I got into the habit of staying awake all night when I was a small child, because that was the only way I cold get the "alone time" I needed to recharge. I was always late for school and I would fall asleep during maths class. As an adult I've never been able to function properly in the mornings and I always work more effectively for longer the less I have to do early in the day. A couple of times I tried to do morning jobs (like normal people!) and other people always tell me "you'll get used to it", but I don't. I find that I can do it for a period of time, if it is absolutely necessary, but the weariness accumulates, over days and weeks, to the point where driving could be dangerous and I made so many stupid mistakes that I would end up making a lot more work for myself. I've done the morning swim thing too, with "morning type" friends, with similar results; yes, it wakes you up jumping into the freezing cold sea, but then you're not fit for anything for the rest of the day!
I am also a night person and I am convinced that our over-sensitivity is able to pick up the brainwaves of the people around us. I mean neighbours who share walls with us, people passing by in the street etc. And only at night does that sease and only then can we hear our own thoughts clearly enoug to function properly. I do the best work at night when no-one's around, or on holidays when all the neighbours are gone and there's hardly any traffic in the streets.
Yes, relate so much (writing this at 1.50am...). Even though I only live with my partner, and I feel comfortable with him, there's an extra level of decompression that happens after he goes to bed.
@@LilithsOwn303 that could explain why my brain feels better in the winter months. I already have hyperacusis (severe noise sensitivity) and find the environment calmer and quieter in winter. I don't think I pick up on brainwaves as such but just general noise from people being around.
This is great. I wish my psychiatrist realized these things about me. She's trying to encourage me to follow through with prior commitments and plans without backing out, and when I told her I'd recently canceled an (insignificant) doctor's appointment, she pulled me up on it. I told her how tiredness is the catylist behind such decisions, but she simply said, 'It's never a good idea to cancel appointments.' If only she understood what it's like to have Asperger's.
“... a therapist advises you , ‘it’s never a good idea to cancel appointments’...” spoken like a true self interested insurance billing therapist - spelled out the rapist - just saying .....
That's why I like the Getting Things Done (GTD) system of having one central 'container' where you put all the things that are floating around in your head, costing energy. Once or twice a day you go to the container and sort the items into their rightful places, like making a to do list, doing it, putting it into your planner etc.
I started a thing years ago where i take a nap whenever i can in themafternoon or before dinner. And also i pick the 3 essentials things i have to do on any given day. I get those essential things done and anything else is a bonus with leaves me with mental energy reserve for the most important things etc.
I literally took a voluntary demotion at work after two years of constantly using my executive functioning as it was really exhausting just to realise that without needing it my life is 80% better. I’m no longer exhausted and can spend my days off no longer in sensory overload woo.
Thank you for that video, I can notice you are a genuine guy, I am trying to find if I am authentic, the most of your videos makes a lot of sense to me 🙏
That is one of the reasons I struggle with mental arithmetic. Trying to hold onto the number...or remembering what I'm meant to be doing with it. Can't seem to do both at once.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja yeh...its also the same which planning and doing just about any thought, not just maths. I have to journal everything and I got to say it's made things a lot easier.
I'm trying so hard to remember the first number, I don't hear the rest of the problem. Pen and paper and I'm fine. It's the same with spelling long words. People ask me "How do you spell...?" my answer is always "Have you got a pen and paper?" They always look confused. I have to explain that I know how to spell that word, but I need to write it. If I'm saying the letters to them, I'll get lost off part way through the word. It's even worse if they ask me to repeat the last letter. People often ask me as they know I will probably know how to spell a word they're struggling with. They don't expect that response, unless they know me well.
Somehow I've long known this intuitively-- the challenge has been getting myself into a lifestyle and environment where I have the freedom to "follow my energy" and act on ideas as they strike. And now as I'm finally getting there, I see this from you. Synchronicity at its best 😁
I wonder often why I make wrong decisions when I'm even aware of doing them. It's maybe that my brain can't get the message to the rest of me in time, so I might say something really inappropriate, or click on the wrong thing on a computer and then feel utterly despairing. It often feels like I am truly my own worst enemy. Often I might act out of panic, and be quite overwhelmed by an internal pressure. But maybe I have simply run out of mental capacity, without realising it.
I know just what you mean! Just today I nearly drove through a stop sign and got beaned by a truck before my dad stopped me! I knew the sign was there and I knew what I was supposed to do at the stop sign and I even saw the truck coming, but I just kept going! My dad was able to get me to stop by yelling "stop!", which kinda snapped me out of it, so luckily nothing happened but I can't seem to figure out what was going on, it was like all the alarms were going off in my head but they just got dismissed and I just tried to go on my merry way like nothing was wrong. I did have an extremely stressful morning so perhaps I did run out of mental energy...
@@arandomstartreknerd7261 i have the same experiences, and I don't drive because of this. i know i'm not fit for it. i got the license, but never dared to continue by myself.
this is me pretty much every day. i have tried to explain this to my therapist, and i only recently found out it's not like this for everyone. I've spent my whole life seeing my behaviour and knowing what I should do, but have simply been inable to do it.
This series has been very informative. I have similar problems where mental exertion actually causes physical fatigue. I was diagnosed as autistic in 2014. *Napping, to recharge, is a big necessity, with me, to the extent that family thought I was being lazy and good for nothing. Éamonn Ó'Mhanácháin
Very good video - I've read Thinking Fast & Slow, and it all fits together. I've also read books discussing "sensitivity", how some cultures value people who notice small details more than other cultures, and how "sensitive" people can get overwhelmed by sensory input. Well, I get overwhelmed. When driving, no radio or CD and no arguments between passengers, silence please. Going to the gym when they have classes with boom-box music glaring is beyond physical exhaustion, I leave as quickly as possible. In some circumstances some background instrumental music is fine, particularly Final Fantasy V music "to clean house by"... it all ties together, and I would recommend your course highly!
I also used to get very tired very quickly, but about 5 months ago I started doing intermittent fasting and ever since I only get tired a few times a day and only after my first meal, I have the theory that autistic brains work better off ketone bodies rather than from glucose,it's just a theory but I think you should try it
Wow, I didn't think of intermittent fasting this way. I'm more active and get things done faster when I have one meal a day. It feels more natural to my body+mind
Thank you for this. I relate to all of this, and it's no wonder I'm exhausted. Racing thoughts and social anxiety takes up all my mental energy and I can't push myself to do anything. Depression seals the deal by making my bed seem like the only place I should be. I have epiphanies like this, too, I understand the excitement. The more I look into autism, the more I feel I fall on the spectrum. I relate so much more to those on the spectrum than neurotypical people.
Instead of using immense amounts of mental energy to hold onto something, I have learned to write it in my notes app on my phone so i know that i can look later and not worry about what i wanted to remember. sometimes i forget the note, but writing the note also helps me remember that i wanted to remember something later, so that i read the note. I am also learning to just do something there and then when it pops up in my mind or environment.
Notes app, Calendar app, Alarm clock app... These are things I use constantly. And now, I recognize that these three tools are the buckets I use to hold and contain the "thinks" I'll need later, because holding all the "thinks" myself is mentally exhausting.
