Tallulah's Thread. Fuck yeah.

[Tallulah82]

I think it's really your decision. I think whoever your partners are, should just deal.

I can say this, in case random internet opinion person matters-

When I was dating a woman 17 years older than me and she started looking her age in her mid 40s, I found it erotic that she was visibly older than me.

If you look great, but also, not 20 anymore, fine.

People will be into that. People who you'd want to have fun with, because they like who you are, and don't care if your hair has fake color.

My dad, lived to 72 and never dyed his hair, never got a gray hair on top of his head.

He looked 50 when he died, he looked 35 at 50.

I have inherited his youthful looks and I do not look 42, at all, not remotely.

If I dated someone in her 50s and she had grey hair, I'd walk proudly around with her on my arm and give her kisses and make people stare.

Only an age gap of like 10 years, pah, I've done nearly double that.

If she looks her age but is also beautiful inside and out, I'd flaunt her.

Grey is not ugly. Embrace your beauty.

Be who you are, or want to be. Both are valid. My opinion and that of all the random others don't matter, what you want comes first.

Just know, society may have trained us to despise the concept of getting old, I'll drag an older woman everywhere and show her off and give her kisses, that's what I've done my whole life.

I am now at the age I am willing to return the favor, so dating folks in their 30s is now on my radar for the first time, more or less.

Some 30 year olds when I was 20.

Oh. Partners and their opinions have no footing in this! I don't make my appearance for or about anyone except myself. Ever.

 

[BongoGal]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

I demand and expect a full Xena colour and cut.

 

[Tallulah82]

I demand and expect a full Xena colour and cut.

A Xena type wig would be amazing - I've had a fringe once before and that was a faff to maintain too. I don't like faff!

 

[snexxer]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

Hope you don't mind me commenting

My sister when she was around the same age had the same predicament. What she did was have her hair dyed a really bright blonde, close to grey. Then as the hair grew out it wasnt as obvious. She's now 56, long grey hair and never looked back.

 

[Tallulah82]

I mean, you have gone 6 months already, If you do a full dye now, you are back to square one.

This is my thinking, yes.

 

[Tallulah82]

Hope you don't mind me commenting

My sister when she was around the same age had the same predicament. What she did was have her hair dyed a really bright blonde, close to grey. Then as the hair grew out it wasnt as obvious. She's now 56, long grey hair and never looked back.

I did consider this but then any dye would set me back the 6 months. and it'll take probably 2 years to get it to the current length all grey so 6 months is a decent chunk. And the colour my hair is now is kind of doing the same thing. But I'll see if my hairdresser thinks adding more dye would be a fair option or just keep going as I am.

 

[snexxer]

I did consider this but then any dye would set me back the 6 months. and it'll take probably 2 years to get it to the current length all grey so 6 months is a decent chunk. And the colour my hair is now is kind of doing the same thing. But I'll see if my hairdresser thinks adding more dye would be a fair option or just keep going as I am.

Good luck. Im sure you'll look great no matter what.

 

[OldDirtyAltGuy]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

Fuck the dye. I've got a set of paints. Let me make you my living work of art.

 

[cheekygirl75]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

I say go grey! But don’t do the chop… Idk if you’re perimenopausal or full on or nothing yet, but in peri my hair seems to grow a lot more slowly, so it might take a lot longer to get back to the length you want.

 

[AngelicaS1780]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

Here's a good article on grey blending. If I'm understanding correctly, it's how you can add highlights and lowlights to the currently dyed hair to make the "line of demarcation" seem less obvious.

https://www.claudettemarkovic.com/best-gray-blending-hair-expert-advice-and-tips#:~:text=warmer, natural gray.-,,

This blog discusses some other options as well as the grey blending.

https://silverist.com/blogs/news/ho...plest and,demarcation line for several months.

 

[Tallulah82]

I say go grey! But don’t do the chop… Idk if your perimenopausal or full on or nothing yet, but in peri my hair seems to grow a lot more slowly, so it might take a lot longer to get back to the length you want.

