RSD is so hard at work. It’s so hard to stay engaged when you’re dealing with constant criticism and negativity. It really takes such a strong inner acceptance to deal with the office politics day after day.
Interesting video. Thanks for making it. To me, it seems like most of these factors you spoke about are things that we may have a little bit of control over. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on some of the burnout factors at work that we do *not* have control over. Like over-work, toxic organizational/management culture, bullying, lack of support/accommodation, etc.
You completely read my mind. I was trying not to be all doom and gloom on this one as it often seems we have no control over our life. I wanted to talk about things we might be able to control with awareness. I'm already working on the counterpart to this one that delves into workplace issues rather than individual challenges. It ultimately boils down to culture though. So much of the bad stuff is due to poor culture and/or ignorance.
@@ProudlyAutistic I appreciated you highlighting what we may have control over. It gave me something to think about. For me, it can be easy to throw my hands up and say "I can't do anything about any of what is happening to/around me." But upon closer examination that is rarely the truth. Thanks for the reminder.
I personally get burned out at work because I am successful because I am different. I am an engineer and because I am Autistic, I see things differently. I also process new things from the bottom up so they keep throwing large difficult things at me. Each time they do that, it is a shock to my system. It creates panic and almost a physical pain. I identify everything, figure it out and i am successful. At that point I just wish they would leave me alone to perfect that and let me get in to a nice "normal" daily routine. I crave routine. But they will pull me off of that and drop another bomb on me. That leads to bigtime burnout for me. Honestly, I am at my best with a neurotypical body double. We doth see things from different angles and knock out some super complex projects very well. When the company shuffles up teams, I usually find my new NT body double on my own and we soar to the top of that team. But like I said, the constant change and big projects are trying difficult and exhausting. Sometimes I just want to be given some routine tasks and just do that for a year or two. In the real world, I am afraid of rejection. I can't ever seem to find a group that I fit in with. At work, I am a lead engineer and I get along with most everyone because we are all senior level folks and I suspect a lot of us are neurodivergent. I also have demand avoidance, but I am not sure if it is PDA or not. I let stuff pile up, then at some point, I block the world out and know them all out at once. I'd rather get in my groove and knock them all out instead of lots of starts and stops for each small task. Ad for imposter syndrome, I've felt like I've been faking it for the 28 years I've been with my company. I guess at this point, that is starting to dissipate since I've been here so long and have never had a bad review. Maybe I am just really good at fooling people. :)
This is such a great observation, thank you! I deal with the same thing. I am constantly put on challenging projects because I have a unique perspective. I enjoy this because it keeps things interesting. The ADHD side of me gets bored with routine. However, I often find myself with little support in these situations, as I'm the one tasked with figuring it out. I've been set up to fail numerous times because I didn't have proper funding or staff. Incredibly stressful.
Hey fellow engineer! I recognize much of what you say - I haven’t had a diagnosis yet recognize many traits in me, and others less. You being the “Difficult Things” person… wow, yes! I recall coming in from sick leave pre-apologizing for my brain working only at 70% to my team lead, and him responding “that’s still more than most people here” (yes, we were standing privately 😂). That gave me some recognition and although neurodiversity wasn’t mentioned I do feel a bit validated. Colleagues a mixed bag - not everyone is an engineer in heart, but I am learning to seek out my fellows. Still, many impressions and I need to carve out quiet work and think time in my schedule- more than most, I guess. It’s rare to not end the working week exhausted. Like you said, demoting myself to a routine job sometimes sounds tempting but I’d bore out within months
I have experienced everything you mentioned in my work history. However I've beem working remote from home for the last 8.5 years and it is such a wonderful fit for me! Well the first 4 were rough because I was in a super toxic, manipulative and abusive relationship with my child's Father, but once I got out it was smoother sailing than I've ever experienced! I do still experience all of what you spoke of but less often and/or to a lesser degree.
I don't know what you've done professionally in your life so far, but you definitely have a gift for describing circumstances a thousand percent (I know...) to the point, almost like successfully landing a 707 in a 10x5 meter backyard. When I didn't know what was "wrong with me", I had a job in an open plan office, with dozens of people on the phone, talking, typing. Nothing worked for me. In addition to the usual difficulties in dealing with other people, there were all the impressions, so at some point I was completely lost. On the subject of "demand avoidance": unfortunately, I find myself 90% there too. Perhaps one way, assuming you have enough good ideas, would be to assign the actual tasks to other people? I'm currently thinking about it, as I have dozens of ideas myself, but at the same time I'm relatively sure that I'll never finish the majority of them. You seem to be a pretty intelligent person yourself, and I gather that from the accuracy of your descriptions? Perhaps that would be one way? Of course, this only works in certain areas and with certain activities, but they are probably out there somewhere.
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I'm a strategic consultant and work alongside executives. It's partly why I decided to do this channel. Our community needs people who can bridge the gap between autistics and neurotypicals if we're ever going to succeed at advocacy. Also I have experience with self employment but it's so hard. Demand avoidance is a massive issue for me. I'm also an ADHDer so there's that. Adulting is a huge struggle.
