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