This describes my entire life. I'm always tired and "sick," but rarely sick with anything diagnosable. If I get up early, I've used up all my energy by the time I get to work. If I get up later, I can't get everything done in preparation for work. Working from home helps with this a lot, but I can't do this all the time. Definitely going to check out that book! Thank you for this!
I think for neurotypicals it's more that emotional processing effects executive function, and they generally have impaired sensory processing across the board. whereas for people w/ ASD it's the opposite, for us sensory processing effects executive function and emotional processing is generally impaired. now, what I mean by impaired isn't necessarily the intuitive meaning, because clearly everyone has emotions and everyone has senses. what I think is happening is that we generally struggle to focus on our emotions, they generally simply are what they are and the way we deal with people is more or less unaffected by them until something has gone catastrophically wrong. and I think an analogous pattern is expressed in neurotypicals with sensory perception, wherein they very readily ignore all sorts of things going on around them all the time and only notice stuff when it becomes a very big problem for them. so in this sense, there effectively isn't any processing of emotions for us or sensory perceptions for neurotypicals within a context relevant to executive function. this explains how a neurotypical can go into a bizarre rant about nonsensical crap when they're angry and then when they're calm matter of factly state that they didn't mean any of it. for me that's absolutely impossible, I don't forget what words mean so regardless of my emotional state I mean what I say to the same degree. now, I might say things I normally wouldn't when I'm mad, and I do think just about everyone's familiar with that, but it's still things that I meant, not random word salad caused by emotions impairing my executive function.
omg..I know EXACTLY what you mean... Perhaps, that's why it takes me way longer to accomplish tasks than a "normal" person. Sometimes in small tasks, I can multi task...but mainly I get obsessed to do something..and I stop to do it, forcing my task list further away.. I've been meaning to do some sewing for 4 days now..but something usually is all of a sudden important and needs attention. The tired thing is definitely true. If I go somewhere..I am not enjoying being there as I am taking it all in and my senses are working very hard..Usually, subsequent times...I can actually feel that I can be in the moment as my brain already "worked" on that place...a different time ago. Love you.
Thanks for this, you summarize exactly what's going on right now with myself. I'm at home being completely burnt out and get absolutely nothing done. Problem is however that noone seems to understand this. Gf is like: "but you're tired all the time, how is this different?" .. Work is: "perhaps if you do x chores a week you get routine" don't even get me started on my parents who are at the age where this wasn't a thing at all, you just worked.
Ah! I've also read that book. And I never work out in the morning, for that exact reason. I would be consuming precious exergy needed for work. I always work out in the late afternoon - then I can consider my day done...
The end part of this really hit home to me, that's my internal dialogue constantly, I'm different but I can do this, I can do things right.. Constantly doubting my own abilities due to issues like this!
You're a beautiful (gorgeous) man. Thank you for helping so many. I think I'm on the spectrum, so i enjoy your vids heaps. Proud of my difference, and I reassure myself that that is all it is. Thinking way ahead, focused on outcome, awkward socially even as a business executive, thinking outside the square and helping others understand my barriers are more about their limitations, not so much mine. You're helping others not on the spectrum to undetstand that acceptance is not just saying "Autistic, yes I understand." It must be about changing their behaviour to include, communicate, respect and help when the going gets tough. Thank you.
Was trying to do chemistry homework, which is already really hard just because learning disabilities make it really hard, but am also surrounded by sensory distractions as I'm doing this from home (two dogs, pacing around, barking, asking to go outside, playing with toys, traffic outside, person I live with walking around the house). I was about to have a melt down so I took a break to try and prevent it, and my preventative melt down breaks always include engaging with a special interest (currently autism) and so I came here to watch one of your videos and have lunch to try and regulate. This was an awesome video to choose because it applies to my exact situation at the moment. I'm already pushing myself by trying to learn something that is challenging (and dyslexia impacting my executive functioning) and trying to hold onto that understanding of concepts while trying to regulate my attention--no wonder I'm nearing a meltdown and already feeling so exhausted (also had to do other highly demanding cognitive task (grant proposal writing) before getting to homework.) This helped remind me that I'm not stupid for struggling to learn this basic grade 11 chemistry stuff. But definitely emphasized I need a better working environment.
WHen I got dx'd with ADD and (wait for it.... ) NEGATIVE 'H', the doc to my single largest problem was screening out extraneous input. I was glad to there was a reason I preferred silence when I was trying to get something done.
😂😂😂😂😂 this has cracked me up. I’m a specialist lawyer, went out on a limb for a project to scale up the help I can give and fell on my arse because I burnt out after four months and backed off. I wasn’t and am not diagnosed but I KNOW that this is me. My penny dropped. And I went back on w page of 7000 to explain what NT interpret as horrific and unprofessional conduct. Trying to explain that every time they make an unfair comment that I can’t drop they are costing the cause fell on deaf ears UNTIL I confessed: I’m an aspie. And it’s not narcissism. It’s aspie ism. An exercise in insanity, but with strategy: those that need me MAY now understand that when I go off the radar it’s me not them, and ride it out.
I work at a fast food restaurant that has a lot of fans and fryers and various other kinds of machinery that makes a lot of noise (at least to my Autistic brain), I can't seem to filter out background noise the way other people can and I find it difficult to hear people talking to me when everyone else seems to do just fine, and I also notice that after being there for a few hours my brain starts to fog up, I can't think straight, I make silly mistakes, and I just don't function properly. I had a theory that all the noise causes a very subtle case of sensory overload and it makes it hard for me to function correctly.
So true! I once stopped a Thai Qi class, that was meant to make me feel more relaxed, because it was so much pushing to go there and also do my practice for it at home. At that time I thought that I‘m a total looser 😳
Re: swimming Yep! That’s why I got myself some colored foam dice from dollar tree: I just think of what I feel like/want to work on in the next set and how many reps, then use the next die to keep track of counting down. My best was in high school when I had a great teammate who would keep track of the laps-even to the point of bopping my foot (if he could fast enough) when I tried pushing off for another lap after we’d finished.
I'm watching your video to understand autistic family and friends better but i can relate to SO MUCH of the fatigue insights as i have M.E. Your videos are wonderfully explained thank you for your efforts.
I got aspergers and I can highly recommend quick naps (about 15 minutes) or mindfullness exercises, where you focus on your breathing and the feeling in your hands and feet. Well, it works very well for me, I know my brain NEEDS some time off every now and then.
It was fun watching you catch your thoughts again and bring it back in. Totally get the feeling of feeling so drained by the time i get back from work. It is hilarious that I found my talent in sales and yet I am autistic. Such a contradiction but it makes so much sense now that I put two and two together. 😭
I often don't realise or forget just how much energy all forms of masking require. If I spend time around people that I feel I have to mask in front of, I end up exhausted. And I really relate to how tiring remembering can be too.
My mind is constantly flitting about and I thought was a normal thing but it's far from it. The only relief I got from it was from doing excessive exercise and the warming buzz/glow from the exercise physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted me but achieving that on a regular basis meant exercising at such a high rate and for a long time it impacted my life in other areas - so the gains I made lead to losses elsewhere and perpetuation of the eternal conflict in my life!
Your brain seems to work very similarly to mine. Thanks so much for making these videos. It's really helping me understand how to manage myself and my life better!
