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My boss probably thinks I'm a slacker or a wimp when it comes to sick days.

My "monthly visitor" never used to be this ruthless. At least, this month, I didn't have incapacitating cramps; this time, it was amazing fatigue. I was pretty worn down all weekend, with some stints of normality thrown in. My second wind hit a little late on Sunday, and I didn't get to bed quite as early as I should have; still, though, seven hours of sleep should have been quite sufficient to get me up and around.

But when the alarm went off Monday morning, I just. couldn't. do it. I gave it ye olde college try, but ended up stumbling downstairs and emailing my boss from my iPhone that I'd be taking a sick day today.

I then proceeded to sleep for a grand total of TWELVE HOURS. Well, 11½, but still. And I could easily have kept sleeping.

I at least managed to get one thing done today: some cleaning that mainly just involved me sitting on the floor by a pile of crap and putting the crap where it's supposed to go.

I get so frustrated with myself when I waste a day from being tired. But I'm not exactly the best at self-motivation — yes, I know that exercise would get me up and moving, but something needs to get me up and exercising. Factor in my weird mood swings and (self-diagnosed) depression and how I think too much when I'm tired, and it just gets worse and worse.

Every month I tell myself that I'm NOT going to use that sick day that just tacked itself back onto my allowance. And every damn month, I use it during the first few days of my cycle, either for extreme fatigue or curl-up-in-bed-and-die cramps. This is getting seriously irritating.

Am I missing something besides sleep? Iron, maybe? Hell if I know. I just want this to stop.