What is Neurocrash?
There are seven factors to neurocrash according to its originator Raun Kaufman:
Exposure to agitated people
Feeling rushed or overwhelmed with the difficulty of a task
Personal space encroachments
Sensory overstimulation/overload
Lack of predictability
Shifting or unclear expectations
Difficult to manage physical responses
Any one of these can lead to a short-term body response similar to the fight/flight/freeze response called neuro-crash. Ever since I read about this, I’ve wondered if there are more than seven factors, and if these vary from person to person.
I first found out about neurocrash in reading ‘Is This Autism’ by Henderson, White, and Wayland. At the time I was planning a meetup with an acquaintance but I didn’t have a great feeling about it. Even though I like the person and want to get to know them better, I realized that I wasn’t looking forward to it because, it was actually checking 4 of the 7 qualities of neurocrash. The biggest one for me being shifting expectations.
Not knowing how long someone is going to visit for, for me, is exhausting. I think it is for a lot of people.
The sensory overload of seeing them would be yet another contributor to neuro crash.
It was painful to say no, but I did.
I spent that weekend doing something restorative. I went to the woods. I saw birds. I felt great.
The way I see neurocrash is a short-term ‘acute’ burnout, and alternatively, burnout is ‘chronic’ neurocrash.
Here are some ways you can start avoiding it.
Step 1: Understand your neurocrash landscape.
If we can identify the qualities of neurocrash (even beyond the definition) that affect us the most, that is a good first step to avoiding burnout. What contributes most to your neurocrash? Leave a comment below-I’d love to hear it.
Step 2: Create the conditions for recharge.
Next, some things are unavoidable, so making sure we give ourselves enough recharging time is key. In addition, understanding what helps us recharge? Is it listening to a song on repeat? A certain texture to rub or hold? Making a list that you can easily access when you’re feeling the fog or crash is important.
Step 3: Try not to go through it alone.
Easier said than done, right?
Burnout can be isolating, and many people spend a lot of energy throughout the day on masking and just trying to appear “functional.” The effects afterward can be lonely—recharging, missing friend/family events, spending weekends on the couch instead of doing a fun activity. But if you can find a group or buddy you can be honest with, at least the loneliness can be alleviated.
This whole ‘not going at it alone’ is one of the more challenging ones for me. I don’t like asking for help. I love appearing competent. But it can feel so good, so relieving, to be around other people who give themselves permission to honor and celebrate their neuro needs. It inspires me to do the same. I hope maybe this can give you the courage to join that group you’ve been thinking of, or reach out to a friend who may be understanding.
This is the start of me talking about neurocrash and burnout—wondering what challenges you’re facing? What support do you feel like you need?