This is stupid, but... is anyone else just perpetually EXHAUSTED? Like, I’ve been retired for nearly a decade now, you’d think I’d have caught up on sleep after all those years of social work, but no. I wake up, usually around 6, after eight solid hours, sometimes nine, and it’s like I haven’t slept at all. Every single cell in my body just screams for more rest. It’s not a big deal, I know. There are bigger problems in the world. But it’s getting to me. When I was still working, I could push through it, I had to. You can’t exactly nod off when a client is pouring their heart out about losing their kids, can you? But now… Now it’s just the constant hum of tired. My husband, bless his heart, he tries to understand, but he just doesn’t get it. He’ll say, “Why don’t you just take a nap?” And I do! I’ll lie down, close my eyes, sometimes for an hour, sometimes two. And I wake up feeling just as drained, if not more so. What’s the point? It’s not like I’m doing anything particularly strenuous these days. Mostly just keeping the house from falling apart, making sure his meds are sorted, getting groceries. The usual. But even those small things feel monumental. It takes every ounce of willpower to get off the couch some days. Am I the only one who feels like they’re running on fumes, even when the tank should be full? I spent forty-plus years listening, supporting, being there for other people’s crises, and I loved it, I truly did. But now it’s like my body just decided to shut down. And it’s not just physical. My brain feels foggy. I forget words, I lose my train of thought mid-sentence. I used to be sharp. I used to be ON IT. Now I just feel like… a tired old woman. And I hate it. I hate that this is what my "golden years" are turning into. A slow, agonizing fade into perpetual weariness. God, I wish I could just… stop. Stop feeling so damn tired.