Understanding year-end fatigue: signs, symptoms and solutions

AROUND this time of the year, many of us feel like we are dragging ourselves across the finish line of each day.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

THERE are ways to combat year-end fatigue, says the writer.

(MIZUNO K Pexels)

The early-year momentum has faded, the deadlines are piling up, and what once felt exciting now feels heavy. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone.

Year-end fatigue is real and, if left unchecked, it can tip into full-blown burnout.

Fatigue is not just feeling a little tired. It’s a deep exhaustion — emotional, mental, and physical - that builds up after months of hard work, stress and not enough rest.

You might notice you are less motivated, have trouble focusing, feel irritable, or wake up tired. In busy workplaces, whether in business, government, nonprofits or your own company, this kind of fatigue can slowly wear down your productivity, creativity and well-being.

On forums like “Reddit”, people describe “vegetating the entire weekend” because they're too tired from work and life’s hassles. Others say their brain feels like “mashed potatoes”, and they “can’t wait to hibernate in December”.

The world is unravelling all at once, technology is changing at lightning speed, social awareness is spreading faster than we can process. All can feel overwhelming because we are experiencing all these things in real time.