"A Mask May Win Applause But The Nervous System Keeps The Score"
Every time we raise the bar, our nervous system pays the tab, sometimes with interest we don’t notice until the lights go out.
Burnout can look like depression, yet feel entirely different when you are neurodivergent. Day after day, we perfect our masking, camouflaging Autistic traits, tamping down ADHD impulses, and meeting every external goal—until the façade cracks. On the outside, we appear like textbook high achievers; inside, our bodies and minds register a slow-motion collapse. This paradox—autistic masking burnout, ADHD burnout symptoms, and broad neurodiversity burnout—demands a fresh lens and a compassionate approach to therapy. Drawing on Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and bottom-up sensory regulation, this post explores why the threat-and-drive loop overheats, how to nurture the soothe system, and where to find spaces that welcome the real you.
You may be interested in learning about the neuro-affirming therapy we provide.
“Camouflage costs energy twice: once to hide, and again to haul the weight of hiding.”
Masking (sometimes called camouflaging) is the deliberate or reflexive effort to blend in with neurotypical expectations. Examples include:
Over months and years, this continuous self-editing recruits the body’s threat system: an ancient network built for emergency survival, not for eight-hour workdays or back-to-back Zoom calls.
To explore authenticity and everyday masking, you may like unmasking in everyday life.
The World Health Organization calls burnout “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” For neurodivergent adults, stress is often already unmanageable because the environment was designed for different nervous systems. High achiever burnout arises when relentless performance collides with sensory overload and social vigilance. Common signs:
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Category |
Typical Sign |
ND-Specific Twist |
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Energy
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Physical exhaustion, headaches
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Sensory shutdown: blurred vision after fluorescent exposure
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Emotion
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Cynicism, irritability
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Alexithymia spike, numb until a sudden flood of tears
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Cognition
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Reduced efficiency, forgetfulness
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“Brain fog,” word-finding issues during masking hangovers
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Because these symptoms mirror depression, clinicians and clients can miss the core driver: chronic, compulsory masking.
“When depression whispers ‘Nothing matters,’ burnout shouts ‘Everything matters too much.’”
Both masking burnout and depression feature low mood, reduced pleasure, and social withdrawal. Yet their roots differ:
During my graduate program, I was leaned on by my school peers, I ran peer groups, and clinched a very high GPA. Professors praised my work and abilities, unaware of the costs to me internally, that I edited every email ten times to remove “hyper” punctuation and trimmed any tangent that hinted at ADHD enthusiasm. Every compliment tightened the vice: perform, exceed, never drop the mask.
One night, after leading a flawless day of workshops and providing in-person support in a hospital, I found myself in a very challenging physical state, taking the subway home, hands shaking, tears streaming when I walked in the door, safe at last. The signal wasn’t sadness; it was my nervous system screaming “Enough!” That moment forced a reckoning: I could continue as an avatar or learn to inhabit my real self, authentic self, with all my quirks and idiosyncrasies.
Function: Scan for danger (social mistakes, rejection, sensory triggers).
Outcome: Cortisol spikes, heart-rate variability drops, and sleep deteriorates.
Function: Pursue goals, achievements, and dopamine hits.
Outcome: Hyper-focus, consecutive “wins,” but no genuine rest.
When both run hot without the buffering to soothe the system, burnout is inevitable.
“Self-compassion is not self-indulgence; it is emergency maintenance for an over-clocked brain.”
CFT sees well-being as an equilibrium among threat, drive, and soothe. Neurodivergent adults often develop oversized threat and drive circuits, fine-tuned by years of misattunement and academic or workplace pressure. Strengthening the soothe system through warmth, affiliation, and self-compassion becomes not indulgence but essential maintenance.
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Context |
High Achiever Habit |
Balanced Alternative |
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Email
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Immediate responses 24/7
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Scheduled “deep-work” blocks and delayed sends, be flexible with yourself.
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Meetings
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Camera-on perfection
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Camera-optional policy; ask for the agenda to be shared in advance.
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Home
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Multitask until midnight
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Dedicate time to the things that help you regulate, such as exercise, using fidget tools, and soft music in the evening to wind down.
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The antidote to perpetual masking is environments where authenticity is an asset, not a liability. Seek:
Strategic masking, using specific skills briefly, can remain useful. The goal is to limit chronic masking, not authenticity. Many flourish when energy freed from vigilance fuels creativity and problem-solving.
Introduce one stimulus at a time. For example, try a 3-pound lap pad before committing to a 15-pound blanket. Track bodily cues until you find a “just right” threshold.
Variable. Short-term relief can appear within a week of reduced demands and increased sensory care. Full nervous-system recalibration often spans months, especially if chronic masking lasted years.
Medication can help when burnout co-occurs with clinical depression or anxiety. Yet pills alone seldom solve the core issue: unsustainable environmental demands. Integrating lifestyle, sensory, and compassionate practices remains pivotal.
Masking burnout is not a moral failing; it is a biological inevitability when relentless performance meets limited recovery. The medicine is multi-layered: bottom-up sensory regulation, top-down self-compassion, and relational spaces that honour neurodivergent rhythms. External excellence no longer has to coexist with internal collapse.
Which tool will you test first? A weighted lap pad at your desk, a compassion-focused breathing routine before bed, or a conversation requesting camera-optional meetings? Experiment, observe, and adjust, because thriving is a prototype, not a final draft. You are allowed to have many iterations before finding what works best and at times, we need to adjust what has been working as the help our systems provide us can wane. “You of all people deserve your own love and affection.” Buddha
“Healing is less about fixing what is broken and more about letting what is true breathe in daylight.”
Ready to Explore Therapy to Help Find a Path to Sustainable Living?If you’d like to understand more about how I support high-achieving neurodivergent adults navigating burnout, you can visit my services page to learn more about the therapeutic services I offer for ADHD, Autism, and AuDHD
If this post reflects your own cycle of overfunctioning and burnout, you’re invited to connect through my contact page to explore ways to rebuild sustainably.
Or stay on the blog and learn more about ADHD, Autism, and Giftedness.
Blog Disclaimer
This blog includes occasional personal anecdotes used to illustrate therapeutic ideas and foster connection. All identifying details have been altered or omitted to protect confidentiality. These reflections are intended as examples only; every individual’s experience is unique, and what resonates for one person may not apply to another.
The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please consult a qualified healthcare provider or licensed mental health professional.
Psychotherapy services described on this site are available to residents of Ontario. If you are interested in support or would like to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation, you are welcome to contact me through my practice.
These resources are offered to support your learning and self-understanding as you move toward a more grounded, authentic, and meaningful life.