For career, I was very burnt out when I was trying to get a new job. My job was pretty hostile to me to the point it was a good day if I only cried twice. I know I definitely bombed some interviews hard. But after some practice, interviewing got easier and I did get a better job. Is this something you think you can achieve? (I do not know the specifics of your career path. I hear there are niche ones where everyone knows each other and this may not be advisable, but I can’t speak to that.)

I feel like you might be taking an “all or nothing” approach. You don’t need to fix EVERYTHING all at once. It’s a process. You might only be able to fix one thing in a month or two. It’s not failing to move at that pace. But just keep improving little by little.

The point of me telling you to fix the environment that you can change was to help alleviate some of the burnout. If you can make at least one low stress place for yourself, you have a better chance of recovering from burnout. If you alleviate the burnout, you will be able to function better. Interactions with the outside world will be easier. (And being able to deal with negative interactions.) You might even find “your people” that you actually like hanging out with on occasion.

When I miss cues or I do something that frustrates someone, I apologize and try to do better… But also I don’t beat myself up over it. Do you beat yourself up over these types of things? If you do, practice different ways you can let it go. It won’t be instant and it will take time to build that skill, but it is essential.

Do you have any way you can practice interacting with people? It can be as small as going to the store and going to a checkout lane with a cashier. If you mess something up… Remember it’s no biggie. The cashier deals with all sorts of people and won’t remember your mistake by the end of their shift.

I recommend the book What to Say Next: Successful Communication in Work, Life, and Love by Larry Nannery and Sarah Nannery. It was a huge help for me to understand the purpose of certain types of communication like small talk. It also made me feel so seen and not like some sort of crazy alien trying to integrate with the humans.

I definitely understand that feeling of feeling no joy, reward, etc. from doing something. It might be easier to focus on something visual. If you got a bit of a depression nest going on (no judgement), doing something as small as getting a trash bag and throwing away any trash you see for 10 minutes might be a boost. Or just give yourself like a day of doing nothing if that’s possible. Everyone needs a break, and it sounds like it would help calm your mind and help with your feelings of overwhelm.