Healing Autistic Burnout: A Neuroaffirming Guide for Connecting with Your Authentic Self, Restoring Your Energy, and Advocating for Your Needs

by Sharon Kaye O'Connor

It’s time to prioritize self-care, advocate for your needs, and heal from autistic burnout. Written by an autistic therapist for autistic readers, this compassionate guide can help you get started. If you are autistic, you may struggle with the stress of everyday life. You might mask—or attempt to appear as neurotypical—in order to get through the day at school, work, or even with friends. The world may feel overwhelming—full of noises, smells, and textures that trigger your sensitivity. And, finally, you may feel like you are constantly bending to others’ expectations, and always putting your own needs last. Is it any wonder, then, that you are experiencing burnout? Healing Autistic Burnout offers mindfulness and self-reflective exercises to help you overcome the symptoms of autistic burnout—including emotional overwhelm, sensory overstimulation, and mental exhaustion. With this powerful guide, you will find neuroaffirming strategies to nurture rest and recovery, cultivate greater self-awareness and understanding, and advocate for your needs. You’ll also find tips and tools to help you preserve your energy, stay present in the moment, improve communication with others, set boundaries when needed, and tune in to your individual needs and strengths. With this book, you will What to do when it feels like you’ve “hit the wall” What’s causing your burnout, and how to recharge How to cultivate radical self-acceptance All about the importance of special interests—the things you are passionate about! How to connect with your authentic self   Autistic burnout is not a failure. It is simply a signal that things need to change. Written by an autistic psychotherapist who has been there herself, this much-needed book can help you get started—one step at a time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Psychology, Self Help

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2026

Reviews

[this_eel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little book! I think the most pertinent part of the title is "Neuroaffirming Guide"--while this does address burnout, I think the various forms of self check-in and guidance are good for whenever, and some of it actually applies less to periods of crisis than for smoothing out some of the struggles of daily living. For crisis times when you really need specific actions to take in order to dig yourself out of a real hole, I would probably look more towards Megan Anna Neff's Autistic Burnout Workbook. However, that's not a slight against this book at all - and in fact I think it's a great complement to the Neff, because the authors have different points of focus and different outlooks, and in combination there is a lot to work with.

Sharon O'Connor's training as Spiritualist minister as well as a clinician really shines through in her compassion, enthusiasm, and advice. As a not at all spiritual person at this time in my life, I found her manner both engaging and encouraging--as if she is sitting in the room with you helping you pick apart a problem and patch yourself together. While anyone who obsessively thinks about and reads about this topic probably won't find MANY new ideas in this book, O'Connor's particular abilities to organize information and offer nuance where it would be easy to get dogmatic or universal are both refreshing and appreciated.

I enjoyed my time with this book and recommend it as a personable companion in tending to yourself.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently read a very similar book, and many of the suggestions are certainly repeated. I believe that in many ways, they also apply to neurotypical people and not just neurodivergent ones. However, I increasingly wonder if it has simply become particularly cool to identify as neurodivergent, because sometimes I think that anyone living a contemporary life goes through moments of burnout, neurodivergence or not.

Ho letto da poco un libro molto simile e sicuramente molti suggerimenti si ripetono e credo che per molti versi, valgano anche per le persone neurotipiche e non solo per quelle neurodivergenti. Sempre piú spesso peró mi chiedo se non sia semplicemente diventato particolarmente cool eleggersi a neurodivergenti, perché a volte credo che chiunque viva una vita contemporanea passi attraverso dei momenti di burn out, neurodivergenza o meno.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Katie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I have been "diagnosed" autistic for 2 years now and still find these guidebooks helpful and refreshing. There are a LOT of DBT terms in here so if you are unfamiliar with that type of therapy work it may be especially helpful to dive into. One of my favorite things about this "guide" is the emphasis on honoring your energy as an autistic person. Since we process differently, we may be filled up or drained differently. I enjoyed how energy is presented as currency and energy ALSO is made up of time where the autistic person "does not want to be perceived". I get that, and it certainly contributes to why a social event is battery draining even if I'm not actively socializing the entire time.

This is neuroaffirming, helpful, and a good refresher for self care.

[Ro U]

Healing Autistic Burnout is the first book I’ve read that tackles this topic so directly, and I found it surprisingly approachable. When you’re deep in burnout, it’s hard to recognize what’s actually happening - you're too busy just trying to exist - so I really appreciated how clearly the book helps identify the signs and patterns of autistic burnout.

The exercises are simple, but in a good way: grounding, doable, and not overwhelming. Honestly, that’s part of what makes the book effective. And while it’s written with autistic readers in mind, I think a lot of the insights and strategies would be helpful for non-autistic people dealing with chronic overwhelm or stress, too.