Ever since I started watching more of your videos and other people's videos about living with Autism. I'm learning more coping skills and strategies to try and I don't feel so alone. Now I feel like I can gain a new coping skill for whatever comes my way. I just have to figure out what works! Thanks so much for talking about this so candidly and mentioning that book. Your videos have been so helpful. Even my therapist, friends, family, and my partner are noticing differences! They say I've come so far but it's just been recently! Thanks so much!
Thank you Paul, your vlog here has been very informative and helped me regulate myself better. Keep doing what you do, it's a valuable resource for those of us that are struggling to make it through each week and dont fully understand what it is we're up against
I can't focus on learning more than 20 minutes at a time. Wears me out. I have to have a 1 hour break and then go back to it. I've learnt not to beat myself up about it. It's just the way my brain is wired.
Thank you so much for this video. (It's taken me two tries to finish watching it!) What you've started discussing here (I know you could go on much longer!) is why I've used the Spoon Theory for quite some years now to describe my energy levels, even though I don't have a chronic physical illness. Once I started learning about executive dysfunction, sensory processing, it made more sense why the spoon theory helped me conceptualize my own energy/tiredness. Your comment about the morning swim hit me particularly hard. I used to work full time, and would get a lot of flak for trying to take the day off work if I had a doctor appointment in the morning, especially if it was early. Yes, I'd be done with the doctor by 9AM, but by the time I managed to get to work, I was already exhausted and hardly able to keep my eyes open.
I agree that it is the lack of mental energy as a resource that makes us tired because we spend it concentrating on the wrong things or don't spend too much of it on one thing. I think the Spoon Theory that you spoke about in the past fits into this idea somewhere. Based on how you link Executive Functioning with sensory processing it seems we need to learn to focus on the correct things by planning it in advance. Thank you for mentioning the book 'Thinking Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman. I have just placed an order.
I really needed to hear the stuff about the gym because i have never been able to operate after going to the gym before my day starts because im exhausted. Not anything that requires a substantial amount of thinking anyway. Thanks
That part where you feel wrecked after swimming and counting laps absolutely resonated with me. I went through so many jobs where I had to memorize so much random stuff that I was absolutely done by the end of the day. Now I'm the "emotional support mechanic" of a packaging machine 😂 I'm still tired after 8 hours but not wrecked.
Great video! Neurofeedback, Ashwaganda, Holy Basil and Bacopa have all helped with my SPD. Helps with my Autism too....to cope with stress and overload as well.
I noticed that when I play FPS games where I need to focus on what I'm doing I'm unable to talk on voice chat at the same time. It's as if those activities are trying to use the same parts of my brain and are interfering with each other. Others don't seem to have this problem.
Yeah I remember reading that they think that the declarative memory store(normally only facts) compensates for dysfunctions in the other memory stores. Like how a stroke victim who loses control of their hand could say repurpose their visual cortex. The issue is that it has to do everything including regulating itself lol.
I have the same issue. I can't talk and drive unless I'm talking to myself. I can't sing and play an instrument. I can't even talk and cook. I'm a great cook but I burn noodles if someone tries to talk to me!
Ive got sorta the same problem with hearing and writing. The moment i write something down i cant listen to what is said in that timeframe. Which makes me write less, which is a bummer because i need those notes as a visual representation of what was said so i can remember better. Also.....so many missed homework or test anouncements, just because i wrote down a homework or test announcement at the same time it was made!
I believe that this topic has been studied before and at least amongst neurotypical people the results have been mixed. As a fello aspie I have to say this completely mirrors my experience so I believe you and that research. Just thought you would like to know all the research around this topic has not been as clear as this one.
Everyone read "the organized mind"!!! Or at least take this advice: EXTERNALIZE YOUR MEMORY, find ways to make your environment work for you so that you dont have to use your brain all of the time, that way you can avoid (or at least increase the time until) becoming overwhelmed and exhausted :) I carry a note pad with me everywhere and it has made a huge difference in my life
I constantly use the Notes app, Alarm Clock app, and Calendar app on my phone. I even set peculiar ringtones for certain "routine" alarms -- I have a Tues eve alarm for Trash/Recycle Night that plays "Yakety-Yak." (Opening line of the song: "Take out the papers and the trash...")
swimming is my special interest. Yes that's my secrete just swim a tiny bit. Swim just enough to get a athletic workout, but never swim to the point of being tired. Only a few swim coaches find my swimming formula acceptable, but it always worked for me. I bicycle the same formula, taking baby-steps into bicycling distances.
There's a standard rule for whenever you get a burning idea: have a system to immediately get it out of your brain and into permanent storage in whatever manner works for you: write it down, add to a tasklist, send yourself an email/ voice memo, borrow a pen and scrawl it on your hand, etc.
I was always writing things on my hand :)! When I was working at a garden center one of my co-workers came up to me and told me something I needed to remember but I didn't have any paper on me, just a sharpie. As I was writing on my hand, the mother next to me turned to her child and said "just because she is writing on her hand doesn't mean it is a good idea."
Thank you so much! This video really helped me realize this is what I’ve been struggling with at work. Hopefully now that I’m aware of it things will get better
hey, great video. Ff you take content recommendations, on the podcast No Stupid Questions episode 113, MIT psychologist Angela Duckworth talks about how she believes that kind of cognitive endurance is less like muscle endurance (and energy using) and more like a higher capacity to maintain focus on a task before your brain decides its time to focus on something else. She getting mentally tired is more like trying to signal the opportunity cost of sticking with your current action. It was pretty enlightening.
Thinking fast and slow is actually one of the books I am listening to right now 😊👍🏻 I’m only like half an hour into it, but it’s really interesting already.
Bucket of energy? I think these days I'm down to a cup! Yesterday I had a funeral to go to in the morning and a party in the evening. I can't remember the last time I felt so wrecked and I'm far from recovered mid-afternoon on the next day.
Its refreshing to see your videos. If I was recording myself I'd have a lot of frustration with finding the right words_ I'd probably need more time to get my point across. Anyhow, I've just lost what I wanted to say. Maybe that was my point all along.
Hey, yes, I can see in your eyes how going to the gym wears on you. I’m so sorry. I suffered a slight head injury in 1999 and after which and after coming off all medications doctors gave me for the injury which consisted of three stimulants, (sleep meds to counteract the stimulants) to “boost” brain function, when in reality these meds were killing me by way of attacking my immune and cardiovascular system. I fired my supposed post concussion specialist and came off all the meds I was placed on and with the advise and help of my primary care provider who said if I didn’t I would soon die of a heart attack. Anyway, I came off the meds about two years after the head injury and after which my brain healed and I realized I had a new gift, a gift of music in visual and auditory vision awake and while sleeping and for which I have written and composed w the help of a man who scores music. And the other gift which I always had but was heightened is the gift of psychic abilities seeing and having insight into things before they happen and with that the ability to intervene so that the outcome can change. And I was tested for IQ and my Visio spatial IQ was without error and my visual memory for short term without arrow and long term memory was 9 out of 10 reproduced w drawings. I may have always had a good visual memory as I have siblings also with this gift. But I do see how going to the gym sucked your energy. So yes, take a nap and do whatever you need to feel good again :-) so happy you don’t let this get in the way of your staying fit. Your very disciplined and brave. And thank you for your videos. They’re great!
