Masking, burnout, and the illusion of functioning.

'High-functioning' is often a polite fiction: for many neurodivergent people, it means relentless masking that sustains success only until burnout strikes.

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The label 'high-functioning' carries an insidious allure, often masquerading as praise. It implies mastery, resilience, and control — a veneer of success in a world that prizes productivity above all. Yet, beneath this facade lies a stark reality: it frequently signifies not genuine thriving, but a masterful concealment of inner turmoil.

For many neurodivergent individuals, this so-called functioning is little more than a performance, a form of masking that exacts a profound toll. It placates observers, ensuring their comfort at the expense of our authenticity.

In truth, this is not functioning; it is survival theater, and its consequences can be devastating.

The mechanics of masking: a survival strategy

Masking, a term rooted in neurodiversity discourse, refers to the deliberate or subconscious suppression of innate traits to navigate a neurotypical-dominated society.

This adaptive mechanism, particularly prevalent among autistic individuals, those with ADHD, and other neurodivergent profiles, involves emulating socially acceptable behaviors to avoid ostracism or discrimination. It manifests in myriad ways: forcing prolonged eye contact despite sensory discomfort, scripting conversations to mimic spontaneity, or stifling stimming behaviors — repetitive movements that regulate emotions but are often deemed 'inappropriate.'

Consider the everyday enactments:

• Smiling through overwhelming sensory input, such as bright lights or cacophonous environments.

• Remaining motionless when the body yearns for movement to discharge anxiety.

• Uttering 'I'm fine' or committing to obligations when internal alarms signal overload.

Initially, masking yields dividends: it facilitates job acquisitions, academic perseverance, and social integration. Compliments on eloquence or resilience reinforce the cycle. However, this comes at a steep price.

Masking demands cognitive and emotional resources akin to running a perpetual background process on an overtaxed system. It depletes energy reserves, erodes self-identity, and fosters a disconnect between one's inner experience and outer presentation. Unseen by most, this labor accumulates, setting the stage for inevitable collapse.

The anatomy of neurodivergent burnout

Neurodivergent burnout transcends conventional fatigue; it is a multifaceted systemic failure, encompassing cognitive, emotional, sensory, and physiological domains.

Unlike transient tiredness remedied by rest, it represents a profound depletion triggered by chronic masking and environmental mismatches. This state can endure for extended periods — weeks, months, or even years — rendering individuals incapacitated in ways that defy easy categorisation.

Hallmarks of burnout include

• Executive Dysfunction: An inability to initiate, organise, or complete tasks, transforming simple routines into insurmountable hurdles.

• Heightened Sensory Processing: Amplified sensitivities to stimuli, where everyday sounds or textures become intolerable.

• Emotional Dysregulation: Oscillating between numbness and intense volatility, often culminating in meltdowns (outward expressions of distress) or shutdowns (inward withdrawal).

• Physical Manifestations: Chronic illnesses, such as migraines or gastrointestinal issues, exacerbated by stress.

• Identity Erosion: A sense of regression, where previously acquired skills evaporate, fostering feelings of inadequacy.

This is not indolence or clinical depression, though overlaps exist; it is the repercussion of operating in spaces ill-suited to neurodivergent needs.

Alarmingly, societal institutions — workplaces, educational systems, and even therapeutic settings — often overlook it, mistaking sustained masking for stability.

The result? Individuals persist in 'functioning' until the facade crumbles, revealing the hidden costs.

Deconstructing the myth of functionality

The dichotomy of 'high-functioning' versus 'low-functioning' is a fallacy, perpetuated not to empower neurodivergent people but to quantify their utility to neurotypical norms. These labels assess not intrinsic capability but the degree of inconvenience posed to others.

'High-functioning' applauds invisibility — the ability to mask effectively — while 'low-functioning' pathologises visibility, justifying exclusion or intervention.

Functionality, however, is neither binary nor immutable. It fluctuates with context: environmental demands, support availability, stressor accumulation, and masking intensity. A person might excel in a low-stakes, accommodating setting one day, only to falter in basic self-care the next amid heightened pressure.

This variability underscores our humanity — we are dynamic beings, not calibrated automata. Recognising this challenges the productivity-centric paradigm that equates worth with output, urging a reevaluation of how we measure success and support.

Toward a paradigm shift

To address these entrenched issues, we must forge a lexicon that prioritises authenticity over assimilation. This entails:

• Dismantling Reward Structures: Cease valorising masking as resilience; instead, celebrate unmasking as strength.

• Universal Access to Rest: Advocate for restorative practices untethered to performance metrics, acknowledging that recovery is a right, not a privilege.

• Inclusive Environments: Design workplaces, schools, and communities that accommodate sensory needs, flexible pacing, and open disclosure without penalty.

• Curiosity Over Judgment: Replace diagnostic checklists with empathetic inquiry, fostering spaces where 'I can't today' invites support rather than scrutiny.

Such transformations demand collective action: policy reforms for neuroinclusive accommodations, education on neurodiversity, and cultural shifts toward equity.

Reclaiming your narrative

If you find yourself ensnared in burnout's grip — questioning your worth amid exhaustion — know this: you are not deficient, nor are you failing.

You navigate a world engineered against your neurology, expending extraordinary effort everyday to conform.

Your nervous system, wired for depth and intensity, was never designed for perpetual overdrive. You possess inherent value, independent of performative displays.

For those who have maintained the illusion of composure until the brink of breakdown, or endured praise for 'coping' while fracturing internally, resources like Caves & Bears offer solidarity. You are seen, validated, and not alone in this journey.

In eschewing the charade of passing, we uncover truth and forge connections. Let us cultivate a society where masking is optional, not obligatory — one narrative of honesty at a time.