At my husband's wake, but widowed cousin, gave me some words of advise that I keep running through my head and am trying hard to follow "remember, be kind to yoursef".

I've finally admitted that working 5 days a week is too much for now. I've put vacation time requests in for the next several weeks and as of right now it will be mid June before I work more than a 4 day work week. Hoping it will help with the exhaustion. Between my grieving and my mother's surgery and her now being in rehab it's been a long haul. I haven't been back a month yet and realized with this or that had only worked one full week - so I talked it my mgr tonight and made it official. It feels good and having someone outside this board understand helped too. My next goal is to not waste these days and use them for healing - not for other people, not to mindlessly letting time go by, unless it is what I need that day. it is for walks in the park with the dog, getting my hair cut, taking care of household chores with the weight on exhaustion on my shoulders, etc, etc....