Honestly, I have no idea if I'm peri or full or nothing. I sometimes think I have some symptoms but the main ones aren't hitting me yet. This kind of makes even more sense then to power on while it's still growing at a normal rate.

I also didn't know this about the menopause, damned hormones!

Here's a good article on grey blending. If I'm understanding correctly, it's how you can add highlights and lowlights to the currently dyed hair to make the "line of demarcation" seem less obvious.

https://www.claudettemarkovic.com/best-gray-blending-hair-expert-advice-and-tips#:~:text=warmer, natural gray.-,,

This blog discusses some other options as well as the grey blending.

https://silverist.com/blogs/news/how-to-deal-with-the-gray-hair-grow-out-demarcation-line#:~:text=Probably the chicest, simplest and,demarcation line for several months.

Thank you for these, I shall explore!

 

[PotNoodle79]

I still think I have mostly brown hair. Then I get it cut and see all the grey landing on my shoulders.

And I weep for my lost youth.

At least I'm not dramatic about it, I guess.

 

[Tallulah82]

I still think I have mostly brown hair. Then I get it cut and see all the grey landing on my shoulders.

And I weep for my lost youth.

At least I'm not dramatic about it, I guess.

I said farewell to my youth at 40. I'm over it now. I wasn't dramatic either. I didn't host a fake funeral/wake for my 40th. Honest.

(My mum was horrified by the morbidity. Bonus points.)

 

[TXRafe]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

this is a constant issue for me too!...

 

[hotoldrguy]

I said farewell to my youth at 40. I'm over it now. I wasn't dramatic either. I didn't host a fake funeral/wake for my 40th. Honest.

(My mum was horrified by the morbidity. Bonus points.)

I actually started going gray in my early 20's

 

[OldDirtyAltGuy]

I actually started going gray in my early 20's

My brother did, too. Started losing his hair as well.

(Wait...which fucking account am I in? Should I have said that? )

 

[Pad_Foot]

Hmm
An older wiser Xena look?
Mmm!

 

[lily1996]

Interesting thread...

 

[OldDirtyAltGuy]

Interesting thread...

Fuck yeah...

 

[MissRadiant]

A glimpse inside my brain... typical overthinking incoming!

I am 51 years old and generally I am happy with my appearance in terms of ageing. I'd never go down any kind of cosmetic surgery route for tackling wrinkles etc. But my hair...

I've dyed my hair pretty much all my life. From being early twenties just for fun colours then slowly fell into dying it because I began to have grey hairs before my thirties. I am a lazy twat, though, and don't do the regular upkeeps of roots and my hairdresser has despaired of me many a time, pointing out that I could have them done every other month then wouldn't have to do the "big" appointment every 4-6 months as I do. Nah. That's far too much faff. 1 x three-hour appointment every six months sounds fine to me. I'll only go earlier if there's a special reason to.

Which brings me to now. I last dyed my hair in August 25. The grey is coming through strong now and I'm seriously debating never colouring it again. It'll look wrong for probably about another year or two, but then it'll be all grey. All natural. And I have zero problem with being full grey before I'm 55. In fact, I like to buck trends and being a younger-older person with full grey hair appeals to me.

The issue is that I also have long hair which I adore. It's also thick so it hangs really well. I want to keep the length. I want to be that older woman with long grey locks. But sense would say to chop it off to more of a bob once the grey tideline reaches that point. I've had bobs before for practical purposes but never really liked them. So this is when the oddness of growing out greys could reach critical point - to chop or not to chop. This, I think, is my biggest issue. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the 'old lady haircuts' realm.

A small part of me wants to dye it and ignore the problem - make that a Tallulah at 60 problem of going through growing out the dye. But. I'm already six months into it, so it seems silly to postpone the inevitable anyway.

The beauty of right now is that my hair is a dark blonde colour with a couple of highlights so it's not a terrible terrible contrast.

I'm also following a wig woman on FB - she's Scottish and she began wearing wigs to grow out her grey. I love this idea- though I don't think I would become a daily user, but maybe for special occasions just for the fun of it.

Normally, I'd be dying it for travelling but this time I think I'll be wearing hats/scarfs most of the time anyway, so that's not concerning me now.

I'll be booking my hair appointment in a few weeks time (March) and talking to my hairdresser - at the very least it'll need a trim and shape anyway. I wonder if I'll still feel this bold and confident when I'm sat in the chair.

Soo if I said ive been dying here since my teens, no one would believe me. But I started going gray when I was a teenager. And yes, I am a dark brunette. Gotta love genetics.

I have long hair, and thick, not as thick as my mother's but it gives my hair dresser a great workout. (I know im in her top 5 of clients that take her 2 hours to dye, set, trim and blow dry straight.) Getting an inch or chopped off is like yay!! lol

I haven't had mine dyed since before Christmas. And the gray hairs now are bugging me where I look and feel older than I am. The next time is before Easter. So yes, I am counting down the days. lol

But yes the overthinking is happening, but they do make root touch up spray and scarves like you said. I wouldn't do a wig bc I would sweat. (thats just me) Otherwise maybe I would if it was like a neon blue or something fun.

But do what is comfortable for you, its sometimes fun to experiment. I once went red (big mistake).

 

[Tallulah82]

I know im in her top 5 of clients that take her 2 hours to dye, set, trim and blow dry straight.

My usual visit nears 3 hours for the same reason. And also, because I'm a dick who won't maintain her roots.

But yes the overthinking is happening, but they do make root touch up spray and scarves like you said. I wouldn't do a wig bc I would sweat. (thats just me) Otherwise maybe I would if it was like a neon blue or something fun.

But do what is comfortable for you, its sometimes fun to experiment. I once went red (big mistake).

I have had my hair dyed all kinds of colours over the years - once I was red and blue at the same time. I loved it but far too faffy to maintain.

I'm going to ask about grey blending but the appointment is still about 3 weeks away.

 

[Tallulah82]

Dear Diary,

I think I'm experiencing burnout for the first time ever. It's really difficult to describe what I'm feeling and how I'm functioning.

I'm not happy - but I'm not unhappy. I know depression and it's not that. I'm not feeling the need to seek therapy to work through my 'issues' because I don't feel like I have any (new or beyond my regular ones).

I love my life. I've reflected and reflected and reflected. There's no lingering need or desire that needs to be met. It's a mess of people, and situations, and activity, and I love it all.

But I'm exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when my sleep has become more regulated again, I'm shattered. Today, I've napped TWICE after a decent 7 hour night. This is not me. (One was ten minutes, one was nearly an hour).

I know my eating habits are sliding, my cravings are out of control. I'm struggling to maintain my weight, never mind trying to lose it. This is also exercise - ugh.

Headaches have always been a thing for me, but light sensitivity is really bad at the moment.

Emotionally - I know I'm detaching. From everyone. I can feel it happening and I'm too tired to care. There are people in my life that I *must* remain present for, and so every ounce is for them. I'm empty beyond that.

The worst part is that I'm struggling to relax. To turn my brain off and spend time doing things I enjoy for fun. That just sucks! At the moment, I'm almost kind of dreading Morocco because of the effort it will take. This is NOT me.

I don't feel helpless, or hopeless but I am aware that my zest for life is really low. I'm still getting excited for some things but then exhaustion overtakes and I have to mentally put them aside again.

I feel like I'm trudging my way through life at the moment. When I'm in the middle of a meeting, or doing an important task - I'm 100% in it. But that's not without consequence. Last week, my Mon-Wed was mad busy (nothing unusual). On Thursday I was an empty shell. Friday was meh. By the end of Saturday, I started to feel 'alive' again.

Today, I dropped a ball. Well, actually, I dropped the ball a couple of weeks ago but didn't know until today. I had a meeting moved from Wednesday to today but I hadn't changed it in my diary. Fortunately, I could join via Teams rather than being in person, and I was 15 minutes late. This is not me. I don't drop balls - especially meetings.

So, I am accepting that I am not myself. I've tried to pretend for a long time now that I can cope with the stress of life because hey, I have up to now!

On the plus side, many of the stressors in life will be easing up by summer. This is only temporary.

My husband and I have a plan, we're making some adjustments to share burdens (where possible) and I'm going to be protecting my time and practising self-care more.

