It’s been almost 11 full months of tough going… Deadlines, projects, meetings, reports, proposals, thousands of emails… And that’s just work! Never mind keeping our personal lives in check too – dealing with friends and family, health problems, the stress of getting kids through end-of-year exams, the ever-growing costs of living, and all the other unforeseen things that come our way often on a daily basis. Let’s face it. We’re TIRED. The end-of-year fatigue is hitting us HARD. We need a BREAK.
It’s now down to that final push. That last month of getting up in the morning, donning our battle armour, and standing our ground bravely until the last day of work finally shines its beautiful, peaceful light on us.
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…WHAT IS FATIGUE?
The term ‘fatigue’ describes a feeling that is familiar to many of us, which includes an inexplicable lack of energy, weariness, a complete feeling of tiredness, constant exhaustion and burnout. But being fatigued isn’t the same as merely feeling a bit sleepy. When experiencing fatigue, you have zero energy or motivation. Feeling sleepy might be a symptom of fatigue, but it is not the same thing. Fatigue can affect us physically or mentally, and is the result of a combination of well-being and lifestyle issues.
…WHAT CAUSES FATIGUE?
Fatigue can be caused by various factors:
- Lifestyle factors – what you do and your lifestyle choices can have an impact on how your body will respond. A healthy lifestyle is crucial to helping us balance good physical and mental health. Lifestyle factors may include:
- Emotional stress
- A lack of physical activity
- Excessive consumption of alcohol and other substances
- A lack of regular sleep
- Physical health conditions – in most cases, fatigue can be linked to a person’s physical health. For example, having a chronic illness might make you vulnerable to tiredness. Physical health conditions that may trigger extreme cases of fatigue include:
- Anaemia
- Insomnia
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Arthritis
- Kidney disease
- Anorexia
- Mental health issues – having an imbalance between your psychological and emotional well-being can lead to you feeling tired constantly. Balanced mental health is essential for leading a healthy life. Various factors, including tragic life events, may trigger mental health conditions. The most common mental health conditions associated with fatigue are:
- Depression
- Social anxiety disorder
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Workplace-related causes – being employed in a high-pressure environment may make you prone to fatigue. Deadlines, working long hours, and feeling dissatisfied with your job are reasons that you may feel highly exhausted around this time of year. It is important to recognise when you are dealing with work-related stress to ensure that it does not become a serious health issue. Symptoms of working-related stress include:
- Having trouble sleeping
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Decreased work performance
…HOW CAN FATIGUE AFFECT ME?
Experiencing fatigue can negatively affect how you perform at work, how well you are able to perform your daily tasks, and how you experience life on a day-to-day basis. It is also a known risk factor for workplace and car accidents. It is recommended that you seek medical assistance if you experience extreme tiredness on a regular basis.
…WHAT IS YEAR-END FATIGUE?
It’s been said that the most difficult part of any race is always the last part, going towards the finishing line. This is precisely how many of us feel as the end of the year draws nearer. We start feeling overwhelmed, more tired, burnt out and irritable as the end of the year gets closer. This is called “year-end fatigue”, and people generally start experiencing this during the last quarter of the year.
…WHAT CAN I DO TO ADDRESS END-OF-YEAR FATIGUE?
As the holidays draw closer, you might feel more tired than normally; year-end fatigue is normal if you have been ‘putting your best foot forward’ the entire year. However, it is important to make sure that you don’t leave it until it becomes a health risk.
There are many types of behaviours you can practice to try minimise your chances of encountering fatigue, and to help you ensure that you are in the best position possible to tackle end-of-year fatigue when it starts creeping up on you.
- Try take regular time off – many people place themselves under pressure to continue working throughout the year while only taking a break over the festive period. This is one of the main causes of burnout because you are not allowing yourself the opportunity to rest during the year, and the result is that your body eventually simply “crashes”. It is important to take regular time off during the year and to make sure you allow yourself sufficient time to recharge and rest so that you never get to the point of burnout.
- Make sure you get enough sleep – an important part of taking care of yourself that people sometimes neglect is getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can affect your ability to focus, impact on your alertness levels, your productivity and can make you feel weary. Getting enough sleep is essential for brain rejuvenation, and assists you to wake up feeling refreshed, energised, and focused. Getting good sleep can help improve your physical and mental well-being. Try and go to sleep early and aim for a healthy sleep cycle of at least seven hours per day.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle – getting regular exercise is not only good for our physical health, but also our mental health. Exercise releases endorphins – these are neurotransmitters released by parts of our brain that lower stress, alleviate pain, improve our mood and enhances our sense of well-being. This makes us feel more energetic and happier. Also, eating a balanced diet [i.e. eating a wide variety of foods, including vegetables and fruits, in the correct proportions and consuming the right amounts of food and liquids to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight] can help ensure that your body is well-nourished and able to perform at its best. This can help you study or work better. Most essential is to drink lots of water to stay hydrated as this maintains various biological processes.
- Seek professional assistance when needed – if you are feeling extreme levels of fatigue, and nothing you do seems to be helping, it is essential that you consider getting help from a medical professional. In some cases, chronic fatigue may be a symptom of underlying health conditions, and it is therefore important that you be assessed medically, should you start experiencing such symptoms. Also, if your fatigue is accompanied by any of the following, it is recommended that you obtain medical assistance immediately:
- Dizziness
- Aching or sore muscles
- Headaches
- Slowed reflexes or responses
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Short-term memory problems
- Impaired hand-to-eye coordination
- Hallucinations
- Blurry vision
Some additional tips that you can consider to help you minimise fatigue include:
- Prioritise your mental well-being – your mental wellness is a core component of your overall health, and you should work to ensure that your mind is functioning at optimal levels for your daily activities. Consider focusing on positive actions and thoughts to help avoid stress.
- Plan your day – this can help you reduce anxiety and improve your productivity. It is a great way to start your day with a positive mindset. Knowing what your day involves will help make it easier to focus on your priorities and to help you minimise distractions.
…FINAL THOUGHTS ON FATIGUE
It is important to remember that you are not alone, should you be dealing with extreme fatigue. It is also important to remember that fatigue is a symptom and not a disease or medical condition. To help you reduce your fatigue, it is important that you understand what the underlying causes are, and that you work towards addressing those first. The reality is that there is no remedy or medication that can stop or cure fatigue immediately. Fortunately however, for most people, their fatigue will improve over time with some simple, practical lifestyle changes. So… Listen to your body, and don’t ever ignore any changes if they should start appearing.
…WHERE CAN I FIND HELP?
The following are some sources of support that are available to help you find the assistance you might need:
SA Federation for Mental Health:
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- Email: info@safmh.org
- Phone: 011 781 1853
- Phone or chat via WhatsApp: 076 078 8722
- Contact us via social media: Facebook
- Visit our website: safmh.org
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group [SADAG]:
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- Phone:
- Suicide crisis helpline – 0800 567 567
- CIPLA mental health helpline – 0800 456 789
- Substance abuse helpline – 0800 12 13 14
- WhatsApp:
- CIPLA chat line – 076 882 2775
- Maybelline BraveTogether – 087 163 2030
- SMS: 31393
- Phone:
