Reclaiming Rest: Autistic Burnout, Monotropism, and Resistance

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Rest can become a radical act in a world that often equates our worth with productivity, especially for Autistic or otherwise neurodivergent people navigating the tides of burnout, where even our ways of resting may look different. I have been really inspired by Tricia Hersey’s wonderful writing and their recent book, We Will Rest! The Art of Escape from Nap Ministry (2024).

The Tides of Burnout and Monotropism

Following on from my blog Tides of burnout and being monotropic I believe Autistic burnout is more than exhaustion; it’s a profound depletion of mental, emotional, physical and sensory resources. Burnout is often caused by prolonged masking, sensory overload, and the relentless demand to conform to neuronormative standards. ​

From my own experience of Autistic burnout, I think the theory of monotropism is key to helping us understand why and how burnout happens and can also support better ways for us to move on through burnout. Monotropism is a theory developed by Autistic people in the late 1990s and resulted in the paper Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism (2005) by Dinah Murray  Mike Lesser, Wenn Lawson. Monotropism is a neuroaffirming theory of Autism (and many ADHD people resonate with it too!) where a person’s attentional resources are focused deeply on a limited number of interests/ events or experiences at any one time. While this deep focus and flow can enrich our experiences, things like shifting attention can be really challenging, especially when external demands pull us away from our areas of interest.

The dynamics between the theory of monotropism and societal expectations can create a cycle for Autistic people. Intense focus can lead to overexertion, and difficulties with interoception may mean you aren’t even aware of when you need a rest or when you are tired, and it may mean you miss some of the signs of reaching a burnout crisis. The immersive, joyful feeling of being in deep flow can mean that you want to carry on and on as time passes quickly, 5 hours may feel like 15 minutes, and you may not have eaten, drunk or moved. Alternatively, not being able to engage in flow and battling systems and trying to fit in to your place of work can be utterly draining, even if you enjoy your job! Often being around other people, having multiple demands at any time, and having to socialise and communicate in ways that fit into other people’s frameworks can leave us feeling more than depleted at the end of the day.

When you are in a flow state, external demands can feel painful, they take even more energy, and may leave you in a state of inertia, unable to do anything and feeling paralysed. Balancing the needs of wanting to immerse yourself in your interests and things that bring you joy, and the demands of work and family that may pull against your inner needs, means you may have even less capacity and even less energy to even know what you need to rest in a meaningful way. The feelings of needing to mask to fit in and juggle and balance your innate inner Autistic monotropic needs with the demands of neuronormative expectations can feel like you are trying to swim upstream; it is exhausting. Meltdowns, shutdowns, or reduced responsiveness can be a form of enforced rest when your body and mind are overwhelmed. Meltdowns and shutdowns are your body and mind in survival mode; they are a sign you need deep, authentic, meaningful rest.

Rest as Resistance

Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, advocates that rest is not a luxury but a form of resistance against oppressive systems that devalue our well-being. She asserts, “Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.” ​

For Autistic individuals, embracing our authentic ways of resting challenges the internalised narratives that equate our self-worth with neuronormative ideals.

Reframing Rest

Rest isn’t solely about sleep, yoga or other mindfulness-type activities; it’s about creating spaces, creating physical and emotional spaces, and meeting our sensory needs so we can exist without the pressure of performing to society’s expectations and suppressing ourselves. For monotropic people (Autistic/ ADHD), this might involve engaging deeply with our special interests, spending more time stimming, spending more time in your sensory den or simply allowing yourself more moments to be yourself without judgment.​

How Autistic & Monotropic Rest May Look Different

The most restful spaces are often those where we don’t have to mask or justify our needs and where we feel safe.

Deep focus on special interests and passions

Society may see this as “work” or “obsession,” but for many monotropic people, being immersed in your flow state with something you are passionate about can be regulating and restorative.

Stimming

Stim vocalising and stim movement, such as rocking, tapping, flapping, or pacing or dancing may seem active, but they are often soothing and regulating, helping to release stress and maintain flow. Stim listening and stim watching can make you feel cosy and safe. They bring predictability and comfort, especially when the world feels chaotic. Resting in motion and stimming can give you back energy and give you more capacity to manage.

Solitude

Rest might mean being completely alone or managing to do your work by using body doubling strategies to help you focus your energy resources more easily and effectively, without the pressures of socialising or working in more conventional ways.

Monotasking (doing one thing deeply)

While multitasking is often celebrated, sustained single focus is how many of us find flow and peace, even if that feels more like a constellation type of thinking, with your mind diving in a million directions as you connect so many things together and doesn’t feel very ‘mono’ at all !

Spending time in dark, quiet, or low-stimulation environments

This sensory rest is vital for decompressing from overload, even if it looks like “doing nothing.” Using this like weighted blankets, ear defenders, and fidget tools are often essential for flow states, not optional extras as they can help you feel safe, regulated and rested.

Creative activities (e.g., drawing, music, coding, crafting, lego, puzzles)

These are not distractions but often meaningful ways to self-regulate and can be a great way to embrace flow independently or alongside or with others.

Delaying or avoiding communication (texts, calls, emails) when you can

Social expectations can be draining; rest might mean letting people know you prefer to text rather than speak verbally, or you can manage an online meeting instead of in-person.

