ADHD burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion that can occur when the demands of daily life, work, or other responsibilities become overwhelming.
It often involves feeling drained, detached, and cynical. It can be confused with depression and anxiety because of overlapping symptoms such as low motivation, irritability, and fatigue.
Unlike typical burnout, which might stem from work stress, ADHD burnout can result from the constant effort of managing ADHD symptoms, masking, and overcompensating.
The experience of burnout is unique to each individual, and can be influenced by external factors, sensory issues, and internal states.
How does ADHD burnout feel?
Below are some of the ways ADHD burnout can feel and ways it can present:
1. Physical Feelings
Exhaustion
A profound, deep-seated fatigue that isn’t relieved by rest. It’s not just being tired; it’s a feeling of being completely depleted.
One person described it as “a deep seated fatigue that impacts your ability to engage with life fully.”
Sleep Disruption
Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. Some may find themselves sleeping more, while others may experience insomnia.
“When I am really needing physical rest… I find myself waking up between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning and I am just up I cannot quiet my mind I cannot get back to sleep.”
Physical Sensations
There can be physical manifestations such as muscle tightness, headaches, and migraines.
“When I’m going into burnout, I will quite often start to suffer with headaches again… my head just has this really fuzzy full feeling like it’s at full capacity.”
2. Behaviours
Withdrawal and Isolation
A tendency to pull away from social interactions and activities that were once enjoyable. People may feel detached and want to isolate themselves.
“For me personally, that means diving headfirst into sleep, burying myself in books for hours on end, or binging TV shows until I’ve reached peak shutdown mode.”
Reduced Productivity
Difficulty completing tasks, even simple ones, leading to lower performance. Motivation may take a hit.
“I felt increasingly demotivated and the harder I tried the worse it got.”
Procrastination and Avoidance
Increased procrastination and avoidance of responsibilities and tasks.
“Lots of overworking, overcompensating which is also combined with procrastinating, taking longer to get things done and just kind of feeling like you’re going round in circles.”
Changes in Routines
People might find it harder to stick to routines that once helped them stay on track.
For example, they may find it harder to complete chores around the house or follow meal plans and calendars that are an important part of their routine.
Overcommitment
Continuing to overcommit despite feeling exhausted.
“I feel like I can just cram it all in and do all of the things and I’ve got time and then I end up just hitting a wall and then I don’t have time to do anything but stop.”
Apathy
A sense of indifference and not caring about things that usually matter.
“Being indifferent about things can also be a sign for me… it’s like oh why even bother it doesn’t matter I don’t care.”
3. Thoughts
Overwhelm
A feeling of being overwhelmed by simple daily tasks and responsibilities.
Overwhelming thoughts might look like:
- “Even making breakfast feels like climbing a mountain right now”
- “There are so many emails to answer, I can’t even open my inbox without feeling panicked”
Negative Self-Talk
Increased self-criticism, self-doubt, and feelings of inadequacy.
“I was plagued with self-doubt, convinced I was a failure and incapable of doing or achieving anything.”
Negative self-talk might look like:
- “Why can’t I just get it together like everyone else seems to?”
- “I’m letting everyone down again, I’m such a failure”
Cynicism
A more negative outlook on life, with cynical attitudes towards tasks and interactions.
“You just notice that you’re just a bit more cynical and there’s just sort of an undertone of sort of heaviness and negativity there.”
Cynical thoughts might look like:
- “What’s the point of trying? It’s all going to fall apart anyway”
- “Everyone else is probably just pretending to have their life together too”
Loss of Self
Feeling detached from your work or career, as if you’ve “checked out.”
Thoughts about loss of self might look like:
- “I don’t even recognize who I am at work anymore”
- “I used to be passionate about this job, now I feel like I’m just going through the motions”
Perfectionism
A relentless drive to achieve the impossible.
Perfectionist thoughts might look like:
- “If I can’t do this absolutely perfectly, there’s no point in even starting”
- “I need to triple-check everything or something will go wrong”
Hypervigilance
A state of being constantly on edge and waiting for something to happen.
Hypervigilant thoughts might look like:
- “I keep waiting for my boss to realize how behind I am on everything”
- “Something bad is about to happen, I can feel it”
Difficulty Thinking Clearly
Feeling mentally foggy or unable to think clearly.
“It’s like I don’t feel like myself because this layer of steel wool around my brain prevents it from working”
Difficulty thinking clearly might look like:
- “It feels like my thoughts are trying to move through molasses”
- “I know the answer is in my brain somewhere, but I just can’t reach it”
Can ADHD burnout feel like depression?
ADHD burnout and depression can feel similar, with overlapping symptoms like low motivation, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Both can also cause detachment and isolation.
However, in ADHD burnout, the person may not experience the same level of sadness or negative thought patterns that accompany depression.
Instead, exhaustion and overwhelm are central, often stemming from the demands of managing ADHD symptoms or overcommitting.
Burnout may also present with more cynicism and a feeling of reduced personal accomplishment.
Is it ADHD burnout or am I just tired or bored?
While boredom and fatigue are normal experiences, ADHD burnout is characterized by the intensity and persistence of exhaustion and a more profound sense of depletion.
Boredom may increase stress due to the difficulty in sustaining attention, whereas burnout involves a more pervasive sense of injury and being unable to function.
It is important to distinguish between a temporary lack of interest and the more acute sense of dread associated with burnout.
Reflective questions
To help determine if you are experiencing ADHD burnout, consider the following questions. Keep in mind that this is not a diagnostic tool and should only be taken as a guide.
- Am I feeling utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically, like my energy is completely drained?
- Do I feel overwhelmed, even by simple tasks, like my to-do list is never-ending?
- Have I lost interest in activities I once enjoyed and do I feel a lack of motivation to do anything?
- Do I feel trapped, helpless, or defeated, as if I have no way out of this state?
- Do I feel detached and alone, even from people I am close to?
- Am I experiencing increased self-doubt or negativity, no matter what I do?
- Are my usual ADHD symptoms more intense and difficult to manage?
- Do I feel a strong urge to escape or withdraw from responsibilities, people, or obligations?
- Am I having trouble sleeping, either oversleeping or experiencing insomnia, and waking up feeling constantly fatigued?
- Am I more sensitive to my environment, finding bright lights and loud sounds overwhelming and do I get easily overstimulated?