I will not be beaten by my stupid brain and sense of responsibility for everyone and everything in life! I am Xena, FFS. Hear me roar!

 

[hotoldrguy]

Dear Diary,

I think I'm experiencing burnout for the first time ever. It's really difficult to describe what I'm feeling and how I'm functioning.

I'm not happy - but I'm not unhappy. I know depression and it's not that. I'm not feeling the need to seek therapy to work through my 'issues' because I don't feel like I have any (new or beyond my regular ones).

I love my life. I've reflected and reflected and reflected. There's no lingering need or desire that needs to be met. It's a mess of people, and situations, and activity, and I love it all.

But I'm exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when my sleep has become more regulated again, I'm shattered. Today, I've napped TWICE after a decent 7 hour night. This is not me. (One was ten minutes, one was nearly an hour).

I know my eating habits are sliding, my cravings are out of control. I'm struggling to maintain my weight, never mind trying to lose it. This is also exercise - ugh.

Headaches have always been a thing for me, but light sensitivity is really bad at the moment.

Emotionally - I know I'm detaching. From everyone. I can feel it happening and I'm too tired to care. There are people in my life that I *must* remain present for, and so every ounce is for them. I'm empty beyond that.

The worst part is that I'm struggling to relax. To turn my brain off and spend time doing things I enjoy for fun. That just sucks! At the moment, I'm almost kind of dreading Morocco because of the effort it will take. This is NOT me.

I don't feel helpless, or hopeless but I am aware that my zest for life is really low. I'm still getting excited for some things but then exhaustion overtakes and I have to mentally put them aside again.

I feel like I'm trudging my way through life at the moment. When I'm in the middle of a meeting, or doing an important task - I'm 100% in it. But that's not without consequence. Last week, my Mon-Wed was mad busy (nothing unusual). On Thursday I was an empty shell. Friday was meh. By the end of Saturday, I started to feel 'alive' again.

Today, I dropped a ball. Well, actually, I dropped the ball a couple of weeks ago but didn't know until today. I had a meeting moved from Wednesday to today but I hadn't changed it in my diary. Fortunately, I could join via Teams rather than being in person, and I was 15 minutes late. This is not me. I don't drop balls - especially meetings.

So, I am accepting that I am not myself. I've tried to pretend for a long time now that I can cope with the stress of life because hey, I have up to now!

On the plus side, many of the stressors in life will be easing up by summer. This is only temporary.

My husband and I have a plan, we're making some adjustments to share burdens (where possible) and I'm going to be protecting my time and practising self-care more.

I will not be beaten by my stupid brain and sense of responsibility for everyone and everything in life! I am Xena, FFS. Hear me roar!

I hope you are doing better soon. Stress and other issues have a way of building up over time. You may just be shutting down to recharge

 

[cheekygirl75]

Dear Diary,

I think I'm experiencing burnout for the first time ever. It's really difficult to describe what I'm feeling and how I'm functioning.

I'm not happy - but I'm not unhappy. I know depression and it's not that. I'm not feeling the need to seek therapy to work through my 'issues' because I don't feel like I have any (new or beyond my regular ones).

I love my life. I've reflected and reflected and reflected. There's no lingering need or desire that needs to be met. It's a mess of people, and situations, and activity, and I love it all.

But I'm exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when my sleep has become more regulated again, I'm shattered. Today, I've napped TWICE after a decent 7 hour night. This is not me. (One was ten minutes, one was nearly an hour).

I know my eating habits are sliding, my cravings are out of control. I'm struggling to maintain my weight, never mind trying to lose it. This is also exercise - ugh.

Headaches have always been a thing for me, but light sensitivity is really bad at the moment.

Emotionally - I know I'm detaching. From everyone. I can feel it happening and I'm too tired to care. There are people in my life that I *must* remain present for, and so every ounce is for them. I'm empty beyond that.

The worst part is that I'm struggling to relax. To turn my brain off and spend time doing things I enjoy for fun. That just sucks! At the moment, I'm almost kind of dreading Morocco because of the effort it will take. This is NOT me.

