%.
These symptoms are usually seen by the time a child is four years old and typically increase over the next three to four years. The symptoms may peak in severity when the child is seven to eight years of age, after which they often begin to decline.
The mind of a person with ADHD is full of the minutiae of life (“Where are my keys?” “Where did I park the car?”), so there is little room left for new thoughts and memories. Something has to be discarded or forgotten to make room for new information. Often the information individuals with ADHD need is in their memory…