Thanks Paul, so valuable. A new RUclips video (August2021) describing burnout in general society: The Cure for Burnout (hint:it isn't self-care) by Emily & Emilia Nagoski. Insight into effect of primitive fight flight response & how modern man often doesn't follow through cortisol responses resulting in burnout.
I may have autism and was just wondering if what you are describing is the same thing that I’m experiencing. I’ve been drained my whole life, I’m always short on energy and usually a couple days out of the month I wake up refreshed and actually have a steady stream of energy right up till bedtime. I’ve noticed that during those days of energy nothing notable has happened that would have made the difference between drained and having energy. I’ve been looking into this issue medically for about 30 years now. I’ve had blood work done and medical examinations and everything is good with my health. So no solution has ever been found to explain why I’m drained so much. Now thinking that I may have autism, perhaps what you are saying is what could be my issue. I know I think about life and everything associated with that experience endlessly every day, that is my hyper focus for me. My son is getting assessed for autism this year and his hyper focus changes every few years to an new character that he loves. Could my unchanging hyper focus be a cause of my drained physical body. I’m thinking cause it’s such a deep subject to be contemplate on a daily basis that perhaps it’s taking its toll on my mind and body. I love thinking about my subject of choice and I can never seem to move my focus for very long to any other subject or project. You seem well versed in autism and was hoping that maybe you can shed some light on this matter for me. Thanks
Hey Paul, I just found out about your channel and wanted to say that you're serving as an excellent source for education on autism, which has been hard to come across on the Internet. I am wondering if you could perhaps do a video discussing flat affect as this seems to be a symptom of autism that is less spoken about / is less acknowledged, yet seems to have a pretty big impact on people's lives that are dealing with it. Some ideas you could discuss in this video are: what it is, how it may or may not be an accurate depiction of how that person is feeling (is it correlated with mood), how it may be able to be improved upon, and perhaps how common it is. Just thought id ask as it could be worth considering for your channel. Thanks.
This is so me lately. I'm tired, confused & cranky. I need a week off but I'm not getting any me time till next weekend 😒. Not much I can do about it right now.
I worked 2nd or 3rd shift for 20yrs. I now have a 9-5 but am sleepy most of the day...until 7p. It is now 1:05 a.m. and I'm the only one in the house who's awake. It's quiet and I don't have to interact with anyone.
Part of attentional resource allocation by the central executive upon working memory is inhibiting distraction and interference of other stimuli in the environment. When we are tired this ability is impaired, and learning is diminished. There are cognitive strategies that you can learn to enhance your attentional resources.
@@arasharfa we can train our brains by 'chunking' information, rhyming, and deep learning such as making unique stories about the subject, as opposed to surface level such as 'rote' learning. Rote learning is my default way to learn. Also, genuinely paying attention and not being distracted by your phone (a modern struggle we can all attest to). Reading before lectures/mere exposure of information helps to pave a pathway as well.
Hi. I love your videos! They address topics autistic people really can relate to but unfortunately don’t normally have any other ways to relate to them. One of my favorites was about regulating disclosure. About your housemate, if I may ask, is she on the spectrum too?
I'm reading that book and I have a theory: I think autistics use System 2 for more than neurotypicals, and that's why we are not as prone to biases but get tired more quickly. Neurotypicals seem to use System 1 for sensory processing (and can just ignore all the sounds) whereas I use System 2 (I'm consciously aware of them all the time). I'm frequently questioning whether I have enough information to make the assumption I'm making, whereas I've observed that most people seem to just go with their assumptions. Neurotypicals seem to use System 1 for the social stuff (the "correct" responses are automatic for them). And since I don't relate to most people, I have to do "intellectual empathy" (uses System 2), whereas most people can relate to a large subset of the population and don't need to do that so they can just use System 1. But hey, it's just a theory, and I'm still close to the beginning of the book.
My solution is to put a note or description in my reminders list, but like you, if I think of something and don’t do it right then, I’ll forget to do it later
I’m currently dealing with extreme fatigue issues. I think it’s probably physical in nature (although I’ve had many tests run and so far nothing has turned up), but it very well could be mental fatigue. I’m experiencing tremendous emotional distress and depression right now, and the act of pretending that I’m not completely falling apart just exhausts me. I’ve taken to only being awake during the night most of the time because I don’t have to mask or try to hold myself together in the middle of the night. I still sleep 12-14 hours most days, though. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
I got into the habit of staying awake all night when I was a small child, because that was the only way I cold get the "alone time" I needed to recharge. I was always late for school and I would fall asleep during maths class. As an adult I've never been able to function properly in the mornings and I always work more effectively for longer the less I have to do early in the day. A couple of times I tried to do morning jobs (like normal people!) and other people always tell me "you'll get used to it", but I don't. I find that I can do it for a period of time, if it is absolutely necessary, but the weariness accumulates, over days and weeks, to the point where driving could be dangerous and I made so many stupid mistakes that I would end up making a lot more work for myself. I've done the morning swim thing too, with "morning type" friends, with similar results; yes, it wakes you up jumping into the freezing cold sea, but then you're not fit for anything for the rest of the day!
Same here
This is exactly what I go through as well
I am also a night person and I am convinced that our over-sensitivity is able to pick up the brainwaves of the people around us. I mean neighbours who share walls with us, people passing by in the street etc. And only at night does that sease and only then can we hear our own thoughts clearly enoug to function properly. I do the best work at night when no-one's around, or on holidays when all the neighbours are gone and there's hardly any traffic in the streets.
Yes, relate so much (writing this at 1.50am...). Even though I only live with my partner, and I feel comfortable with him, there's an extra level of decompression that happens after he goes to bed.
@@LilithsOwn303 that could explain why my brain feels better in the winter months. I already have hyperacusis (severe noise sensitivity) and find the environment calmer and quieter in winter. I don't think I pick up on brainwaves as such but just general noise from people being around.
I'm 62 not diagnosed. Every video of yours confirms to me I'm Asperger, regardless of what my Dr things.
Doctors don't know as much as they think they do.
@@relentlessrhythm2774 yes! i dont trust them!
It seems like there’s no point in trying to get a diagnosis unless you’re in the mood for a fight
Exactly. Same here. It’s so frustrating.
This is great. I wish my psychiatrist realized these things about me. She's trying to encourage me to follow through with prior commitments and plans without backing out, and when I told her I'd recently canceled an (insignificant) doctor's appointment, she pulled me up on it. I told her how tiredness is the catylist behind such decisions, but she simply said, 'It's never a good idea to cancel appointments.' If only she understood what it's like to have Asperger's.
Flaking out on inconsequential things is one of my top hobbies ;-)
@@JONNYSORENSEN_AU ;) ;) Such a surge of relief comes over you, huh?
terrible
“... a therapist advises you , ‘it’s never a good idea to cancel appointments’...” spoken like a true self interested insurance billing therapist - spelled out the rapist - just saying .....