Overall, a gentle, practical guide that makes a tough experience feel a little more understandable and a little less lonely.

Thank you New Harbinger Publications and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful Little Guide to Build a Burnout-Free Life For Autistic People

Having been diagnosed as an adult, Sharon K. O'Connor uses her lived experience and the knowledge both from within the community and researchers to convey in Healing Autistic Burnout how structuring a life more in sync with your neurotype can really prevent and heal existing burnout.

The book is quite short and concise but filled with little mindfulness boxes containing exercises and prompts, which I found really helpful and practical tools on the journey out of autistic burnout and towards a more autistic-friendly life. There are sections on recognising autistic burnout (despite alexithymia and masking), causes and help for different life scenarios (parenthood, energy management, introspection,..).

Overall a very helpful if brief guide. I found the section on anxiety vs sensory overload especially insightful, if maybe too rushed. In general, most topics could be expanded into whole chapters. They are merely touched upon. Sometimes things seem out of sequence, such as tangents on diagnosis of autism that might be better placed at the beginning of the book instead of in the middle of a chapter on something different. O'Connor's approach is neuroaffirming, which makes the book feel like a good friend or therapist talking to you instead of a clinician or scientist. Its accessible language might also speak to more people across the spectrum.

Sometimes I felt that the book was less about autistic burnout and more about how to live more authentically and according to your autistic needs and traits - but then, of course, that is how burnout can be prevented and healed.. so I guess I need to work on that as well.

I can recommend this to autistic (and ADHD?) people in need of some guidance towards realigning their lives to be more suitable for their neurotype. Many of the tips and tricks definitely also apply to neurotypicals and thus might also be beneficial to parents, carers and friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

As an Autistic person myself this book immediately caught my eye on Netgalley and I quickly requested it. I am glad I got approved for this one as I enjoyed reading this book. While I already know a lot about the topic of being autistic and burnout as well as autistic burnout, this is the first book I have read specifically about autistic burnout and it was nice to have a book focused on that specific topic only. I am always struggling with my energy levels during winter, so it was nice to read this book and get reminded of the way to preserve my energy and be gentle for myself.

This book was easy to read and felt quite accessible, it starts at the basics and explains a lot, so even if you know little about being autistic this is a good starting point. The chapters are split up in different sections with headings and this made it easy to read a bit and find a nice stop point quickly. I also thought the exercises sprinkled throughout were a nice touch.

I thought this was an informative and helpful read with plenty of tips on how to deal with burnout specifically as an autistic person. I liked the hopeful and encouraging tone of the book and the writing style was easy to read. While there was a lot I already knew a lot about the topic, I still appreciated having a book specifically on this specific topic and there were still new things I picked up.

To summarize: All in all I can definitely recommend this one if you want to know more about autistic burnout. It is a good book to pick up whether to know a bit about the topic already or not. I knew quite a bit about the topic already, but still appreciated to have a book dedicated to this specific topic and learned some new things. This one is easy to read with a hopeful and gentle tone which I appreciated.

[Lisa Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past few years, I’ve been learning a lot about neurodiversity in hopes of becoming a better ally and a more helpful therapist. A topic that arises fairly often is autistic burnout, but until now I did not have a comprehensive guide to helping clients with this issue. There’s nothing shocking here in terms of things I’ve never thought of - ultimately it’s about unmasking, managing energy and being aware of sensory needs - but it’s a well-written, compassionate step-by-step guide to assessing these areas in your own unique way to build a lifestyle that is sustainable for you. It would be helpful to read this before burnout, but even if you’re already there, you’ll find good help here! At the end of each section is a ““mindfulness moment” or mindful prompts to journal about. Excellent addition to the neurodiverse self-help genre.

[Matthew Kanelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in a warm, compassionate voice, this book offers invaluable guidance for anyone navigating autistic burnout and seeking to build sustainable habits for a healthier, more fulfilling life. Also an excellent resource for non-autistic readers who want to deepen their understanding of the autistic experience and learn how to offer meaningful support. Thoughtful, validating, and empowering. I highly recommend!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as someone who might be described as neurotypical with some neurodivergent tendencies. I found it quite informative in helping to understand the autistic community and how they take in the world. What I also found interesting, however, was how much I was applying to some of my patterns of thinking and interacting with others. A worthwhile read for anyone who is autistic or cares about autistic individuals.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful book for getting out of my head. Sometimes I didn’t know how to answer the mindfulness questions because a few of them are things I had never considered ever being within my power or changeable within my life.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be recommending this books to many of my teen an adult clients.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like a good and practical guide for people who experience burnout. The exercises and advice are simple and easy to do.

[Emily Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful!