THE BURNOUT IS BACK
(OR MAYBE IT NEVER LEFT)
I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve. I’m camped at La Posta campsite in Big Bend Ranch State Park in far west Texas. Today marks 6 months of living on the road in my truck camper. I’ve covered 9 states and thousands of miles since I left San Francisco at the end of June in 2025. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been so worth it.
Part of the reason I decided to leave my old life behind was that I was suffering from a debilitating level of burnout. In addition to being totally burned out at my job, it became apparent that Autistic (and ADHD) burnout was also at play. Obviously quitting my job and living off of savings has helped with the employment side of things. Leaving the city and getting away from constant urban overstimulation has helped a great deal, but road life is overwhelming in other ways. While I don’t have to deal with gridlock traffic and constantly being surrounded by people, I do have to figure out where I’m going to slee…