Find another therapist, one that specialises in ASD
That's why I like the Getting Things Done (GTD) system of having one central 'container' where you put all the things that are floating around in your head, costing energy. Once or twice a day you go to the container and sort the items into their rightful places, like making a to do list, doing it, putting it into your planner etc.
This explains a lot, actually. I tend to lack energy, fixate on remembering things out of fear of forgetting them, and I multitask.
Personally, I gave up multitasking a long time ago. Neither job I tried to do really got done right.
@@joycebrewer4150 yeah i get like that too
Hey man big props for what you are doing man, you are doing a lot of people a great service.
Thanks Tom :)
Pffft slayyyyyyerrrrrr
@@Abc-tx4zr man I came here to say that too lmao
I started a thing years ago where i take a nap whenever i can in themafternoon or before dinner. And also i pick the 3 essentials things i have to do on any given day. I get those essential things done and anything else is a bonus with leaves me with mental energy reserve for the most important things etc.
Choosing a few essential things to get done is absolutely essential for me lol. Making peace with knowing I cant get everything done is so freeing!
I try to live like this now I’m living independently but the world keeps trying to invade personal space and forcing us to be something we’re not
Oh my gods I gotta start doing this!!
@@TheKatCalledMikey it will change your life, the three things.
I literally took a voluntary demotion at work after two years of constantly using my executive functioning as it was really exhausting just to realise that without needing it my life is 80% better. I’m no longer exhausted and can spend my days off no longer in sensory overload woo.
Thank you for that video, I can notice you are a genuine guy, I am trying to find if I am authentic, the most of your videos makes a lot of sense to me
🙏
That is one of the reasons I struggle with mental arithmetic. Trying to hold onto the number...or remembering what I'm meant to be doing with it. Can't seem to do both at once.
Give me a pen and paper and I can do just about any kind of math. Try to get me to do simple mental math and I just can't do it.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja yeh...its also the same which planning and doing just about any thought, not just maths. I have to journal everything and I got to say it's made things a lot easier.
Same
YES!
I'm trying so hard to remember the first number, I don't hear the rest of the problem. Pen and paper and I'm fine. It's the same with spelling long words. People ask me "How do you spell...?" my answer is always "Have you got a pen and paper?" They always look confused. I have to explain that I know how to spell that word, but I need to write it. If I'm saying the letters to them, I'll get lost off part way through the word. It's even worse if they ask me to repeat the last letter. People often ask me as they know I will probably know how to spell a word they're struggling with. They don't expect that response, unless they know me well.
Somehow I've long known this intuitively-- the challenge has been getting myself into a lifestyle and environment where I have the freedom to "follow my energy" and act on ideas as they strike. And now as I'm finally getting there, I see this from you. Synchronicity at its best 😁
I wonder often why I make wrong decisions when I'm even aware of doing them. It's maybe that my brain can't get the message to the rest of me in time, so I might say something really inappropriate, or click on the wrong thing on a computer and then feel utterly despairing. It often feels like I am truly my own worst enemy.
Often I might act out of panic, and be quite overwhelmed by an internal pressure. But maybe I have simply run out of mental capacity, without realising it.
I know just what you mean! Just today I nearly drove through a stop sign and got beaned by a truck before my dad stopped me! I knew the sign was there and I knew what I was supposed to do at the stop sign and I even saw the truck coming, but I just kept going! My dad was able to get me to stop by yelling "stop!", which kinda snapped me out of it, so luckily nothing happened but I can't seem to figure out what was going on, it was like all the alarms were going off in my head but they just got dismissed and I just tried to go on my merry way like nothing was wrong. I did have an extremely stressful morning so perhaps I did run out of mental energy...
A Random Star Trek Nerd my son is struggling with driving due to the same exact thing. At least you are aware of it.
@@jennilinnbeautifulstrange8044 I just wish I knew how to deal with it, I'm kind of at a loss right now.
@@arandomstartreknerd7261 i have the same experiences, and I don't drive because of this. i know i'm not fit for it. i got the license, but never dared to continue by myself.
this is me pretty much every day. i have tried to explain this to my therapist, and i only recently found out it's not like this for everyone. I've spent my whole life seeing my behaviour and knowing what I should do, but have simply been inable to do it.
This series has been very informative.
I have similar problems where mental exertion actually causes physical fatigue.
I was diagnosed as autistic in 2014.
*Napping, to recharge, is a big necessity, with me, to the extent that family thought I was being lazy and good for nothing.
Éamonn Ó'Mhanácháin
Very good video - I've read Thinking Fast & Slow, and it all fits together. I've also read books discussing "sensitivity", how some cultures value people who notice small details more than other cultures, and how "sensitive" people can get overwhelmed by sensory input. Well, I get overwhelmed. When driving, no radio or CD and no arguments between passengers, silence please. Going to the gym when they have classes with boom-box music glaring is beyond physical exhaustion, I leave as quickly as possible. In some circumstances some background instrumental music is fine, particularly Final Fantasy V music "to clean house by"... it all ties together, and I would recommend your course highly!
Meg Nakano . I use 4-7-8 breathing to regulate sensory input. Also headphones so the noise that I hear is the noise that I choose
The last time I set foot inside an Applebee's Restaurant, the music wasn't in the background at all! I couldn't stay even 5 minutes.
I also used to get very tired very quickly, but about 5 months ago I started doing intermittent fasting and ever since I only get tired a few times a day and only after my first meal, I have the theory that autistic brains work better off ketone bodies rather than from glucose,it's just a theory but I think you should try it
Wow, I didn't think of intermittent fasting this way. I'm more active and get things done faster when I have one meal a day. It feels more natural to my body+mind
I tend to agree, but carnivore WOE suits me better than OMAD and fasting.
There might be something to this. Stop eating sugar as well, no white starches. I've noticed improvements when I fast and eliminate those things.
Thank you for this. I relate to all of this, and it's no wonder I'm exhausted. Racing thoughts and social anxiety takes up all my mental energy and I can't push myself to do anything. Depression seals the deal by making my bed seem like the only place I should be. I have epiphanies like this, too, I understand the excitement. The more I look into autism, the more I feel I fall on the spectrum. I relate so much more to those on the spectrum than neurotypical people.
Instead of using immense amounts of mental energy to hold onto something, I have learned to write it in my notes app on my phone so i know that i can look later and not worry about what i wanted to remember. sometimes i forget the note, but writing the note also helps me remember that i wanted to remember something later, so that i read the note. I am also learning to just do something there and then when it pops up in my mind or environment.
Notes app,
Calendar app,
Alarm clock app...
These are things I use constantly. And now, I recognize that these three tools are the buckets I use to hold and contain the "thinks" I'll need later, because holding all the "thinks" myself is mentally exhausting.
This describes my entire life. I'm always tired and "sick," but rarely sick with anything diagnosable. If I get up early, I've used up all my energy by the time I get to work. If I get up later, I can't get everything done in preparation for work. Working from home helps with this a lot, but I can't do this all the time. Definitely going to check out that book! Thank you for this!
Body gets tired, but the brains constantly keeps on processing. Makes it difficult sleeping @night and wake up in the morning.
