Autistic Inertia
By Jessica Leyton, Registered Psychologist
What is Autistic Inertia?
You may have heard of the word ‘inertia’ before but may not have heard it used in reference to Autism. ‘Inertia’ is the term used for Newton’s first law of motion: that every object will stay at rest or in uniform motion unless influenced to change by the action of an outside force.
‘Autistic inertia’ refers to the difficulties commonly experienced by Autistic folk in both starting and stopping a task. This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to the Autistic experience but can also be experienced by those with ADHD (or those who experience both). Some may also refer to this as ‘neurodivergent inertia’.
What does this feel like?
A recent qualitative study by Buckle, Leadbitter, Poliakoff, & Gowen (2021) explored the experience of Autistic inertia amongst 32 Autistic adults aged 23-64 years. They summarised their findings in the below image:
Everyone’s experience of Autistic inertia is going to be unique, however there are some common traits:
Difficulty starting/stopping activities (transition challenges)
Struggles resuming tasks after being interrupted
Having a desire to do something, but lacking control over actions
Indecision, anxiety, or difficulties with planning and prioritising tasks
Time blindness
Forgetting to attend to basic needs (i.e., eating, drinking, using the bathroom)
Indifference over a task’s urgency (or the task itself)
Hyperfocus
Mind and body feeling disconnected
Inertia can also result in the following impacts:
Increased stress
Fatigue
Self-care difficulties
Strain on relationships
Work/income impacts
Why does this happen?
Struggling with inertia is a common experience amongst many neurodivergent people. There is limited research on the exact causes of this, however four main areas of difficulty experienced by neurodivergent folk seem to be related (Kemp, 2022):
Executive functioning (EF) differences: overloaded and under-resourced EF can impact skills such as organisation, time-management, attention, working memory, task initiation and task switching.
Anxiety: immobilisation from fear of failure, mistakes, or making the wrong choice (perfectionism).
Motor control: difficulty physically moving your body, as if it “can’t start” (Buckle, Leadbitter, Poliakoff, & Gowen, 2021)
Burnout, sensory overload, and increased demands: pressure to function at “neurotypical levels” can lead to burnout and reduce capacity to tolerate demands and sensory input (which worsens inertia).
It is possible for inertia to be impacted by more than one of these difficulties and can look different for each person.
Overcoming Inertia
The key to ‘overcoming’ Autistic inertia is not fighting against it, but instead is about working with it. Working with your brain is considerably more effective (and less tiring) than trying to work against it.
Some techniques to explore include:
Body doubling: enlist someone to work alongside you on their own tasks (either in person or online).
Utilising visual resources (to-do lists, digital reminders, timers etc) - outsource your executive functioning!
Going for a walk, shower, or other activity to act as a transition between extended periods of maintaining inertia.
Create a distraction-free area/time block to get the important daily tasks done
Plan your day around your energy levels – there is no point planning that appointment at a time when you know you’re going to be tired.
Activate your body through movement: taking movement breaks, tapping fingers, stimming etc.
Group tasks into clusters: this might look like creating a bedtime routine or making multiple phone calls one after the other.
Link tasks together. For example, brushing your teeth whilst already in the shower or putting medication inside your empty coffee cup.
An important note to remember is that no one solution is going to work for everyone, and reducing the impact of inertia is not simply just a matter of you ‘trying harder’. We know that all neurodivergent folk are trying hard enough as it is!
Building additional skills in self-compassion is an integral part to becoming more productive and enjoying your life. Many neurodivergent folk have developed negative beliefs about themselves, particularly around meeting neurotypical expectations (e.g., “I’m lazy, unmotivated, not good enough”).
Building self-compassion is something that can be worked on together with your psychologist, or at home with the following book recommendations:
‘How to be Nice to Yourself’ by Laura Silberstein-Tirch (2019)
‘Fierce Self-Compassion’ by Kristin Neff (2021)
‘Understanding Neurodivergent Inertia: Strategies for Navigating Autistic Inertia and ADHD Paralysis’ by Jennifer Kemp (2022).
References
Buckle, K. L., Leadbitter, K., Poliakoff, E., & Gowen, E. (2021). “No Way Out Except From External Intervention”: First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631596
Neurodiverging. (n.d.). What we know so far about Autistic Inertia. https://www.neurodiverging.com/what-we-know-so-far-about-autistic-inertia/
Kemp, J. (2022). Understanding Neurodivergent Inertia: Strategies for Navigating Autistic Inertia and ADHD Paralysis.