I don't feel helpless, or hopeless but I am aware that my zest for life is really low. I'm still getting excited for some things but then exhaustion overtakes and I have to mentally put them aside again.

I feel like I'm trudging my way through life at the moment. When I'm in the middle of a meeting, or doing an important task - I'm 100% in it. But that's not without consequence. Last week, my Mon-Wed was mad busy (nothing unusual). On Thursday I was an empty shell. Friday was meh. By the end of Saturday, I started to feel 'alive' again.

Today, I dropped a ball. Well, actually, I dropped the ball a couple of weeks ago but didn't know until today. I had a meeting moved from Wednesday to today but I hadn't changed it in my diary. Fortunately, I could join via Teams rather than being in person, and I was 15 minutes late. This is not me. I don't drop balls - especially meetings.

So, I am accepting that I am not myself. I've tried to pretend for a long time now that I can cope with the stress of life because hey, I have up to now!

On the plus side, many of the stressors in life will be easing up by summer. This is only temporary.

My husband and I have a plan, we're making some adjustments to share burdens (where possible) and I'm going to be protecting my time and practising self-care more.

I will not be beaten by my stupid brain and sense of responsibility for everyone and everything in life! I am Xena, FFS. Hear me roar!

I’m sorry you’re struggling… could any of it, the exhaustion especially, have anything to do with hormone fluctuations from perimenopause or menopause? Maybe something to ask a doctor about?

 

[OldDirtyAltGuy]

Dear Diary,

I think I'm experiencing burnout for the first time ever. It's really difficult to describe what I'm feeling and how I'm functioning.

I'm not happy - but I'm not unhappy. I know depression and it's not that. I'm not feeling the need to seek therapy to work through my 'issues' because I don't feel like I have any (new or beyond my regular ones).

I love my life. I've reflected and reflected and reflected. There's no lingering need or desire that needs to be met. It's a mess of people, and situations, and activity, and I love it all.

But I'm exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME. Even when my sleep has become more regulated again, I'm shattered. Today, I've napped TWICE after a decent 7 hour night. This is not me. (One was ten minutes, one was nearly an hour).

I know my eating habits are sliding, my cravings are out of control. I'm struggling to maintain my weight, never mind trying to lose it. This is also exercise - ugh.

Headaches have always been a thing for me, but light sensitivity is really bad at the moment.

Emotionally - I know I'm detaching. From everyone. I can feel it happening and I'm too tired to care. There are people in my life that I *must* remain present for, and so every ounce is for them. I'm empty beyond that.

The worst part is that I'm struggling to relax. To turn my brain off and spend time doing things I enjoy for fun. That just sucks! At the moment, I'm almost kind of dreading Morocco because of the effort it will take. This is NOT me.

I don't feel helpless, or hopeless but I am aware that my zest for life is really low. I'm still getting excited for some things but then exhaustion overtakes and I have to mentally put them aside again.

I feel like I'm trudging my way through life at the moment. When I'm in the middle of a meeting, or doing an important task - I'm 100% in it. But that's not without consequence. Last week, my Mon-Wed was mad busy (nothing unusual). On Thursday I was an empty shell. Friday was meh. By the end of Saturday, I started to feel 'alive' again.

Today, I dropped a ball. Well, actually, I dropped the ball a couple of weeks ago but didn't know until today. I had a meeting moved from Wednesday to today but I hadn't changed it in my diary. Fortunately, I could join via Teams rather than being in person, and I was 15 minutes late. This is not me. I don't drop balls - especially meetings.

So, I am accepting that I am not myself. I've tried to pretend for a long time now that I can cope with the stress of life because hey, I have up to now!

On the plus side, many of the stressors in life will be easing up by summer. This is only temporary.

My husband and I have a plan, we're making some adjustments to share burdens (where possible) and I'm going to be protecting my time and practising self-care more.

I will not be beaten by my stupid brain and sense of responsibility for everyone and everything in life! I am Xena, FFS. Hear me roar!

I wish you well Tal. I'll be gone soon. (I think)

Take care and I know you will conquer.

ODAG