ASD/ADHD fatigue

[Raggamuffin]

Audiobooks are a good workaround. I fatigue quickly when reading, but I can have periods of weeks where I read daily. Between 5-15 or so pages. Every now and then I go on a bigger reading sesh. A few times recently I ate some fungi, and was hyperfocused on reading for many hours.

Ed

 

[M11]

Audiobooks are a good workaround. I fatigue quickly when reading, but I can have periods of weeks where I read daily. Between 5-15 or so pages. Every now and then I go on a bigger reading sesh. A few times recently I ate some fungi, and was hyperfocused on reading for many hours.

Ed

In regards to your ADHD diagnosis was it online or in person? Im fine with having an online one but my girlfriend seems to think an in person one would be more reliable.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Via Zoom.

To be honest, the questions are virtually identical to what you get in online free preliminary assessments.

https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/adult-adhd-add/test-for-adhd

Ed

 

[M11]

Via Zoom.

To be honest, the questions are virtually identical to what you get in online free preliminary assessments.

https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/adult-adhd-add/test-for-adhd

Ed

So I took a test on the clinics website I chose and my scores were 5 and 7. My only doubt is my old fashioned parents who I’ve never mentioned it to as I didn’t think they wouldn’t understand so I haven’t asked them their opinion of me as a child although I know they can at least say I had behavioural issues in school and didn’t do any homework. Also think they could fall somewhere in ND as my father never goes out hasn’t ever had any friends and has his own little addictions. Also my brother is even more so of an introvert he does t leave the house apart from work he’s probably been in 2 Christmas nights out with work in the past 15 years and is also addicted to gambling which I’ve never really thought much of until now it seems to be a bit of a pattern.

 

[Sherlock77]

Re: The work aspect

I have thoughts about that, I have worked most of my life, with some periods of unemployment (not too many)

As much as I have had work I didn't enjoy that much, it's at least something that kept me busy for 40 hours a week, and does provide a sense of structure, at least to me

When the off time hits, whether the weekend or a vacation, or... I like to be reasonably active, I'm not home that much

I guess we all have different ways of relaxing, my way of relaxing is going for a walk, perhaps a small Christmas market to wander around, a classic car show in the summer, perhaps... It's easy to lose motivation when sitting down and doing nothing which is why I like being reasonably active...

 

[M11]

Re: The work aspect

I have thoughts about that, I have worked most of my life, with some periods of unemployment (not too many)

As much as I have had work I didn't enjoy that much, it's at least something that kept me busy for 40 hours a week, and does provide a sense of structure, at least to me

When the off time hits, whether the weekend or a vacation, or... I like to be reasonably active, I'm not home that much

I guess we all have different ways of relaxing, my way of relaxing is going for a walk, perhaps a small Christmas market to wander around, a classic car show in the summer, perhaps... It's easy to lose motivation when sitting down and doing nothing which is why I like being reasonably active...

So on the work aspect I do actually really enjoy my job and sort of have a special interest in it where I need to know everything about every aspect I say special interest because it’s lasted for more than 3 years, but it definitely tires me out to the extreme on some occasions.

The time off is definitely a problem and I think it’s to do with structure if I haven’t got something booked as in a holiday to go to or my partner isn’t off the same time and I won’t be doing anything productive I don’t see the point for instance last year I had 2 weeks off out of my 8 week allowance and then I had to have all the remaining holidays auto allocated in the last 2 months. This year I only had 1 week booked off after 5months so my boss who I really get a long with just auto allocated me a few random weeks on my behalf (asking if it was okay of course) so I didn’t end up in the same predicament this year.

I agree being active in any way possible even if it’s a short and sweet gym session like yesterday seems to give me a lot more energy.

 

[Sherlock77]

So on the work aspect I do actually really enjoy my job and sort of have a special interest in it where I need to know everything about every aspect I say special interest because it’s lasted for more than 3 years, but it definitely tires me out to the extreme on some occasions.

The time off is definitely a problem and I think it’s to do with structure if I haven’t got something booked as in a holiday to go to or my partner isn’t off the same time and I won’t be doing anything productive I don’t see the point for instance last year I had 2 weeks off out of my 8 week allowance and then I had to have all the remaining holidays auto allocated in the last 2 months. This year I only had 1 week booked off after 5months so my boss who I really get a long with just auto allocated me a few random weeks on my behalf (asking if it was okay of course) so I didn’t end up in the same predicament this year.

I agree being active in any way possible even if it’s a short and sweet gym session like yesterday seems to give me a lot more energy.

In my case I have typically taken my vacation days in bits and bites, which probably drove my employer nuts As compared to most people who would book off a full week or two at the same time...

