3. The Price of Looking ‘Normal’
That bone-deep exhaustion that feels different from regular tired? That’s not laziness - that’s the invisible labor of masking all day long.
When you’re policing your movements, scripting conversations, and translating yourself into a socially acceptable package, your nervous system is working overtime. Add ADHD masking (hiding the chaos) plus autistic masking (suppressing sensory needs) and you’ve got double the exhaustion.
The difference between tired and depleted is energy management, not time management. You can have extra time but zero spoons left. That grocery store trip that wipes you out? That’s masking fatigue, not regular tiredness.
Recognition is the first step to getting your energy back. Once you see how much invisible work you’re doing, you can start making different choices about where to spend your limited resources.
In This Episode:
How to tell the difference between regular tired and masking exhaustion
Why ADHD and autistic masking create a perfect storm of depletion
The invisible labor of constant two-way translation in social situations
Real examples of daily masking most people don’t realize they’re doing
Why spoon theory beats time management for AuDHD brains