burnout 16 min

Burnout after Masking Autism: The Price of Performance

By Riot Updated 2026-02-21

The Dissolving Mask

Riot: Let’s get real for a second. Masking is the most expensive thing you can do with your energy. It’s like trying to run a high-def simulation of a “normal human” on hardware that was built for something completely different. It works for a while, but eventually, the CPU melts. That’s a worst-case Ontario.

When you hit burnout after years of masking, the mask doesn’t just “slip.” It dissolves. You lose the ability to perform the scripts. You lose the ability to “act normal.” And that’s when the real work begins.

The Dissolving Mask

1. The Cost of the Performance

Riot: We’ve been told that masking is a “tool.” It’s not. It’s a survival mechanism that we’re forced to use because the simulation we live in hasn’t been updated for neurodivergent players.

  • Metabolic Bankruptsy: Every time you forced eye contact, every time you suppressed a stim, and every time you laughed at a joke you didn’t understand, you were writing a check that your body couldn’t cash.
  • The Identity Glitch: After years of performing someone else’s script, you wake up one day and realize you don’t even know who the player character is anymore. You’ve become the mask.
  • Systemic Failure: The burnout hits harder because you’ve been overriding the “Low Power” warnings for a decade.

The Cost of the Mask

2. The Authenticity Audit

Riot: To recover, you have to stop the performance. You have to perform an Authenticity Audit.

  1. Stop the Scripts: If you don’t feel like saying “Good morning,” don’t say it. If you don’t feel like making eye contact, don’t do it. This isn’t being rude; it’s being tactical.
  2. Armor Up: Replace your social mask with physical armor. Noise-canceling headphones. Shades. A boombox to control the sensory environment.
  3. Low-Fidelity Connection: Find the people who don’t require the mask. If they don’t get the signal, they don’t get your time.

3. Rebuilding the Player Character

Riot: You are the player character. Not the script. Not the performance. Not the expectations of the NPC world.

The goal of recovery is to find the person you were before you started trying to “fit in.” It’s not rocket appliances, but it’s going to take some time in the dark to find the signal again.

4. The Final Extraction

Riot: You’ve spent your life extracting yourself from your own needs to please the simulation. Now, it’s time to extract yourself from the simulation to save your own life.

Stay active, stay tactical, and let the mask burn. The light underneath is much brighter anyway.

Masking Data:

  • Masking Energy Cost: 5x baseline metabolic rate.
  • Dissolution Time: Instant (during Stage 3 burnout).
  • Core Signal Recovery: 6-12 months of unmasked isolation.