Exhaustion - Blog Posts

Day 23: What’s a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here? || Exhaustion 

I like drawing Aizawa whump, but I don’t actually think he’d let himself get into situations like these, so I guess the story behind this one is that the opponent had a quirk that drained his energy anytime erasure wasn’t activated, so every time he blinked he got more and more tired until this happened

Dib was exhausted and fell asleep in class. Gretchen decided to take a chance.

Tie your whumpee up by their wrists, rough rope digging into their skin. Then whip them, over and over, until their legs give out and they slump against the post. Until each breath is a ragged, desperate gasp, until the world spins around them and stars to fade in and out of focus, until all they can hear is the snap of the whip and their own blood dripping on the ground.

If you’re going through autistic+ADHD (auDHD) burnout, you may experience:

*anxiety

*depression

*extreme lethargy

*inability to ask for help

**memory issues

**loss of words or selective mutism

**reduced executive functioning (e.g., staying organized, making decisions)

**trouble bouncing back from daily tasks

*suicidal thoughts

+

**Feelings of fatigue and constant exhaustion.

*Low self-confidence coupled with high self-criticism.

*Lack of motivation and drive to complete tasks.

*Anger and resentment toward responsibilities, obligations, and other people.

What do we need to exit the burnout realm:

Stimming and sensory stimulation/deprivation

Food, water, medications

Physical safety (e.g., a home, your bedroom, a place to stay that is away from harm)

Social support (e.g., can someone help you with chores? managing your schedule? explaining neurotypical norms going on around you? doing tasks that require engaging with others like making phone calls?)

Time for special interests

Time for sleep, recovery, and rest

If someone you know is experiencing auDHD burnout, be gentle with them, they're already barely holding it together with straws and Scotch tape.

Don't add to the burnout, requiring us to submit more energy spoons than necessary, and understand that the size of your energy spoons are different from those of neurodivergent people. We have less spoons to dole out, and they're tea spoons compared to your serving spoons.

Let us rest. Send us home early from work or class, let us do our work in the safety of our home environment during burnout phases. Everyday interactions that are energizing for neurotypical people are extremely energy draining for those with auDHD, especially during a burnout phase.

Help them if you are willing and able. Those of us with auDHD most of the time don't know or understand what exactly our needs are. Having a support system around that can see what is needed and offer assistance could mean the difference in those of us with auDHD between crashing or being able to recharge.

Be kind. This isn't the time to bully or make fun of the person with auDHD. There is no need to be a jerk in the first place, but we live in the real world, with real, neurotypical people who do not understand how our brains work so differently as to cause situations like burnout that affect others around the person with audhd. Just be kind, those experiencing burnout are already fragile emotionally and probably spiritually. Being a part of our support system as opposed to someone who is making it more difficult to survive this experience could mean the difference between recovery or crashing.

For those with auDHD, find support groups online. There are so many other adults experiencing auDHD and burnout in today's demanding neurotypical world. You're not alone in this.

i want to sleep but i got no energy, ya know? so bloody exhausted up to the point that i can’t close my eyes without crying.

how bloody fitting on a sunday afternoon.

don’t you all just love life sometimes?

Studying when EXAUSTED

This is for those times when you really desperately want to be productive and get things done but you can't focus and you just want to sleep but you didn't do anything today so you feel shitty.

if you can, please just go to sleep (I do get that sometimes you feel so shitty about how little work you got done that you can't sleep, but if you can, please do it and approach tomorrow with a fresh start)

plan out what tomorrow is going to look like. I will break it down by task, for example: 6:00 wake up, 6:05 work out 6:15 shower, 6:30 make tea, 6:40 start work, 7:30 break etc. This will 1) help you feel better about not getting anything done 2) can help you be more productive tomorrow.

if you have things to do that are easy/low brain power, do them. These are things like printing out work, scanning stuff, tidying your kitchen. getting these little things out of the way can make a HUGE difference later

if you can, just read over your material. Don't even try to understand, just read it. Tomorrow when you come back to try and actually learn it, you will already be a little familiar and it can speed things up for you

eat something, drink something, and see if it makes you feel better- many times when i'm "unable" to go on, I eat a meal and drink a glass or two of water and magically I feel great again

try doing a workout- sometimes it just makes the exhaustion worse, but if you need to stay up later (shoutout to my fellow 6:30 pm bedtime pals) it can stretch time a little bit, and sometimes wakes up your brain. It's also good for you and can make your sleep go better

DONT DRINK COFFEE. or tea. no caffeine. you are already tired, it's not going to fix anything, its just going to make you jittery and sad. it's also going to upset your sleep schedule and make the tired worse for tomorrow.

lastly- just go to bed. pushing through true exhaustion is not going to help you or anyone else. anything you try and learn is going to float right out of your head, and it can lead to burnout which will make everything worse. Please just sleep

Every lab should come with mandatory recovery time at this point

leaving a three hour lab be like:

what time is it? why is it dark outside? where did the sun go?

I'm starving.

I'm never doing that again (literally has the same lab scheduled the following week).

The life and the dream in Chicago.

Sometimes my empathy turns to apathy.

At times my rage is hard to contain.

Why must I feel so intensely.

When I’m sad my world is crumbling.

When I’m mad you’ll feel my wrath.

I’m loving and kind.

I’m mean and moody.

I’m tired guys.

Emotionally.

Mentally.

Physically.

Tired.

-Illustratum Paradoxon

Part 6: 🦾🐚As they swim through a narrow tunnel, a massive boulder shifts above them. Ren's quick thinking saves them, but the boulder blocks their path. Using his tail, Ren attempts to move the boulder, but it barely budges. Exhausted and frustrated, he wants to give up. 💔 #ObstaclesAbound

Part 7: Luminescent Coral Polyps 🌿💡 Just when all seems lost, Ren notices a peculiar coral formation pulsating with a soft, mesmerizing light. As he approaches, the coral polyps suddenly extend, creating a glowing pathway through the dark tunnel. The polyps sway gently in the current, as if beckoning Ren to follow their lead. Ren's mother, recognizing the coral's unusual behavior as a sign of hope, encourages him to trust in the guidance of the ocean. With renewed determination, Ren pushes forward, and the boulder slowly moves, revealing a hidden path. 💪 #GlimmerOfHope

Part 8: 🌋💥As they continue their journey, the group encounters a sudden underwater volcanic eruption. Scalding steam and ash fill the water, obscuring their vision. Ren, relying on his instincts, guides his family through the murky depths, narrowly escaping the burning debris. 😰 #NaturalDisaster

Renard the sea fox

Part 1: 🦊🎨

In a vibrant underwater world, Renard (or Ren for short), the sea fox, is born into a family of legendary artists. Despite having no limbs, he dreams of creating masterpieces. But his attempts to paint with his tail and teeth are met with laughter and mockery. Feeling defeated, Ren abandons his dreams, just like everyone abandoned him. 💔