Category: Neurodivergent

Masking debt & autistic burnout

Posted on by Gregory Wood

By Embrace Autism

Very often, when I am over stimulated I get very tired mentally and have to go to a quiet spot. As a volunteer I only work 4 hours a day in order to keep from burning out. In social settings with lots of people I am over stimulated and I become very quiet or I leave the event early.  When I was working, at the end of my shift, I was so tired mentally that I would sit in my car before driving home.  Once home I would not come out of my apartment till the next day in order to recover and be ready for the next shift.  – Greg 

What is autistic ‘masking debt’?

Masking debt refers to the long-term cost of repeatedly hiding or overriding natural autistic responses (called masking/camouflaging) in order to meet expectations that were not designed for autistic people. This results in autistic burnout.

It is never a single act of masking that causes harm, but the cumulative effect of doing it over many years. When it hits, many autistic adults describe the same moment: Why can’t I do what I used to be able to do?

Tasks that once felt manageable suddenly aren’t. Working, socializing, keeping up with daily life, or tolerating sensory demands can start to feel overwhelming or impossible. This loss of capacity can feel shocking, especially when those abilities felt stable for years. read more

Posted on by Gregory Wood

 On December 24 ,2024  just before Christmas I went to Thailand to board the World Odyssey for a journey that lasted from January 5th to April 20th, 2025.  The ports that we went to were Ho Chi Minh, Penang, Kochi, Mombasa, Cape Town, Tema, Takoradi, Casablanca, and LaCoruna. We disembarked in Bremerhavan. From the ship I went to see family in Hamburg. This was my second voyage with the program and I tried to implement some lessons learned from my first experience yet there were some new challenges. I found socializing with the students and ship staff very good.  Like last time I reported to the Dean of Students office when I boarded. 

I did have an unfortunate incident while I was aboard this trip. I was in Kenya on a safari texting my girlfriend and she sent me a very private picture.  Some how I did not know someone was looking over my shoulder and saw it.  Back on the ship I got an email to report to the Asst. Dean of Students about the matter. I went into anxiety mode. Before getting on the ship I let the administration know about my Asberger’s issues so if something came up they could come to me as a adult. This time, I was ready to leave the program after the incident, but one of the other Life Long Learners talked me out of it.  Instead, I got support from the Counseling Office and the Life Long Learner Coordinator. I settled the issue and refused going to the Dean’s Office.  The Care Team on board should have flagged the issue. It took a lot of self advocacy to put a procedure in place for future voyages.  I spent the rest of the voyage in anxiety mode. I just wish the individual who saw the picture and had an issue with it would have come to me instead of going to the administration so it didn’t escalate. 

Traveling when on the spectrum can be difficult; navigating airports and customs.  I asked someone on the trip to go through customs with me to keep me calm. I spent the rest of the voyage around people who I felt safe with.  Sometimes I would sit and eat meals alone to remain calm.  This is a good way to learn about different cultures as well.  This type of travel allows you to come in contact with many different people. If everyone had the ability to experience this type of trip, the world could be a different place.