A couple of unexpected things

In addition to the general feelings of exhaustion that accompany grief- the very limited reserves of emotional and physical stamina- I have noticed a couple of other effects.

In general, people see me as pretty outgoing and friendly. When I did the Myers-Briggs personality test online, though, I was surprised that my results showed me as being more than two-thirds introvert. Once I thought it over, it really made sense and helped me to build some better boundaries into my life. Through that, I learned that I really do need time completely by myself in order to recharge, so that I can have the energy for happy-fun people time.

I realized recently that in this grief journey, I am operating as if my Introvert percentage is much higher, more like seventy-five or eighty percent. I get drained much more quickly by human interaction and need much more time to recharge.

The other thing that I've noticed (and so have our girls) is thinner hair. Stress has varied, far-reaching effects within the body. In me, it heavily impacts my adrenal system and thyroid function. Thyroid function has a direct relation with the health of skin, nails and hair. The girls and I have all noticed that our hair is definitely thinner the past few months.

Not earth-shaking, but some effects of intense grief that I had not thought to expect.