Tired.

Being tired is a normal thing. Being chronically tired isn't. 

You get tired from doing things like working hard. Running. Staying up late. Traveling. Studying.

You get chronically tired from waking up. Getting out of bed. Leaving the house. Walking. Breathing. 

You can fix tired by resting. Sitting down. Putting your feet up. Taking a nap. Sleeping. You can't fix being chronically tired. 

Being chronically tired doesn't make sense to people who haven't experienced it. And it's easy to look at someone who is chronically tired as being lazy. It's easy to think that someone who sleeps all the time is just sleeping all the time. But that's couldn't be further from the truth. 

It gets to the point where you physically have no choice. Like I said in another post, you either lay down or your body will make it happen for you. You either sit down or your legs quit working with you. You either close your eyes or your body will continue to feel like it's floating, spinning, and shaking, all at once. You either fight it and regret it later, or you give in and get up later and try again. 

It's hard to give into it. But it's even harder to deal with not giving in. 

And even if you do give in, it doesn't go away. So yes, yes I'm always tired. But there's nothing I can do to fix it. 

If you have the option of taking a nap and feeling better, do it. If you are able to sleep at night and wake up feeling rested, don't take it for granted. If you're just tired, do what you've got to do to fix it. 

And, most importantly, if someone in your life is chronically ill, and therefore chronically tired, believe them.