I’m 42 and just so, so tired. Every single day. I mean, I *know* being a single parent is hard, and I’ve been doing it for a long time now. My kid is a teenager, so not like little kids running around, but still. There’s always something, you know? But it’s more than that now. It feels… different. My mom just passed away a few months ago. She’d been sick for years, and I was her main person, her ONLY person really, doing everything. So part of me is like, duh, you’re tired, you just went through a super stressful time. And there’s this weird mix of relief and gut-punch sadness. Like, I miss her so much, but I also don’t have to worry about the next crisis, the next fall, the next hospital trip. It’s quiet now. TOO quiet. But the tiredness… it’s like a blanket made of lead. It's not just "I need more sleep." I get sleep! I mean, I try. But I wake up still feeling like I ran a marathon. And my brain just feels fuzzy. Like I can’t think straight, can’t remember things. I try to pretend I’m fine for my kid, for work, for anyone who asks. Because who wants to hear about someone being tired all the time? It sounds like complaining. And I don’t want people to think I’m not grateful for… everything. I AM grateful. But I can't shake this feeling that something is OFF. Is this just what 42 feels like when you’ve been through a lot? Are we just… supposed to be worn out at this age? Like, this is the part where you start falling apart? Or is it more than that? I don’t want to go to the doctor and have them tell me I’m just stressed or need to exercise more or whatever. Because I already know that. I already TRY. I just… I don’t know. I’m scared to find out if it’s something serious. But I’m also scared to just… keep feeling like this every single day, every day. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.