Written by Dr. Hailee Ingleton – Director, Employee Experience Programming, RehvUp Technologies Inc.

 

For some of us, end of year fatigue sets in around the last couple of weeks in November.

It’s a little more difficult to get up out of bed. The days seem so much darker. Tasks at work that you normally enjoy take SO. MUCH. MORE. EFFORT!

Your friends want to see more of you, family is making plans for you – EVERYONE wants to take what they can before the end of the year.

And for some of us, we suffer from what I call “What I didn’t accomplish” syndrome.

You know that list at the beginning of the year that you made that’s nowhere to be found? Goals that you were so pumped to execute disappeared somewhere in between worrying about inflation and what’s this new flu going around now?

 And for others, as the end of the year edges closer and closer, we feel hyper-pressured to complete the magnanimous tasks we set for ourselves, to avoid the crushing feeling of failure, guilt and sadness.

Inevitably, this starts to leak into how we feel at work. Every task seems more and more difficult. You are counting down the days until vacation – and that’s for those of us that even get a vacation. And for many of us, the holiday season will be more about catching up on sleep, rather than spending time with loved ones, or doing something we love.

Let me just pause for a moment and say, if this resonates with you, you are not alone. Us humans tend to fall into similar patterns, so if you are feeling something, chances are, a few million people are feeling the same way.

So what can we do about end of year fatigue? I have a few tips/advice/comments for you.

NUMBER 1

In case no one has told you yet, WELL DONE YOU!

Just as a human collective, we have been through SO MUCH this year. Inflation, rising gas prices, rising EVERYTHING prices, seemingly continuous sad events around the world.

And this is as a COLLECTIVE. On an individual level, I know many of us are dealing with being laid off, mourning from the death of loved ones, health issues, family issues – ISSUES, ISSUES, ISSUES!

But if you are reading this blog…well done. Your problems may not yet be solved, but take a moment, breathe, and absorb what I am saying. You have done an amazing job this year, and I am so proud of you. Thank you for being here as a fellow human being. You are valued, you are needed, and you are loved. WELL DONE!

NUMBER 2

Don’t forget to credit the surprise wins and adjustments to your account.

This is for those of us beating ourselves up for not accomplishing what we set out to accomplish this year.

Did you adjust your budget and come up with a way to ensure your family was safe and fed during a tough expensive year? CREDIT!

Did you get tasks done at work even though you were struggling with personal issues? CREDIT!

 Were you supportive and helpful to a friend or co-worker who was struggling? CREDIT!

Did you make ANYONE smile this year? CREDIT!

Did you make ANYONE laugh this year? CREDIT!

To put it simply, even if you did not accomplish what you thought you would – chances are you accomplished WAY MORE than you thought you would. So once again, WELL DONE!!

NUMBER 3

Approach each day as new, embracing the blessings and being a blessing.

For the last few days of the year, we tend to default looking at the year as one gigantic overall.

But I challenge you to readjust your vision, become present, and embrace each day as an opportunity to be a blessing to someone. There is no greater feeling than knowing you did something to make someone else’s life better.

Take a moment and take the attention off the negative circumstances and see how you can be a light to someone else. You will be smiling from the inside out and almost IMMEDIATELY feel more energized.

And LASTLY

 LOVE ON YOURSELF!

Take some time to get to know yourself again. Remind yourself of the things that bring you joy and take a moment each day to LOVE WHO YOU ARE!

 Look in the mirror and say, “I am amazing, I am special, I am gorgeous, I am light, and I have something unique, powerful, beautiful and CRUCIAL to contribute to this world!”

I hope you join me in taking these steps to overcome end of year fatigue, and in so doing, have a BEAUTIFUL holiday season!