Non-traditional sleep-wake cycles

Monotropic focus may shift sleep patterns; rest might come at unconventional hours, and that’s okay if you have supportive people who understand you. Find out more about monotropic time in my recent blogs.

Withdrawing from roles, routines, or expectations temporarily

Stepping back from responsibilities may look like avoidance, but it can be intentional self-preservation and help reduce the severity of a burnout crisis.

Talk therapy may not feel restorative.

Many Autistic people find traditional therapy approaches overly verbal, which can further drain energy. Many Autistic people need extra time and space to process thoughts or emotions by ourselves, outside of the demands of conversation and social expectations. Restorative therapy care might look more like body-based, creative, or activities with less emphasis on verbal support (e.g. art, or nature-based therapy may help).

“Going out with friends” may be socially draining, not restful

Socialising, even with people we love, can sometimes increase stress and add to burnout. Rest might mean not attending and connecting in quiet, low-demand ways instead.

Unstructured time without expectation

Just having a safe space where nothing is expected of you can be deeply restful, even if it “looks” unproductive. Rest means breaking free from the pressure to always say yes, even when you’re running on empty.

Rest is More Than a Nap: Reclaiming Rest as Autistic Liberation

Rest, as Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry reminds us, is about more than naps. It is a radical, embodied act of refusal. Rest is a disruption of neuronormative grind culture, capitalism, and all the systems that treat human beings as machines. Hersey reminds us that:

“Rest pushes back and disrupts a system that views human bodies as a tool for production and labor. We know that we are not machines.”
— Tricia Hersey, Rest is Resistance

For many Autistic people, especially those of us navigating burnout, masking, and a world that often misunderstands our rhythms of being, means that our ways of resting are often misunderstood, denied and even stigmatised. We have been taught to ignore our bodies, to push through overload and to meet neurotypical expectations at the cost of our well-being.

Rest is often more than sleep. It’s more than self-care routines or sensory tools marketed as solutions. Rest is anything that reconnects us with ourselves. Anything that brings our monotropic attention gently back to flow, safety, stillness, or regulation.

Rest for Autistic people might look like silence, repetition, solitude, immersion in a special interest, and a withdrawal from speaking and other expectations. Although society may not recognise these forms of rest as valid, I think they are deeply necessary. They are a reclamation of our authentic Autistic monotropic selves from systems that expect us to perform, conform, and endure.

When we begin to honour our need for rest, not just to “recover” from burnout but to resist the conditions that cause burnout, we can begin to move. Rest becomes liberation. Rest becomes connection. Rest becomes our right.

As Tricia Hersey urges:

“Find ways to connect back to your body and mind. Find ways to intentionally slow down… It is your divine and human right to do so.
WE WILL REST.”

Tricia Hersey gives us permission to slow down and let go of shame. She urges us to create community. When you are in safe spaces with people who ‘get you’ and allow you to be your true self, rest comes easier. It can feel like a mutual collective flow that is validating and empowering.

“Create community. Build community. Be community. Community care can seem impossible when you are exhausted. It is possible. Community is anywhere two or more are gathered……don’t rush to do anything alone. To be an escape artist is to. being the collective. Supported in rest, care, and love. Demand the collective as a source of inspiration and change. Real change comes from the people”

Hersey, T. (2024). We will rest!: The Art of Escape. Little, Brown Spark. Pg 35

Let us rest.

Let us resist.

Let us reclaim our unique ways of being Autistic.

Some things to reflect on….

1. What does rest mean to you beyond sleep?

• How do you define rest in your own life?
• Are there certain activities or sensory experiences that help you feel rested?​

2. How does being monotropic influence your need for rest (or those you support)?

• In what ways does deep focus on specific interests affect energy levels?
• Can engaging with your passions serve as a form of rest? Do you feel it helps restore your energy? Can you find ways to make more time for activities and experience that enable you to engage in flow more often?​

3. What societal expectations make it challenging for you to rest?

• Are there pressures to be constantly productive or social that impact your ability to rest in ways that feel meaningful for you?
• How do these expectations conflict with your personal needs for real, authentic Autistic rest?​

4. In what ways can rest be an act of resistance for you?

• How does choosing to rest and embrace your monotropic ways of being challenge societal norms or expectations?
• Can you view rest as a form of self-advocacy or empowerment?​
• Do you think positions of power and privilege and intersectional issues also affect your ability to rest in meaningful ways?

References and Signposting

Edgar, H. (2025aa, April 16). Monotropic time – a short blog. Autistic Realms. https://autisticrealms.com/monotropic-time-a-short-blog/

Hersey, T. (2024). We will rest!: The Art of Escape. Little, Brown Spark.

Irion, J. (2024b, November 17). I Stim-Watch; therefore, I am – the unexpected autistic life – medium. Medium. https://medium.com/the-unexpected-autistic-life/i-stim-watch-therefore-i-am-fc65648e1009

Irion, J. (2024c, December 29). My most underrated coping skill – the unexpected autistic life – medium. Medium. https://medium.com/the-unexpected-autistic-life/my-most-underrated-coping-skill-92267f625ae5

Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005a). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Autism, 9(2), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361305051398

The Nap Ministry. (2024, November 9). The NAP Ministry. https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/