After Trauma, I’m Ready To Be Reborn as the Autistic Woman I Truly Am

Masking, burnout, meltdowns, & pursuing a late-in-life Autism diagnosis

Photo by on

My winter was pretty shitty.

My son attempted suicide. My husband’s beloved grandmother passed away. My parents and I became “officially estranged” on Christmas Eve. I wrote another book, but it pushed me over the edge into what I suspect isn’t quite depression, but rather Autistic burnout.

I’m really sick of dwelling on all of that, though. And I bet you’re sick of reading about it, if you’ve been following along.

The good news is that it’s spring now, and I’m ready to bloom.

I’m revitalized and ready to rejoin the world after spending the past three months almost alone, only really connecting with my husband and four kids — no friend visits, retreating to my office more often than not when I was actually at work, limited texting.

Maybe you wouldn’t blame me for isolating this past winter, given all that went down. But the truth is that I tend to do this every winter, after the holidays and the fall rush of back-to-school. I get burnt out and isolate, with the occasional meltdown.