I love watching people in emotional states like the one you have in this video, inspirational overflow! 😁
I have ADHD and feel exactly the same! Love the video thank you 😊
Same with me!!! What?! haha
@@PCLHH you have both🧐
I think for neurotypicals it's more that emotional processing effects executive function, and they generally have impaired sensory processing across the board. whereas for people w/ ASD it's the opposite, for us sensory processing effects executive function and emotional processing is generally impaired.
now, what I mean by impaired isn't necessarily the intuitive meaning, because clearly everyone has emotions and everyone has senses. what I think is happening is that we generally struggle to focus on our emotions, they generally simply are what they are and the way we deal with people is more or less unaffected by them until something has gone catastrophically wrong. and I think an analogous pattern is expressed in neurotypicals with sensory perception, wherein they very readily ignore all sorts of things going on around them all the time and only notice stuff when it becomes a very big problem for them. so in this sense, there effectively isn't any processing of emotions for us or sensory perceptions for neurotypicals within a context relevant to executive function.
this explains how a neurotypical can go into a bizarre rant about nonsensical crap when they're angry and then when they're calm matter of factly state that they didn't mean any of it. for me that's absolutely impossible, I don't forget what words mean so regardless of my emotional state I mean what I say to the same degree. now, I might say things I normally wouldn't when I'm mad, and I do think just about everyone's familiar with that, but it's still things that I meant, not random word salad caused by emotions impairing my executive function.
Unrelated but your way of speaking is so sweet and endearing!
omg..I know EXACTLY what you mean... Perhaps, that's why it takes me way longer to accomplish tasks than a "normal" person. Sometimes in small tasks, I can multi task...but mainly I get obsessed to do something..and I stop to do it, forcing my task list further away.. I've been meaning to do some sewing for 4 days now..but something usually is all of a sudden important and needs attention. The tired thing is definitely true. If I go somewhere..I am not enjoying being there as I am taking it all in and my senses are working very hard..Usually, subsequent times...I can actually feel that I can be in the moment as my brain already "worked" on that place...a different time ago. Love you.
If the world lets us do things in our own way and in our own time our performance will exceed NTs
Thanks for this, you summarize exactly what's going on right now with myself. I'm at home being completely burnt out and get absolutely nothing done.
Problem is however that noone seems to understand this. Gf is like: "but you're tired all the time, how is this different?" .. Work is: "perhaps if you do x chores a week you get routine"
don't even get me started on my parents who are at the age where this wasn't a thing at all, you just worked.
This explains a lot I hold onto things to remember and it is mentally and physically exhausting me.
Ah! I've also read that book. And I never work out in the morning, for that exact reason. I would be consuming precious exergy needed for work. I always work out in the late afternoon - then I can consider my day done...
The end part of this really hit home to me, that's my internal dialogue constantly, I'm different but I can do this, I can do things right.. Constantly doubting my own abilities due to issues like this!
Imagine someone with no internal dialogue.
You're a beautiful (gorgeous) man. Thank you for helping so many. I think I'm on the spectrum, so i enjoy your vids heaps.
Proud of my difference, and I reassure myself that that is all it is. Thinking way ahead, focused on outcome, awkward socially even as a business executive, thinking outside the square and helping others understand my barriers are more about their limitations, not so much mine.
You're helping others not on the spectrum to undetstand that acceptance is not just saying "Autistic, yes I understand." It must be about changing their behaviour to include, communicate, respect and help when the going gets tough.
Thank you.
Was trying to do chemistry homework, which is already really hard just because learning disabilities make it really hard, but am also surrounded by sensory distractions as I'm doing this from home (two dogs, pacing around, barking, asking to go outside, playing with toys, traffic outside, person I live with walking around the house). I was about to have a melt down so I took a break to try and prevent it, and my preventative melt down breaks always include engaging with a special interest (currently autism) and so I came here to watch one of your videos and have lunch to try and regulate. This was an awesome video to choose because it applies to my exact situation at the moment. I'm already pushing myself by trying to learn something that is challenging (and dyslexia impacting my executive functioning) and trying to hold onto that understanding of concepts while trying to regulate my attention--no wonder I'm nearing a meltdown and already feeling so exhausted (also had to do other highly demanding cognitive task (grant proposal writing) before getting to homework.) This helped remind me that I'm not stupid for struggling to learn this basic grade 11 chemistry stuff. But definitely emphasized I need a better working environment.
WHen I got dx'd with ADD and (wait for it.... ) NEGATIVE 'H', the doc to my single largest problem was screening out extraneous input. I was glad to there was a reason I preferred silence when I was trying to get something done.
I got diagnosed with autism 2 months ago and your video's help me a lot. Thank you and keep up the good work!
😂😂😂😂😂 this has cracked me up. I’m a specialist lawyer, went out on a limb for a project to scale up the help I can give and fell on my arse because I burnt out after four months and backed off. I wasn’t and am not diagnosed but I KNOW that this is me. My penny dropped. And I went back on w page of 7000 to explain what NT interpret as horrific and unprofessional conduct. Trying to explain that every time they make an unfair comment that I can’t drop they are costing the cause fell on deaf ears UNTIL I confessed: I’m an aspie. And it’s not narcissism. It’s aspie ism. An exercise in insanity, but with strategy: those that need me MAY now understand that when I go off the radar it’s me not them, and ride it out.
I work at a fast food restaurant that has a lot of fans and fryers and various other kinds of machinery that makes a lot of noise (at least to my Autistic brain), I can't seem to filter out background noise the way other people can and I find it difficult to hear people talking to me when everyone else seems to do just fine, and I also notice that after being there for a few hours my brain starts to fog up, I can't think straight, I make silly mistakes, and I just don't function properly. I had a theory that all the noise causes a very subtle case of sensory overload and it makes it hard for me to function correctly.
So true! I once stopped a Thai Qi class, that was meant to make me feel more relaxed, because it was so much pushing to go there and also do my practice for it at home. At that time I thought that I‘m a total looser 😳
I relate to this. I hate yoga. Just leaving the house takes so much energy.
Re: swimming
Yep! That’s why I got myself some colored foam dice from dollar tree: I just think of what I feel like/want to work on in the next set and how many reps, then use the next die to keep track of counting down.
My best was in high school when I had a great teammate who would keep track of the laps-even to the point of bopping my foot (if he could fast enough) when I tried pushing off for another lap after we’d finished.
I'm watching your video to understand autistic family and friends better but i can relate to SO MUCH of the fatigue insights as i have M.E. Your videos are wonderfully explained thank you for your efforts.
I got aspergers and I can highly recommend quick naps (about 15 minutes) or mindfullness exercises, where you focus on your breathing and the feeling in your hands and feet. Well, it works very well for me, I know my brain NEEDS some time off every now and then.
Combined with my chronic illness and C-PTSD, I'm pretty low functioning
Same!! It's pretty much impossible:(
I do this a lot! I'm trying to write a book and I get a great idea at an inconvenient time and have to try and hold it. Thanks for this video.
_Im so glad that I've found your RUclips Channel. You deal with topics that I really feel related. Thanks Aspie Brother_ :p
It was fun watching you catch your thoughts again and bring it back in. Totally get the feeling of feeling so drained by the time i get back from work. It is hilarious that I found my talent in sales and yet I am autistic. Such a contradiction but it makes so much sense now that I put two and two together. 😭
I love this guy!So brave so generous to share all his experiences and knowledge with the world!billion thanks!
