As in my previous post (here) ND Burnout is when you get to the point where you are physically and mentally exhausted just doing the day-to-day things of your life. For your child that could be that they start wanting to withdraw from everything, including activities that they previously enjoyed, or those that are likely contributing to their burnout like school.
And as in my post about picking up if you yourself are in ND Burnout (here), if your child has co-occurring conditions such as alexithymia (read more about that here) or low levels of interoception (covered as part of our 8 senses here) your child could be having difficultly in understanding and telling you about what is going on for them.
Some signs your child is in or heading towards ND Burnout that you can look out for can include:
· Finding it harder to get out of bed
· Reacting stronger than usual to disappointments or changes in plans
· Wanting to spend more time alone
· Increased sensory sensitivity – examples of this can be rejecting foods they’ve liked in the past, complaining about noise others are making, finding more clothing than usual uncomfortable to wear
· Increased anxiety
And if they are in the thick of ND Burnout then they could be in almost permanent shutdown, which means instead of reacting stronger they could be almost not reacting at all – on the surface.
The impact of ND Burnout can build over time, so sometimes your child is already in the middle of full-blown ND Burnout before you twig that is what is going on and why you feel like you are having to walk on eggshells around your child. I only figured out just how long my oldest’s burnout had been going on when they struggled to return to “normal” life after lockdowns. They’d been going through the motions for years, but when their nervous system had some relief due to being able to stay at home for an extended period of time, it was able to come out of complete shutdown mode, and they started being unable to cope with going back into environments that weren’t psychologically safe for them.
For more information about signs of ND Burnout in your child, and for support in helping to pick up if they are in or heading towards ND Burnout, in the near future I’ll be launching an online survey you can take and receive a report on your child’s likelihood of being in ND Burnout. If you’d like to know when this is launched be sure to head on over to the contact page and send me an email letting me know you’d like to be on the notification list, and not only will you be the first to hear about it, you’ll also get initial access at a reduced price.
What are signs for your child that they are in or heading towards ND Burnout?
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Please note all information and strategies shared as part of the blog are for information and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice for any particular individual or circumstances.