Thank you for talking about this. I relate to everything you said, plus been a subject of bullying and gaslighting at work. Its over by 31st May when my contract ends.
This is such a huge topic. Now you introduced me to something new 'RSD'. It sounds like something I'm sure I have among all the other things! I work in a small IT company with 7 employees - and most of them are not at the office a lot of the time so that suits me quite nicely. I do have to talk to people on the phone quite a lot but somehow I'm okay with that. Thankfully our clients are very friendly generally. If I ever get through to someone who is nasty right off the bat... I can find that very stressful, but thankfully this is very rare in my current job. The previous place I worked - I only lasted 3 months because the clients there were horrible and so were the employees - It was causing me major problems to such an extent I just had to quit. It was the right decision though because I found a much more suitable environment.
Stumbling on this video while being at work silent in the corner, facing a wall with earbuds in, feels like gaining consciousness for the first time. I checked all the boxes, but I'm hesitant to apply another label to myself.
Completely understand. There seems to be so many terms for our basic life experiences, it can seem silly. Conversely, it is good to have language to explain our experiences and advocate for ourselves. Fyi, my next video will be a continuation of this topic.
I hate this video because it's so honest, and I'm not accepting of this about myself right now, I don't like how alienating autism can feel. I literally feel sick to my stomach atm because I'm trying not to think about the future because it always wins up me wanting to not be autistic and I can't change that
I hate the office. I purposely work elsewhere but the office (still on site, but another location). The environment is just too demanding and stressful. I initially thought my work was hybrid remote from the advertisment, but the manager switched up on me when I started the job. My fault for not checking at the interview stage. But I'm never going to like that office and I'm not going to pander to their expectations. There are true hybrid remote or remote positions that I can have I just know it.
How are you able to not persist at a job despite all of the burnout and distractions? How do you decide what job to pursue? I honestly do not understand the impulse to run from employment. One simply just keeps to doing the job and hating it because what else is there?
I agree we have difficulty in traditional workplaces. However, we still need to figure out how to hold jobs that can sustain us. It's a difficult challenge to overcome.
Sensory overload is huge.
RSD is so hard at work. It’s so hard to stay engaged when you’re dealing with constant criticism and negativity. It really takes such a strong inner acceptance to deal with the office politics day after day.
Interesting video. Thanks for making it. To me, it seems like most of these factors you spoke about are things that we may have a little bit of control over. I would be curious to hear your thoughts on some of the burnout factors at work that we do *not* have control over. Like over-work, toxic organizational/management culture, bullying, lack of support/accommodation, etc.
You completely read my mind. I was trying not to be all doom and gloom on this one as it often seems we have no control over our life. I wanted to talk about things we might be able to control with awareness. I'm already working on the counterpart to this one that delves into workplace issues rather than individual challenges. It ultimately boils down to culture though. So much of the bad stuff is due to poor culture and/or ignorance.
@@ProudlyAutistic I appreciated you highlighting what we may have control over. It gave me something to think about. For me, it can be easy to throw my hands up and say "I can't do anything about any of what is happening to/around me." But upon closer examination that is rarely the truth. Thanks for the reminder.
As an undiagnosed autistic man with an erratic work history I found this video extremely educational and helpful.
I'm glad it was helpful 😊
Me too. Plus, the fact that affirmative action was struck down, people can discriminate against neurodivergent employees in the US.
I personally get burned out at work because I am successful because I am different. I am an engineer and because I am Autistic, I see things differently. I also process new things from the bottom up so they keep throwing large difficult things at me. Each time they do that, it is a shock to my system. It creates panic and almost a physical pain. I identify everything, figure it out and i am successful. At that point I just wish they would leave me alone to perfect that and let me get in to a nice "normal" daily routine. I crave routine. But they will pull me off of that and drop another bomb on me. That leads to bigtime burnout for me. Honestly, I am at my best with a neurotypical body double. We doth see things from different angles and knock out some super complex projects very well. When the company shuffles up teams, I usually find my new NT body double on my own and we soar to the top of that team. But like I said, the constant change and big projects are trying difficult and exhausting. Sometimes I just want to be given some routine tasks and just do that for a year or two.
In the real world, I am afraid of rejection. I can't ever seem to find a group that I fit in with. At work, I am a lead engineer and I get along with most everyone because we are all senior level folks and I suspect a lot of us are neurodivergent.
I also have demand avoidance, but I am not sure if it is PDA or not. I let stuff pile up, then at some point, I block the world out and know them all out at once. I'd rather get in my groove and knock them all out instead of lots of starts and stops for each small task.
Ad for imposter syndrome, I've felt like I've been faking it for the 28 years I've been with my company. I guess at this point, that is starting to dissipate since I've been here so long and have never had a bad review. Maybe I am just really good at fooling people. :)
This is such a great observation, thank you! I deal with the same thing. I am constantly put on challenging projects because I have a unique perspective. I enjoy this because it keeps things interesting. The ADHD side of me gets bored with routine. However, I often find myself with little support in these situations, as I'm the one tasked with figuring it out. I've been set up to fail numerous times because I didn't have proper funding or staff. Incredibly stressful.
