i tried

I tried to poke my head out this week, to be a bit more social. And while it was good to be able to hang out with people I click with, I realized that I'm not there yet. Further along, but still not there. It took a lot of energy to maintain the mask. I didn't realize how much until the next morning...I woke up with swollen jaw, painful neck/shoulders, and a blinding headache. A large part of it stemmed from the dental fun the prior morning [hours in a dental chair apparently aggravated my damaged C4 vertebra], and then the strain of the previous evening took opportunistic root and stayed. Ended up having to stay home, with ice packs and ibuprofen, trying to stay as still as possible. So now I'm behind at work, still hurting [the jaw/tooth is much better, but the neck and shoulders are still fighting], and stressing about losing the pay and having to work extra overtime to keep my paycheck stable [especially with the dental expense that just hit].

So now I crawl back into my shell, and vow to listen to myself more closely next time...