Everyone is Tired

Blog Post No. 518

I’m not a scientist. I say that not because I think you’ll mistake me for one, but because I’m naturally not someone who takes notice of things around me. Maybe it has something to do with writing, but I’m often in my own head in day-to-day life and even when I’m out in the world supposed to be experiencing things. I know some folks who are really good at keeping track of things like how what they ate made them feel a certain way or how when they do a certain thing it makes their back hurt. Then, they act on that information by either changing their diet, not doing the back hurting thing, or taking that information to a doctor.

The awareness doesn’t have to be a medical thing. It could be something as a homeowner or to do with a vehicle. It could be a greater sense of politics or the weather. I’m not good at any of it. I’m blissfully in a world of my own making, worrying more about the character or setting of a story I may never get around to writing. It took me an embarrassing amount of years to figure out that looking down on my laptop’s screen hurt my neck and I should change my position. And people talk about that on the internet all the time.

Something I have noticed since the end of the lock down is that everyone is tired. I get that every adult is always somewhat tired, but it seems like most people I know are much more worn out and far more often. Again, I’m no scientist, so I haven’t written down any of my findings or anything. I also get that my personal experience is anecdotal. I’d bet that you’re pretty tired while reading this, though. I’d bet that your friend and family are feeling the same way, too.

There are so many reasons why that could be. Politically, environmentally, economically, in health, and security, things are tense and overwhelming. I may not notice all the trends, but there is a lot to be concerned with in the world right now. Life is a little bit more difficult for almost everyone and a lot more difficult for some. It’s understandable that we’re all exhausted. Our nerves are frayed. We’re maybe not sleeping well.

I’ve been a bad sleeper for my whole life. I have a vivid memory of waking up refreshed as a kid that I hold very dear since it’s such a rarity. Even with that, I feel so much more wiped out than I have. I feel like I could sleep for a week and still be tired. Between the issues I listed in the last paragraph, the near constant turmoil at the day job, and the weight of the edits for the Invasion Novel, I’ve been struggling to stay productive. This past weekend I did some much needed cleaning, I folded my laundry right away, and updated some files that had been in need of sorting.

It seems like so little, but it was a good step towards breaking the formation of potential bad habits and it made me feel like I was still able to keep on top of things. I have more cleaning to do and the edits on the Invasion Novel remain daunting (though I think I finally found the solution to the lackluster ending with a little help). I don’t know why everyone is so tired, but hopefully it’s temporary. Or maybe it’s just a natural step and I’ll never not be tired again (as terrifying as that sounds). I can’t change that, but I can keep on top of the little things and use that momentum to chip away at the bigger things. I can also give myself a little slack on the days where I don’t get anything done. But not too much slack. The world isn’t going to slow down just because we’re all tired.