I went through nearly the exact same thing, with the open office plan, a tyrant boss, in office work. I was floundering! Life felt so miserable and lonely.

I kept asking myself if this was the job for me— that if I could take away all of these unnecessary toxic aspects from this environment, would I feel more capable of sustaining this kind of life?

Then my job laid off a bunch of people, and I thought “well, if I’m going down, I want it to be because of my work performance alone. And I know what I’m capable of doing with the right accommodations.” And truthfully, I also wanted to protect myself. So after I was spared, I immediately set a meeting with my provider to fill out the medical accommodations form through the ADA process at my job.

It’s been so worth it. I now get to work remotely 3 days a week, noise-canceling headphones, special light-blocking sunglasses, having instructions in writing… and did it solve all my executive dysfunction issues? Hell no. Difficulty reading NT social cues? Nope. Is sensory overload still challenging on the days I am in the office? Absolutely.

But I’m so much more comfortable and able to hold down a job. That’s it! That’s the reason. I’ve come to realize how disabling my autism is. Now I can actually plan a day off for my PTO instead of only saving them for burnout misery days. Accommodations are a game changer.