Autistic people often report experiencing burnout and fatigue. Everyone only has so much energy to expend on work, family, socialising, housework, and interests as is, but autistic people often have less energy for many of these things than neurotypical people. (It’s also important to note that autistic people might have more energy for certain things, particularly if they have restricted or special interests). It’s often the “daily grind” stuff—particularly if it has the potential to overload the senses—that autistic people find most draining.
Christine Miserandino’s1 “spoon theory” is often used to make sense of what it feels like to have a limited amount of energy and to have to make choices to avoid (or at least minimise) burnout and fatigue. She developed this metaphor to explain her chronic illness, but it was adopted by the autistic community to explain the similar energy limitations that autistic people face.
Read more at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-autism-spectrum-disorder/202211/what-is-the-spoons-theory-autism
