27/07/2026
From a participant who wanted to share something they have learnt in therapy this week:
Hot take that turns out isn't actually a hot take: Did you know that if you're following a hyperfocus or a SPIn you absolutely can and in fact it often does lead to burnout?! I only learnt this recently from my therapist at TIF!
Turns out when we're deep in a hyperfocus, the signals that usually tell us to eat, rest or stop are turned down. For me, hours and hours disappear and when it breaks, everything I was suppressing tends to hit all at once, the exhaustion, the sensory overload, the weight of whatever got neglected while we were in hyperfocus land.
This is obviously not a reason to stop following your hyperfocuses or your SPIns [its the only thing that keeps me going and gives me joy!]. I've also learnt that they are also part of our identity and regulation.
This week I learnt that it's about figuring out what 'safeguarding' looks like for us, knowing that burnout may still be part of the picture sometimes, and being gentle with the shame when it is in the picture.
My take away from my session this week that you might find useful: "You don't have to earn rest by finishing the thing first" 💛
