I miss the version of me who had real energy

Dear Delyara, I used to have energy that felt alive. Not just physical energy, but emotional energy. Curiosity. Presence. A natural willingness to engage with people, ideas, and plans. I used to feel brighter from the inside. Now I often feel like I am moving through life with the emotional battery symbol permanently red. People ask if I’m okay because I look tired, and I say I’m just busy. But busy is such a small word for what this feels like. This feels like depletion. Like some part of me has been overdrawn for too long and is no longer replenishing at the speed life keeps demanding. I don’t even want excitement right now. I want depth to return. I want to care without effort again. I want to stop feeling like everything in life has to pass through a layer of exhaustion first.