The ADHD Burnout Cycle

 Over the years, I've noticed that my own pattern with ADHD burnout is very similar to what many clients have experienced as well. This is just based on my own observations, and as all of us are different, it may look different for you. But, approximately, here are the stages we tend to go through:


-Overstimulated: We take on too much in one week, or we get locked into a hyperfocused state for way too long a stretch, or we overcommit to too many people in a row.
-Ignore: This for me is the key state I've learned to identify, when I start to "over-ride" early signs of stress and exhaustion.
-Pushing Through: For me, this is a dangerous stage because after ignoring the stress, I sometimes will start getting busier, which really doesn't help the stress or exhaustion at all!
-Shutting Down: Now, my body is tired. Decisions become difficult. I get stuck on problems that didn't feel so hard even a few days before. I can't find my phone.
-Beyond Tired: Now we've gone way past normal exhaustion. Sleep is impacted. Even if we get a break, we aren't resting during it and resetting.
-Avoidance: Here is where I see procrastination/shame/guilt start kicking in for people. They now struggle to complete everyday tasks. This is your brain and body telling you you're exhausted. But, we also add an unnecessary layer of beating ourselves up on top of it, which completely shuts us down altogether!


What can we do to break out of the cycle?


-Begin to notice the early signs of stress and fatigue as they are happening to you.
-Pause. Rest. Take breaks early in the cycle. Go back into your body to check in more often. Figure out what you need more of: Fun, creativity, relaxation, connection? Then find ways to make these things important in your week to do.
-Be kind to yourself. Tell yourself to rest. Tell yourself you've done enough for one day. Be kinder to you. All day long!


What does your ADHD burnout cycle look like?


For more tools, check out my books on ADHD: risawilliams.com
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