It starts before you even get out of bed. That stiffness in your hips. The ache across your lower back. The way your body asks for an extra minute — every single morning — before it's willing to move.
You used to bounce back. A bad night of sleep, a stressful week, a long day on your feet — and you'd recover. Now recovery takes days. Sometimes it just doesn't come.
The worst part isn't the physical stuff. It's the quiet adjustments you've started making. Sitting out activities you used to love. Turning the camera off on video calls. Ordering something "safe" at dinner instead of what you actually want — because you know how your body will react.