Ease up – you may have end-of-the-year fatigue

IF YOU’RE finding it difficult to stay concentrated, are more irritable, and are having difficulties getting started in the mornings, you’re not alone.

As the year draws to a close, many people experience end-of-year fatigue – a real phenomenon that affects many people in the last months of the year.

Most people constantly finding new ways to increase productivity throughout the day, shadowed by deadlines, all on top of familial commitments. At this time of the year most people are battling with tiredness, overwhelmed and they are dreading what is left of the year.

The reality is that end-of-year syndrome is real, even for the most hard-working people, and is often characterised by exhaustion, anxiety, and “laziness”, especially during October, November and December, explains Megan Hosking – psychiatric intake clinician at Akeso Clinics

“End of the year fatigue is a phenomenon experienced by some as the end of the year draws nearer, where they start to feel more tired, irritable and overwhelmed. It may feel as though every day at this time of the year is just a case of “going through the motions”, with little to no joy.”

She adds that there are many possible contributors to this, including the higher number of deadlines as people try to wrap up their work before the end of the year. However, Hoskings adds that it’s important to distinguish between end of year fatigue, which occurs specifically at this time of year, and a mood or anxiety disorder or burnout, which is not time-bound.

She says signs of fatigue can be being distracted, feeling grumpy, anxiety, laziness, short temper, confusion, and tiredness. These would be out of the ordinary for you, and also appear around this time of year.

Pandemic years 2020 and 2021 have certainly been one of the most difficult years on record. Workingfrom-home, home-schooling and lockdown restrictions, people have been under severe stress for months and it is starting to take its toll on their mental and physical well-being.

As the body perceives stress, your adrenal glands make and release the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream.

Often called the “stress hormone,” cortisol causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. When you are under severe stress for long periods, the high levels of cortisol can have severe negative health effects, such as lack of sleep or insomnia, irritability, poor concentration, weight gain, anxiety or depression.

Gavin Lund, life coach and co-founder of the Sterkla coaching app, says: “Go easy on yourself. The words ‘unprecedented’ and ‘uncertainty’ were some of the most overused during the pandemic for good reason.

“Our number one priority as human beings living through a global pandemic has been, and should be, survival. It’s normal to feel down even when there are positives in our lives.

“What’s important is to better manage the negativity and make sure that the blues of 2021 don’t spill over into the joys of 2022,” he adds.

Stress can lead to a variety of health issues and disorders, which is why it’s so important to manage stress effectively for overall health and wellness.

Self-care is an important part of alleviating stress, and contrary to popular belief doesn’t have to cost you a great deal or anything at all.

“Mindfulness and spiritual activity, physical exercise, and mastering a skill can all be placed under the umbrella of self-care. It’s about taking time out of the day to do what brings you joy or enhances your sense of wellbeing. That’s a brilliant stress buster, along with reframing circumstances to replace guilt and shame with compassion and kindness,” says Lund.