I often don't realise or forget just how much energy all forms of masking require. If I spend time around people that I feel I have to mask in front of, I end up exhausted. And I really relate to how tiring remembering can be too.
My mind is constantly flitting about and I thought was a normal thing but it's far from it. The only relief I got from it was from doing excessive exercise and the warming buzz/glow from the exercise physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted me but achieving that on a regular basis meant exercising at such a high rate and for a long time it impacted my life in other areas - so the gains I made lead to losses elsewhere and perpetuation of the eternal conflict in my life!
Your brain seems to work very similarly to mine. Thanks so much for making these videos. It's really helping me understand how to manage myself and my life better!
Ever since I started watching more of your videos and other people's videos about living with Autism. I'm learning more coping skills and strategies to try and I don't feel so alone. Now I feel like I can gain a new coping skill for whatever comes my way. I just have to figure out what works! Thanks so much for talking about this so candidly and mentioning that book. Your videos have been so helpful. Even my therapist, friends, family, and my partner are noticing differences! They say I've come so far but it's just been recently! Thanks so much!
It helps to hear someone else explain just how exhausting it can be just trying to keep track of things in memory.
This is so spot on.
Thank you Paul, your vlog here has been very informative and helped me regulate myself better. Keep doing what you do, it's a valuable resource for those of us that are struggling to make it through each week and dont fully understand what it is we're up against
I can't focus on learning more than 20 minutes at a time. Wears me out. I have to have a 1 hour break and then go back to it. I've learnt not to beat myself up about it. It's just the way my brain is wired.
Exactly we are wired to work in short bursts of energy not run marathons like NTs
Same with me
My son is five I try to work with him learning math and in the mist he started to yarn.
Your hair looks great man! 👍
Thank you so much for this video. (It's taken me two tries to finish watching it!)
What you've started discussing here (I know you could go on much longer!) is why I've used the Spoon Theory for quite some years now to describe my energy levels, even though I don't have a chronic physical illness. Once I started learning about executive dysfunction, sensory processing, it made more sense why the spoon theory helped me conceptualize my own energy/tiredness.
Your comment about the morning swim hit me particularly hard. I used to work full time, and would get a lot of flak for trying to take the day off work if I had a doctor appointment in the morning, especially if it was early. Yes, I'd be done with the doctor by 9AM, but by the time I managed to get to work, I was already exhausted and hardly able to keep my eyes open.
I relate to you dawg! We have a lot of potential
I agree that it is the lack of mental energy as a resource that makes us tired because we spend it concentrating on the wrong things or don't spend too much of it on one thing. I think the Spoon Theory that you spoke about in the past fits into this idea somewhere. Based on how you link Executive Functioning with sensory processing it seems we need to learn to focus on the correct things by planning it in advance. Thank you for mentioning the book 'Thinking Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman. I have just placed an order.
I really needed to hear the stuff about the gym because i have never been able to operate after going to the gym before my day starts because im exhausted. Not anything that requires a substantial amount of thinking anyway. Thanks
That part where you feel wrecked after swimming and counting laps absolutely resonated with me.
I went through so many jobs where I had to memorize so much random stuff that I was absolutely done by the end of the day. Now I'm the "emotional support mechanic" of a packaging machine 😂
I'm still tired after 8 hours but not wrecked.
Unreal how much of this applies to my life!! Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for sharing your epiphany straightaway 🙂
Great video!
Neurofeedback, Ashwaganda, Holy Basil and Bacopa have all helped with my SPD.
Helps with my Autism too....to cope with stress and overload as well.
I noticed that when I play FPS games where I need to focus on what I'm doing I'm unable to talk on voice chat at the same time. It's as if those activities are trying to use the same parts of my brain and are interfering with each other. Others don't seem to have this problem.
Others use different parts of their brain for each task. If you usually use the same part then you'll find it difficult to both at the same time.
Yeah I remember reading that they think that the declarative memory store(normally only facts) compensates for dysfunctions in the other memory stores.
Like how a stroke victim who loses control of their hand could say repurpose their visual cortex.
The issue is that it has to do everything including regulating itself lol.
I have the same issue. I can't talk and drive unless I'm talking to myself. I can't sing and play an instrument. I can't even talk and cook. I'm a great cook but I burn noodles if someone tries to talk to me!
Omg I've totally noticed I play better when I'm not in a party.
Ive got sorta the same problem with hearing and writing. The moment i write something down i cant listen to what is said in that timeframe. Which makes me write less, which is a bummer because i need those notes as a visual representation of what was said so i can remember better. Also.....so many missed homework or test anouncements, just because i wrote down a homework or test announcement at the same time it was made!
Love your passion Paul.
Thank you for working so hard to bring us your insight.
I believe that this topic has been studied before and at least amongst neurotypical people the results have been mixed. As a fello aspie I have to say this completely mirrors my experience so I believe you and that research. Just thought you would like to know all the research around this topic has not been as clear as this one.
Everyone read "the organized mind"!!! Or at least take this advice: EXTERNALIZE YOUR MEMORY, find ways to make your environment work for you so that you dont have to use your brain all of the time, that way you can avoid (or at least increase the time until) becoming overwhelmed and exhausted :) I carry a note pad with me everywhere and it has made a huge difference in my life
I constantly use the Notes app, Alarm Clock app, and Calendar app on my phone. I even set peculiar ringtones for certain "routine" alarms -- I have a Tues eve alarm for Trash/Recycle Night that plays "Yakety-Yak." (Opening line of the song: "Take out the papers and the trash...")
swimming is my special interest. Yes that's my secrete just swim a tiny bit. Swim just enough to get a athletic workout, but never swim to the point of being tired. Only a few swim coaches find my swimming formula acceptable, but it always worked for me. I bicycle the same formula, taking baby-steps into bicycling distances.
There's a standard rule for whenever you get a burning idea: have a system to immediately get it out of your brain and into permanent storage in whatever manner works for you: write it down, add to a tasklist, send yourself an email/ voice memo, borrow a pen and scrawl it on your hand, etc.
I was always writing things on my hand :)! When I was working at a garden center one of my co-workers came up to me and told me something I needed to remember but I didn't have any paper on me, just a sharpie. As I was writing on my hand, the mother next to me turned to her child and said "just because she is writing on her hand doesn't mean it is a good idea."
Thank you so much! This video really helped me realize this is what I’ve been struggling with at work. Hopefully now that I’m aware of it things will get better
hey, great video. Ff you take content recommendations, on the podcast No Stupid Questions episode 113, MIT psychologist Angela Duckworth talks about how she believes that kind of cognitive endurance is less like muscle endurance (and energy using) and more like a higher capacity to maintain focus on a task before your brain decides its time to focus on something else. She getting mentally tired is more like trying to signal the opportunity cost of sticking with your current action. It was pretty enlightening.
Oh neat - this was posted on my birthday. It was also terribly helpful - thanks again for these.
Thinking fast and slow is actually one of the books I am listening to right now 😊👍🏻 I’m only like half an hour into it, but it’s really interesting already.
A good think is that it is based on actual research and isn't a pop psychology motivational book.
