Let’s talk about burn out. Burn out can happen to anyone at any time in their life. You can be going about your life, hitting due dates, crushing timelines, accomplishing tasks, reaching goals, and all the sudden BOOM…. Burn out occurred. Burn out is defined as a psychological state in which an individual no longer feels interested in their requirements (job, school, personal, etc), has increased mental strain, and feels negative towards the things they are expected to accomplish. Burn-out can occur abruptly or slowly over time. Everyone is susceptible to burn out. However, those with ADHD can be even more susceptible. People with ADHD tend to hyper fixate on certain hobbies, skills, or aspects of their life. This hyper fixation can easily lead to burn out and result in a lack of motivation to engage in and complete tasks. Take it from me, once you ‘burn out’ something you once loved can be impossible to even do.

Below is a list of things I’ve done in the past to avoid burnout.

1. Self-care: in order to stay motivated and inspired to do things you need to spend time doing things that you are passionate about and that inspire you. Even if you don’t entirely love you career or a task you are required to complete, you can stay motivated by ensuring you have a strong self-care routine.

2. Self-compassion: if you don’t give yourself a break at times, you will never live up to your expectations. People with ADHD tend to have very high expectations of themselves, oftentimes ones that are unreachable. It’s imperative to give yourself some wiggle room and practice self compassion during the times when your expectations aren’t met. Recognizing that you’ve done the best you can and learning from your mistakes is part of being compassionate towards yourself.

3. Don’t take too much on: people with ADHD tend to have a bunch of hobbies and interests. These hobbies and interests are collected over time and tend to be hyper fixated on at some point in the individual's life. Learning how to focus on and complete one or two very important things before considering other tasks or activities is important to ensuring you don’t burn out.

4. Roll with the punches: ADHD and plan changes do not cooperate. People with ADHD have difficulties regulating emotion and often make decisions on impulse. These two things together can be disastrous. When a person with ADHD makes an impulsive decision, they don’t plan ahead, increasing the likelihood of a change in plans occurring. Therefore, emotional regulation and thoughtful decision making is required in order to roll with the punches, two things people with ADHD struggle with. Learning to accept change, and thrive from the possibility of being creative, is crucial for avoiding burn out. Use changes in the plan and forks in the road as an opportunity to be resourceful and creative, two things that people with ADHD thrive on.

5. Take breaks: taking breaks often when doing something that is mentally draining is imperative. People with ADHD struggle with staying on task while doing things that aren’t mentally stimulating. Taking breaks in between the task and doing things that are stimulating like taking a walk or watching a YouTube video is helpful. If you push yourself too much to stay attentive for a long period of time, you might find yourself resenting the task. Once you resent the task, task avoidance can occur. The longer you avoid the task, the more likely you are to burn out and be uninterested in completing it. Give yourself the breaks you need and start things early to ensure you don’t have to work for a long period of time.

6. Get moving: go for a walk or run, workout, go for a hike, or just do some jumping jacks. Getting your body moving will activate the happy hormones… It's called behavioural activation. The more you get moving, the more motivated you become. Making sure you have a healthy workout routine will ensure that you are less likely to burn out.

7. Find what works for you: finding balance can be difficult. The good news is, balance isn’t for everyone. You don’t necessarily need to find balance in every realm of your life. Hyper fixating or hyper focusing on tasks can be motivation. Having an all or nothing mindset can also be helpful or useful. However, in order to not burn out, it’s important to be aware of your own limitations. I hope these recommendations help with living life the fullest. Being a neurodivergent person can be challenging, but it can also be extremely rewarding!

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