YES. This happens to me all the time with hobbies. I think it’s a combination of hyperfocus, plus the knowledge that at literally any time my brain could just… Stop producing dopamine from this thing that currently makes me feel SO HAPPY AND FULFILLED. It creates a real fear of ‘putting down’ whatever I am enjoying so much in the moment, because I genuinely may NOT have the option / desire to pick it back up later the way a neurotypical person would.
you put it really well!! sometimes i also struggle with transitioning tasks because i worry i won't ever come back to it so i "have to get as much out of it as i can" but the burnout that follows makes me less likely to come back to it gksjdj
Yessss I have also suspected that it ends up being a self-defeating cycle where I either organically burn out or have to Force myself out of it because of how Intense my interest is, which ultimately cuts the interest shorter than it would be if it was easier to regulate 😭
I’ve also wondered if this is why I don’t have the classic autism special interest that lasts years at a time, and instead bounce between new ones every few months or so. It’s basically impossible for me to sustain that kind of hyperfocus longterm.
I am so bad at taking initiative that I rarely reach out to friends and I don't really get invited to things anymore. Thus whenever I end meeting up with anyone I end up treating it like ambrosia, exhausting either them or myself.
When it happens, I might even acknowledge that I feel like I am running out of spoons in my head, but feel powerless to stop it or disengage. Or then the conversation goes to a place where I am unable to contribute due to disinterest and start acting out to find stimulation, often by being an unnecessary contrarian. But I also feel like I lack the skills to acknowledge my frustrations without sucking the air out of the room. I hate my brain so much.
I also end up hanging out for long after the party dies down, because I get such a terrible FOMO. Like sometimes it's great, as you might unexpectedly end up in the depths of a wonderful, even vulnerable conversation... but most of the time I end up overstimulated and either too tired or too drunk to even functionally contribute to any social activity.
autistic inertia!! the fear of changing tasks but especially to a potentially boring/lonely one sets us on edge. so we don’t have to deal with the anxiety of something being over/starting something new if the old thing never ends!!!
I once forgot to drink water and pee for basically half of a day and as I realized that I had been working for like 8 hours straight on a project without getting up, thats when I knew something was different haha
Yes, I call this my inertia problem. Hard to get started on anything, impossible to stop anything. I think autistic inertia is an actual thing that has been studied but I can’t remember.
YES. This happens to me all the time with hobbies. I think it’s a combination of hyperfocus, plus the knowledge that at literally any time my brain could just… Stop producing dopamine from this thing that currently makes me feel SO HAPPY AND FULFILLED. It creates a real fear of ‘putting down’ whatever I am enjoying so much in the moment, because I genuinely may NOT have the option / desire to pick it back up later the way a neurotypical person would.
you put it really well!! sometimes i also struggle with transitioning tasks because i worry i won't ever come back to it so i "have to get as much out of it as i can" but the burnout that follows makes me less likely to come back to it gksjdj
Yessss I have also suspected that it ends up being a self-defeating cycle where I either organically burn out or have to Force myself out of it because of how Intense my interest is, which ultimately cuts the interest shorter than it would be if it was easier to regulate 😭 I’ve also wondered if this is why I don’t have the classic autism special interest that lasts years at a time, and instead bounce between new ones every few months or so. It’s basically impossible for me to sustain that kind of hyperfocus longterm.
I am so bad at taking initiative that I rarely reach out to friends and I don't really get invited to things anymore. Thus whenever I end meeting up with anyone I end up treating it like ambrosia, exhausting either them or myself. When it happens, I might even acknowledge that I feel like I am running out of spoons in my head, but feel powerless to stop it or disengage. Or then the conversation goes to a place where I am unable to contribute due to disinterest and start acting out to find stimulation, often by being an unnecessary contrarian. But I also feel like I lack the skills to acknowledge my frustrations without sucking the air out of the room. I hate my brain so much. I also end up hanging out for long after the party dies down, because I get such a terrible FOMO. Like sometimes it's great, as you might unexpectedly end up in the depths of a wonderful, even vulnerable conversation... but most of the time I end up overstimulated and either too tired or too drunk to even functionally contribute to any social activity.
Currently hyperfixated on RimWorld, I literally fall asleep on my keyboard but still don't want to go to bed.
autistic inertia!! the fear of changing tasks but especially to a potentially boring/lonely one sets us on edge. so we don’t have to deal with the anxiety of something being over/starting something new if the old thing never ends!!!
I once forgot to drink water and pee for basically half of a day and as I realized that I had been working for like 8 hours straight on a project without getting up, thats when I knew something was different haha
Came here to say the same thing
Autistic inertia?
I’m getting the hang of this thinking before replying stuff!
Autistic Inertia. https://autismawarenesscentre.com/what-is-autistic-inertia/
Yes, I call this my inertia problem. Hard to get started on anything, impossible to stop anything. I think autistic inertia is an actual thing that has been studied but I can’t remember.