Thank you for sharing and teaching. 🙏🏾
Hey you look so like my Uncle John when he was young ha..Gilbert family side..I'm Aspergers too..get very tired..your videos are great 😁😊
I think RUclips just diagnosed me with asperger syndrome.
ambient_ glass RUclips knows more than a doctor haha, thats how I found out I have it too. Its soooo helpful
Three weeks down the rabbit hole, I have an appointment in 5weeks
Bucket of energy? I think these days I'm down to a cup! Yesterday I had a funeral to go to in the morning and a party in the evening. I can't remember the last time I felt so wrecked and I'm far from recovered mid-afternoon on the next day.
Its refreshing to see your videos. If I was recording myself I'd have a lot of frustration with finding the right words_ I'd probably need more time to get my point across.
Anyhow, I've just lost what I wanted to say. Maybe that was my point all along.
Thanks! This helps me with my new job.
Hey, yes, I can see in your eyes how going to the gym wears on you. I’m so sorry. I suffered a slight head injury in 1999 and after which and after coming off all medications doctors gave me for the injury which consisted of three stimulants, (sleep meds to counteract the stimulants) to “boost” brain function, when in reality these meds were killing me by way of attacking my immune and cardiovascular system. I fired my supposed post concussion specialist and came off all the meds I was placed on and with the advise and help of my primary care provider who said if I didn’t I would soon die of a heart attack. Anyway, I came off the meds about two years after the head injury and after which my brain healed and I realized I had a new gift, a gift of music in visual and auditory vision awake and while sleeping and for which I have written and composed w the help of a man who scores music. And the other gift which I always had but was heightened is the gift of psychic abilities seeing and having insight into things before they happen and with that the ability to intervene so that the outcome can change. And I was tested for IQ and my Visio spatial IQ was without error and my visual memory for short term without arrow and long term memory was 9 out of 10 reproduced w drawings. I may have always had a good visual memory as I have siblings also with this gift. But I do see how going to the gym sucked your energy. So yes, take a nap and do whatever you need to feel good again :-) so happy you don’t let this get in the way of your staying fit. Your very disciplined and brave. And thank you for your videos. They’re great!
Thanks Paul, so valuable. A new RUclips video (August2021) describing burnout in general society: The Cure for Burnout (hint:it isn't self-care) by Emily & Emilia Nagoski. Insight into effect of primitive fight flight response & how modern man often doesn't follow through cortisol responses resulting in burnout.
Really loving your videos. They're so helpful!
The more I understand myself through the things you talk about the more I worry I'm just not made for this world :/
No problems. Just create your own world your way. That's what I do.
I may have autism and was just wondering if what you are describing is the same thing that I’m experiencing. I’ve been drained my whole life, I’m always short on energy and usually a couple days out of the month I wake up refreshed and actually have a steady stream of energy right up till bedtime. I’ve noticed that during those days of energy nothing notable has happened that would have made the difference between drained and having energy. I’ve been looking into this issue medically for about 30 years now. I’ve had blood work done and medical examinations and everything is good with my health. So no solution has ever been found to explain why I’m drained so much. Now thinking that I may have autism, perhaps what you are saying is what could be my issue. I know I think about life and everything associated with that experience endlessly every day, that is my hyper focus for me. My son is getting assessed for autism this year and his hyper focus changes every few years to an new character that he loves. Could my unchanging hyper focus be a cause of my drained physical body. I’m thinking cause it’s such a deep subject to be contemplate on a daily basis that perhaps it’s taking its toll on my mind and body. I love thinking about my subject of choice and I can never seem to move my focus for very long to any other subject or project. You seem well versed in autism and was hoping that maybe you can shed some light on this matter for me. Thanks
Hey Paul, I just found out about your channel and wanted to say that you're serving as an excellent source for education on autism, which has been hard to come across on the Internet.
I am wondering if you could perhaps do a video discussing flat affect as this seems to be a symptom of autism that is less spoken about / is less acknowledged, yet seems to have a pretty big impact on people's lives that are dealing with it. Some ideas you could discuss in this video are: what it is, how it may or may not be an accurate depiction of how that person is feeling (is it correlated with mood), how it may be able to be improved upon, and perhaps how common it is.
Just thought id ask as it could be worth considering for your channel. Thanks.
Completely and totally exhausting... agreed.
Huh. This was my experience my whole life. I've got a lot to learn
This is so me lately. I'm tired, confused & cranky. I need a week off but I'm not getting any me time till next weekend 😒. Not much I can do about it right now.
🍀 and merry christmas 🎄
Wow! This was so useful to hear.
The excited thing I definitely get. I need to be cool about it
I understand it very well.
Thank you.
I hate doing laps or circuits too I love doing sports but those type of activities or sports are a pain for me too
I worked 2nd or 3rd shift for 20yrs. I now have a 9-5 but am sleepy most of the day...until 7p. It is now 1:05 a.m. and I'm the only one in the house who's awake. It's quiet and I don't have to interact with anyone.
Yes, you have a plan. Yes, you do things.
Part of attentional resource allocation by the central executive upon working memory is inhibiting distraction and interference of other stimuli in the environment. When we are tired this ability is impaired, and learning is diminished. There are cognitive strategies that you can learn to enhance your attentional resources.
what are these cognitive strategies?
@@arasharfa we can train our brains by 'chunking' information, rhyming, and deep learning such as making unique stories about the subject, as opposed to surface level such as 'rote' learning. Rote learning is my default way to learn. Also, genuinely paying attention and not being distracted by your phone (a modern struggle we can all attest to). Reading before lectures/mere exposure of information helps to pave a pathway as well.
Hi. I love your videos! They address topics autistic people really can relate to but unfortunately don’t normally have any other ways to relate to them. One of my favorites was about regulating disclosure. About your housemate, if I may ask, is she on the spectrum too?
I can totally relate to this, but I've done tests for Aspergers and Autism and I don't have either, according to the tests.
I'm reading that book and I have a theory: I think autistics use System 2 for more than neurotypicals, and that's why we are not as prone to biases but get tired more quickly. Neurotypicals seem to use System 1 for sensory processing (and can just ignore all the sounds) whereas I use System 2 (I'm consciously aware of them all the time). I'm frequently questioning whether I have enough information to make the assumption I'm making, whereas I've observed that most people seem to just go with their assumptions. Neurotypicals seem to use System 1 for the social stuff (the "correct" responses are automatic for them). And since I don't relate to most people, I have to do "intellectual empathy" (uses System 2), whereas most people can relate to a large subset of the population and don't need to do that so they can just use System 1. But hey, it's just a theory, and I'm still close to the beginning of the book.
My solution is to put a note or description in my reminders list, but like you, if I think of something and don’t do it right then, I’ll forget to do it later
I’m currently dealing with extreme fatigue issues. I think it’s probably physical in nature (although I’ve had many tests run and so far nothing has turned up), but it very well could be mental fatigue. I’m experiencing tremendous emotional distress and depression right now, and the act of pretending that I’m not completely falling apart just exhausts me. I’ve taken to only being awake during the night most of the time because I don’t have to mask or try to hold myself together in the middle of the night. I still sleep 12-14 hours most days, though. I feel like I’m losing my mind.