As for my walks (and/or drives)? I am an avid amateur photographer, so in a sense there is a goal of what photo I will take/might take, even when going to a familiar place... In other words expanding my personal photography portfolio...

 

[Streetwise]

So I’ve tried to research this and can’t find much on the specific topic I’m wondering if anyone ever experiences anything similar.

During my working days I’m full of action and am very productive at what I do but on days off when I don’t go out to do the shopping or something with my partner I’ll watch a few episodes of something and then get bored. After that If I’m not doing anything that requires a bit of mental stimulation I’ll have a NAP and wake up feeling more fatigued but I know for instance if I was in work I would be fine to do all the tasks that were required of me so it all feels a bit strange.

Does anyone else experience anything similar?

what you probably have is exhaustation, but with anxiety specific to autism.

Try more vit b complex(you dont retain vit b and lose it every 40 minutes on average unless you dont drink enough fluid) ,seaweed tablets contain iodine, good for the thyroid gland, that can be damaged by stress,potassium foods tomatoes,french green beans,chocolate(very very small amount(too much magnesium which really!!!aids digestion ,choc is a laxative) of dark choc, good for the heart as well,peanut butter without sugar(too much refined unbalanced energy), palm oil -too much fat unless you're a very! active vegan

 

[M11]

I think that’s a wise idea 2 days here and there seems a lot easier than full weeks worth. Ahhh okay I like that you’ve attached a goals/hobbies towards your walks and drives which will make it easier to do action them on a regular basis.

I think I’m in need of a new Hobbie outside of my special interest of work. It used to be video gaming but that consumed me at times and made so so unproductive in the other aspects of my life. I’ve been looking at possibly signing up to a boxing gym (not to ever fight) but I think it would be a fun way to exercise which would get me to go on a regular basis.

 

[M11]

what you probably have is exhaustation, but with anxiety specific to autism.

Try more vit b complex(you dont retain vit b and lose it every 40 minutes on average unless you dont drink enough fluid) ,seaweed tablets contain iodine, good for the thyroid gland, that can be damaged by stress,potassium foods tomatoes,french green beans,chocolate(very very small amount(too much magnesium which really!!!aids digestion ,choc is a laxative) of dark choc, good for the heart as well,peanut butter without sugar(too much refined unbalanced energy), palm oil -too much fat unless you're a very! active vegan

Don’t mean to sound silly but seaweed tablets don’t sound appealing I can say my diet is far from a balanced one I’m a very picky eater which my partner is trying to help me work upon. I do tend to binge eat chocolate at times as a quick fix to try give me some energy I.e. I could eat a full £1 bar of malteaser chocolate I buy when I get home from work quite often. But yeah I’ve never really looked into much of my diet tbh I’ve come from a family that mainly ate frozen food or cooked steaks and fry ups lots of cakes/chocolate so my partner tries to get me to cut down substantially. I’d say I’m slightly overweight but you’d hardly be able tell like I’m average build with a bit of a belly.

 

[Streetwise]

Don’t mean to sound silly but seaweed tablets don’t sound appealing I can say my diet is far from a balanced one I’m a very picky eater which my partner is trying to help me work upon. I do tend to binge eat chocolate at times as a quick fix to try give me some energy I.e. I could eat a full £1 bar of malteaser chocolate I buy when I get home from work quite often. But yeah I’ve never really looked into much of my diet tbh I’ve come from a family that mainly ate frozen food or cooked steaks and fry ups lots of cakes/chocolate so my partner tries to get me to cut down substantially. I’d say I’m slightly overweight but you’d hardly be able tell like I’m average build with a bit of a belly.

The seaweed tablets only taste slightly salty, you just swallow with fluid , much better with a thyroid gland that is much healthier,im english but my mother was always ill, so we had !to look at diet, nhs did exactly what was convenient for them, so very little or abusive.
My mother had rheumatoid arthritis ,damaged stomach lining,skin allergy to the sun again from lazy nhs ,then a rarer form of motor neurone disease

 

[Duna]

Yes definitely, to me it's something about structure, but could also be about needing to rest from interacting. In terms of structure, I am thinking of the executive function side of things, where the issues also seem to slide into ADHD territory.

You mean structure prevents from getting exhausted, overwhelmed, etc.? I'm asking because I'm not ADD/ADHD (as far as I know) but know very well how it feels when the executive is overloaded.

I have a writing task I am working towards, but it's quite hard to settle to it. I find it hard to concentrate more than a couple of hours at a time. So I do that, and it is getting easier now.

Writing task sounds interesting! I do some writing myself, since I was able to more or less, and it helps a lot to get things sorted out.

Burnout is very real. As is not doing much if you're holding down a job. All that concentration and masking takes a lot out of you.

