Creeping burnout

It's been a few very long weeks. My last class for the semester, the eight-week Creative Writing intensive, began on top of everything else, which threw in a new module to plan and eighteen more papers to grade every single week. The extra work has really gotten to me, and I'm starting to get worn down.

On top of that, my body has felt... sore. My knees are a bit painful and my muscles are generally achy. I'm worried it's because I'm not eating that well lately. I've been working out harder than usual and maybe I'm not taking proper care of myself. I should probably incorporate more rest, but I'm always worried about falling out of the habit. I always sleep pretty well, but it's rare that I'm not getting enough protein and vitamins the way I probably am lately.

What I need to do to deal with this, I think, is an actual free period of time where I'm not drowning in grading to catch up-- make maybe a few days' worth of nutritious dinners, rest without running around, and straighten up my life. I haven't been keeping up my normal level of organization either, which ups my stress level. I could also use a massage-- maybe more than anything else --but I probably shouldn't spend the money right now. Or hell, the time. But if this level of exhaustion and stress is making me less productive, maybe I just need to find the way to make it happen.