Burnt Out By School?

What is happening to our teenagers?

Illustration by Becky Whinnerah

So many of our teenagers are hitting a wall.  Something goes wrong – maybe something which seems quite minor at first, like forgetting a piece of homework, or getting into trouble because they haven’t got the right shoes – and that’s it.  It’s like something has broken. They don’t want to go back to school, and they don’t want to do anything else either.

They don’t see to have anything left. They have no energy, they are negative about everything, and nothing in life holds any interest anymore.  It’s hard for adults to understand – they seemed to be managing life before, but now they just aren’t anymore.  Sometimes they will hardly leave their rooms. 

It’s hard to know what to do. Should you insist that they get up and stop this behaviour? Is it a lack of boundaries? Do they learn that we all have to do things we don’t enjoy in life, and they should just get on with it? Or do you just let them be – but if so, how long might this last?

In my webinar on Monday, I’ll talk about what burn out is, and how it can show up in autistic young people. I’ll explain how the World Health Organisation describes burn out, outline the psychology of what is happening – and give you some ideas as to how to help your young person.   Yes it’s recorded.