6 Jun
50 and I've been going back and forth on this for about a year. Burnout or peri. Peri or burnout. My therapist says burnout. My friend who's two years ahead of me in this whole thing says definitely peri. My GP said 'could be both' which is technically true and also completely unhelpful. The thing that's made me think it might not be purely stress is that the foggy days don't track with how busy I am. I've had completely manageable weeks where I still couldn't find words, still felt like I was wading through something. And then I've had absolutely manic weeks at work where I was sharp as anything. That inconsistency is what I want to take to the GP because it feels like a clue. I've got a work lunch thing most days which used to be sandwiches and crisps and I've shifted it to something with actual protein in it over the last few weeks. Whether that's doing anything or whether it's the slightly better sleep I've been managing I honestly don't know. I'm not going to pretend I've cracked it. But I'm paying attention in a way I wasn't before, which feels like something. Would be really glad to hear from anyone who eventually got some clarity on the peri vs burnout question - how did you know? x