Have you ever wondered why burnout feels so much more devastating for you than it seems to be for others? Why recovery practices that work for your colleagues feel like trying to put out a forest fire with a water pistol when you try them?

Here's a startling reality: studies suggest that neurodivergent individuals (those with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing differences, and other neurological variations) experience burnout at rates up to three times higher than their neurotypical peers. Not only that, but this burnout often strikes earlier, lasts longer, and requires different recovery approaches.

What's happening isn't just ordinary burnout—it's what researchers are now recognizing as "neurodivergent burnout," a distinct and particularly debilitating form of exhaustion that occurs when neurodivergent individuals spend years attempting to operate in environments designed for neurologically different brains.