Hey fellow engineer! I recognize much of what you say - I haven’t had a diagnosis yet recognize many traits in me, and others less. You being the “Difficult Things” person… wow, yes! I recall coming in from sick leave pre-apologizing for my brain working only at 70% to my team lead, and him responding “that’s still more than most people here” (yes, we were standing privately 😂). That gave me some recognition and although neurodiversity wasn’t mentioned I do feel a bit validated. Colleagues a mixed bag - not everyone is an engineer in heart, but I am learning to seek out my fellows. Still, many impressions and I need to carve out quiet work and think time in my schedule- more than most, I guess. It’s rare to not end the working week exhausted. Like you said, demoting myself to a routine job sometimes sounds tempting but I’d bore out within months
I have experienced everything you mentioned in my work history. However I've beem working remote from home for the last 8.5 years and it is such a wonderful fit for me! Well the first 4 were rough because I was in a super toxic, manipulative and abusive relationship with my child's Father, but once I got out it was smoother sailing than I've ever experienced! I do still experience all of what you spoke of but less often and/or to a lesser degree.
Karen, your explanations for each categories is excellent, so clear & helpful. Thanks heaps from New Zealand.
My employer refused me a reasonable accommodation ( a stool). I’m filing for discrimination
That was such a simple ask and definitely reasonable in most situations. I'm sorry 💛
Thank you for this!!
I don't know what you've done professionally in your life so far, but you definitely have a gift for describing circumstances a thousand percent (I know...) to the point, almost like successfully landing a 707 in a 10x5 meter backyard.
When I didn't know what was "wrong with me", I had a job in an open plan office, with dozens of people on the phone, talking, typing. Nothing worked for me. In addition to the usual difficulties in dealing with other people, there were all the impressions, so at some point I was completely lost.
On the subject of "demand avoidance": unfortunately, I find myself 90% there too. Perhaps one way, assuming you have enough good ideas, would be to assign the actual tasks to other people? I'm currently thinking about it, as I have dozens of ideas myself, but at the same time I'm relatively sure that I'll never finish the majority of them. You seem to be a pretty intelligent person yourself, and I gather that from the accuracy of your descriptions? Perhaps that would be one way? Of course, this only works in certain areas and with certain activities, but they are probably out there somewhere.
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I'm a strategic consultant and work alongside executives. It's partly why I decided to do this channel. Our community needs people who can bridge the gap between autistics and neurotypicals if we're ever going to succeed at advocacy.
Also I have experience with self employment but it's so hard. Demand avoidance is a massive issue for me. I'm also an ADHDer so there's that. Adulting is a huge struggle.
Thank you for talking about this.
I relate to everything you said, plus been a subject of bullying and gaslighting at work. Its over by 31st May when my contract ends.
I'm sorry you dealt with that. I hope you have something better lined up.
I've had the issues before with RSD at work. Thank you for this video! ❤
This is such a huge topic. Now you introduced me to something new 'RSD'. It sounds like something I'm sure I have among all the other things! I work in a small IT company with 7 employees - and most of them are not at the office a lot of the time so that suits me quite nicely. I do have to talk to people on the phone quite a lot but somehow I'm okay with that. Thankfully our clients are very friendly generally. If I ever get through to someone who is nasty right off the bat... I can find that very stressful, but thankfully this is very rare in my current job. The previous place I worked - I only lasted 3 months because the clients there were horrible and so were the employees - It was causing me major problems to such an extent I just had to quit. It was the right decision though because I found a much more suitable environment.
so true.....very helpful, thank you again
Stumbling on this video while being at work silent in the corner, facing a wall with earbuds in, feels like gaining consciousness for the first time. I checked all the boxes, but I'm hesitant to apply another label to myself.
Completely understand. There seems to be so many terms for our basic life experiences, it can seem silly. Conversely, it is good to have language to explain our experiences and advocate for ourselves. Fyi, my next video will be a continuation of this topic.
I hate this video because it's so honest, and I'm not accepting of this about myself right now, I don't like how alienating autism can feel. I literally feel sick to my stomach atm because I'm trying not to think about the future because it always wins up me wanting to not be autistic and I can't change that
I hate the office. I purposely work elsewhere but the office (still on site, but another location). The environment is just too demanding and stressful. I initially thought my work was hybrid remote from the advertisment, but the manager switched up on me when I started the job. My fault for not checking at the interview stage. But I'm never going to like that office and I'm not going to pander to their expectations. There are true hybrid remote or remote positions that I can have I just know it.
How are you able to not persist at a job despite all of the burnout and distractions? How do you decide what job to pursue? I honestly do not understand the impulse to run from employment. One simply just keeps to doing the job and hating it because what else is there?
Basically your saying Neurotypical work places are no place for Autistic people.
I agree we have difficulty in traditional workplaces. However, we still need to figure out how to hold jobs that can sustain us. It's a difficult challenge to overcome.
Indeed.😊