Editor’s Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers’ questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@theatlantic.com.

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Dear James,

I am one of the luckiest people to fall victim to DOGE. I am a military veteran and 20-year federal employee who was able to take advantage of a buyout and early retirement. I have a husband with a military pension who was not pushed out of his federal job. This allowed us to buy our dream retirement home, where I spend my days reading novels and hanging out with my dog.

And yet: I feel lost and pointless. Ungrateful. Some days I can’t get out of pajamas. I

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