Yes. You need something to balance things out. Chilling might be it, but it's not if you worry about it. If you worry about chilling, you're not chilling.

 

[Rodafina]

Hey @MD1,
Thank you for this topic and for keeping the thread engaged – I have highly benefited from all the responses that you got and also the ones you offered. Just wanted to say thanks.

 

[Duna]

In my case I have typically taken my vacation days in bits and bites, which probably drove my employer nuts As compared to most people who would book off a full week or two at the same time...

Same here!

I enjoy walking a lot, and more so if I have companions (dogs, rarely humans). But I also enjoy doing the dishes, both because I absolutely can't stand anything food-related that's not either just bought or freshly prepared to be eaten, and because it gives a sense of success - turning dirty stuff into clean stuff, yeah!

When I read about you and the dishes I thought about dopamine.
I haven't have the time to look for serious information about it (not that crap search engines suggest) but I want definitely know more about it.

 

[M11]

You mean structure prevents from getting exhausted, overwhelmed, etc.? I'm asking because I'm not ADD/ADHD (as far as I know) but know very well how it feels when the executive is overloaded.

Writing task sounds interesting! I do some writing myself, since I was able to more or less, and it helps a lot to get things sorted out.

Yes. You need something to balance things out. Chilling might be it, but it's not if you worry about it. If you worry about chilling, you're not chilling.

From my own personal opinion but I could t be sure on it but it seems to happen in my case. So I actually love my job it provides a lot of mental stimulation so I’m basically like a fire work (here, there and everywhere) 90% of my chats are about the work we do with 10% just adding in a bit of social as I know you can’t be all work no pleasure.

Anyway what I’m saying is if I work 5 or 6 days straight I will give the same amount of output during all of those days but when I stop to rest is when it catches up to me and I become fatigued. So structure and stimulation keep me going (but obviously if I was to work 20 days straight I could probably crack on but it would inevitably lead to burnout) so the day off where my mental stimulation is lacking it’s like it can’t override my tiredness so I become fatigued and that’s when I realise I need to rest up.

Also I would 100% count work as my special interest as if you were to ask my partner I’m fidgety and restless but she would never say I was run by a motor. As apart from when we go the gym together or go for a hike etc nothing else at home provides me with that mental stimulation at the moment that keeps me hooked should we say (I used to game 10 hours a day but it became I unhealthy) where as if you as 30 people from work if I was run by a motor 99.9% would say yes so it seems conflicting.

Also I have days where I organise a lot of tasks for other managers and set them up perfectly and other days I go off on a tangent and get too into my day to day tasks in work and miss organising some off my own tasks which seems odd as I can be all or nothing in certain aspects which confuses people (why I can be so good at all these complex tasks but drop the ball on easier tasks on occasions)

 

[M11]

Hey @MD1,
Thank you for this topic and for keeping the thread engaged – I have highly benefited from all the responses that you got and also the ones you offered. Just wanted to say thanks.

Thank you for your kind message I’m glad they have helped. They have all just been off the cusp (heart on your sleeve) type messages just straight from what’s whirling round in this busy head

Side note: I rang up a private ADHD clinic 2 days ago and was just about to put the deposit down (my partner told me to wait saying I was being a bit impulsive I had only looked at 2 places and was going to spend 700 on a online assessment, although she works in the NHS and says she knows something is Likely ND now she has been researching and it explains how bad my communication in our relationship)

But yeah it’s difficult with such conflicting factors I need structure to be perfect but sometimes myself I can go off on a tangent and look chaotic. I hate new situations I had a week before starting my new job where I couldn’t function properly I was on the edge of overwhelm as I didn’t know what to expect, I’ve started and got stuck straight in and am loving it you wouldn’t think 1 month ago I was thinking of declining the offer.

 

[Duna]

so the day off where my mental stimulation is lacking it’s like it can’t override my tiredness so I become fatigued and that’s when I realise I need to rest up.

I did get it right, then. Wasn't sure. And what you say about the days off after a stretch of long and mentally demanding work days is true for me, too.

 

[chameleonov]

Yes. I experience fatigue on a regular basis. Some days more than others. I remember a few years back going to work and I had to deal with so many different personalities that were yappin like they were running a marathon. And when I came home I could still hear the echo of their talk in my ears and what they were going on about, I'm serously not joking, you know like a song is stuck in your head, almost the same. Often it happened that as soon as I came home I collapsed into bed and sometimes slept for 12hrs, I was so tired. I needed a day to clear my head from all the stuff I had to listen to at work that had nothing to do with anything but just people who just can't shut up. I don't think people realize how difficult tiredness is for aspies and just brush it of as laziness sadly.