AuDHD Burnout: The Science That Guided Me Back

I’ve experienced burnout twice.

The first time, it took me nearly two years to feel ready to re-enter the corporate workforce.

The second was accelerated by a devastating personal event that completely derailed me. It forced me to accept a hard truth:

I wasn’t just tired; I was running on empty.

I needed a deep, fundamental replenishing of my resources:

• Mental

• Physical

• Emotional

With the support of loved ones and professionals, I’ve made my way back.

That second burnout, as brutal as it was, became my catalyst. It pushed me to re-evaluate everything: my priorities, my pace, and my path. Through this painful but illuminating process, I learned more about my own challenges, skills, qualities, and goals than I had in decades.

This journey led me to a decisive pivot: I am now pursuing consulting.

More specifically, I’ve taken a special interest in the science behind the methods and processes I had been piecing together organically my whole career, long before I understood I was AuDHD.

I’m learning as much as I can, and I commit to sharing it, hoping it reaches anyone who might need a similar map.

This week, my focus has been on Working Memory.

It’s a core concept that explains so much about burnout, especially for neurodivergent minds.

What is Working Memory?

Think of your working memory as your brain’s whiteboard.

It’s not for long-term storage (that’s your hard drive). It’s the active space where you hold a phone number just long enough to dial it, follow a conversation’s thread, or manage the steps in a task.

It has two key parts:

1. The Storage Loop: Holds snippets of information (like verbal instructions).

2. The Visual Sketchpad: Holds images and spatial information (like planning a route).

For neurotypical individuals, this whiteboard is often smooth and spacious.

For many AuDHD or ADHD brains, like mine, it can be like writing on that board in the wind. Information doesn’t stick as easily, gets erased quickly, or becomes overcrowded, making it harder to prioritize what’s written there.

The Depletion & Replenishment Cycle

When demands exceed capacity, we deplete our working memory resources. I see depletion in three categories:

1. Cognitive:

   1. Mental overload from complex tasks or constant context-switching.

2. Emotional:

   1. The toll of managing stress, anxiety, or masking in professional settings.

3. Physical:

   1. Fatigue from poor sleep, diet, or the sheer physical tension of burnout.

   
   

Replenishment must be active and intentional.

Examples include:

1. Cognitive:

   1. A true lunch break away from screens, or breaking a project into smaller more manageable chunks with clear steps.

2. Emotional:

   1. 10 minutes of quiet after a meeting, or confiding in a trusted person.

3. Physical:

   1. A short walk, a glass of water, or five minutes of deliberate stretching.

   
   

The risk of not replenishing is severe.

You can move from temporary fatigue into a state of chronic depletion that affects you for weeks or months. Effects include decision paralysis, emotional volatility, chronic fatigue, and a compromised immune system.

This is the runway to burnout or shutdown.

If You’re at Risk

If you’re on the edge, the single most important action is to stop and strategically replenish.

Not with passive scrolling, but with an active, kind intervention for your specific type of depletion.

Try asking yourself:

• “What do I need right now—quiet, connection, hydration, or to put one single thing in order?”

Then, focus on doing that and only that.

Building a Sustainable System:

• I’m learning to apply strategic recovery and active regulation daily.

• My starting framework is what I call the Spiderweb Method. A personalized system honed through my career.

• It’s built on one core acknowledgment: every part of my life and self is connected. Tug one strand (like sleep), and the entire web (work, social life, health) feels the effect.

• This hybrid method combines:

  • Professional best practices

  • Basic wellness principles

  • AuDHD-specific strategies

  • Personalized analytical strategies

The sole focus is building a sustainable and scalable personal and professional life designed to support my neurotype, not fight against it.

I still have so much to learn, and I will continue to share as I do.

If any part of this resonates with you, know that understanding the "why" behind your exhaustion is the first powerful step toward building a "how" that works for you.

You are not broken; you need a system that fits.

If you’d like to connect or follow along in my journey, check out my linktree with all my socials.

You can always reach me via my website or email:

Until next week!

Happy Planning!