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Recognising Social Exhaustion

One social event can cause weeks or months of suffering and pain to an autistic person.

For many autistic individuals, stress related to social activities often begins when they become aware that they have a social event coming up soon. This can happen even when the social event is weeks or months away.

Before a social event, the brain can become intensely focused on what might happen and all the various possibilities, all the ways in which a question could be asked, how questions should be answered, what topics of conversation are appropriate, what topics should be avoided, what should be worn etc. The questions and therefore ruminations can be endless, often feeling all-consuming.

Statergies to cope with social situations - Autism

Strategies for coping with social and emotional exhaustion

Social situations can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Here are some ideas to help you cope with the stress associated with social events:

Autism in females

In recent years there is an increased understanding of the ways in which autism specifically affects women and girls, and this is somewhat different to our understanding of how autism may typically present itself.

The school, college or work environment can be very stressful, where social interactions in groups and understanding what is expected in relationships is extremely difficult. Females often report that from a young age they felt on the “outside” of social groups, sometimes watching from afar, and that friendships are difficult to establish and maintain. Sometimes girls become particularly attached to one or two friends.