By Michael McQueenFriday 6 Jan 2023LifestyleReading Time: 5 minutes
Who else is tired?
At the beginning of 2022, we were all in a rush to return to normal.
We speculated about what the “new normal” might look like.
We rushed full-speed back into work.
We filled up our calendars again, all in an attempt to make up the time we lost during the previous two years.
While 2022 may have seen us regain the “normal” we missed, and certainly engage in enough activity to make up for lost time, it has also left many of us feeling totally depleted.
On top of the fatigue characteristic of this time of year, it is important to remember that we are still carrying the emotional burden of the trauma, grief and confusion of the past two years.
Our full calendars may have distracted us from this trauma, but they in no way eliminate it.
Busy schedules don’t heal the grief of the loss.
At a physiological level, we spent two years running on adrenaline, in fight or flight mode, with our sympathetic nervous systems working in overdrive.1
We then launched into a new year without having had any real time to rest, restore our nervous system, or prepare for what was to come.
All this to say that if you are feeling tired, you are not alone.
As we conclude our year, we would do well to reflect on our approach to rest.
For many of us, rest is one of the most difficult challenges we face.
Those of us with Type A personalities and a passion for our work – as well as a deep drive for productivity and success – know that slowing down to a full stop can be a process riddled with anxiety and guilt.
However, it is a process that is fundamentally necessary both for our future capacity and our current wellbeing.
To this end, here are three things to consider as you slow down this year.
1. Don’t be alarmed by the doldrums
When ships draw near to the equator, they enter a stretch of sea known as the “Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone” or, more colloquially, as “the doldrums”.
Winds blowing from the north collide with winds blowing from the south.
Intense heat creates consistent rain and storms.
As the air moves upward, there is little air movement on the ocean’s surface, meaning the area can be dead calm for weeks.2
In the days when ships depended solely on their sails, entering the doldrums could mean weeks at a standstill, with no sign as to when movement might pick up again.
There are stories of crews dying as their resources couldn’t last the stretch of time that they were forced to remain there.
For many of us, entering the doldrums is a deeply frightening experience.
Metaphorically speaking, many of us would choose the storm, wind and waves of stress and full schedules over the guilt-ridden emptiness of the doldrums any day.
In the silent places, when the to-do lists and inboxes begin to empty and the phones stop buzzing, things we would rather not face have the space to float to the surface.
Stopping feels like we are forfeiting our own momentum and wasting time when we could, or should, be moving forward.
The reality is though, our moving forward depends on the energy we can only gain through true, deep rest.
It’s crucial to not only enter a state of rest but enter it voluntarily and intentionally.
During the holiday season, don’t be surprised if your slowing down leads to a bit of a slump.
It is similar to when we do a juice cleanse or quit coffee for a stint, and we realise just how unhealthy and addicted we were.
The toxins and withdrawals which emerge are not a bad sign – they merely indicate just how much we needed a reset, as we are finally giving our body a chance to heal.
Having run on adrenaline for such a long time, it is likely for many of us that our time off will come with a kind of adrenaline withdrawal.
Don’t be discouraged by the slump you may enter.
Feeling a bit listless and down is normal. However, the key principle is to avoid making permanent decisions during these temporary circumstances.
Don’t let your temporary sense of malaise lead you to exaggerated conclusions.
2. Don’t rush your recovery
The process of slowing down and resting will come with some uncomfortable feelings.
While it feels cliché, it is absolutely essential that we simply trust the process.
I recently read about the innovation of extreme fast-charging for electric vehicles. This development was responding to the high demand from electric vehicle drivers for better battery solutions.
Some outstanding solutions have been created. However, the sacrifice that must be made for fast-charging is a compromised battery life.
Rapid-charging a car battery more than three times per month reduced the average battery “state of health” (SoH) to 80 per cent, over a couple of years.3
Whatever the technological details may be, the principle is a profound one: Recovery should not be rushed.
It is tempting to approach a season of rest as another item on the to-do list.
Once we have had an adequately calm day off, we can tick that off the list and get back to work.
In reality, though, for our bodies and souls to experience the deep rejuvenation can crave, we need to give ourselves the space to rest properly.
Don’t rush to fill the empty days ahead with activities just because you are uncomfortable with the void.
Let the process of healing take the time it needs.
3. Don’t stop without a gameplan for restarting
Stopping is difficult, but so is starting. It’s likely that many of us are anxiously aware of the projects which lie ahead in this new year.
Following a season of rest, getting things off the ground again can be a challenge.
Most of us are governed by the law of inertia – we move well when we are moving, but getting moving is the hardest part.
To make the transition from rest to activity again as smooth as possible, it is a good idea to lay the groundwork now – especially so we aren’t tempted to forfeit some of our rest in favour of work.
Before you take any break, make a plan for your approach to any early projects you will tackle upon your return to work.
It even might be an idea to get some of them started before you go on leave, rather than going back to work and attempting a full sprint from a standstill.
Don’t compromise on your rest this holiday season.
We are all in dire need of time spent healing and rejuvenating from a year of an intense “new normal’”, and two years of the most shocking and abnormal circumstances most of us have ever experienced.
We would do well to make the most of the time and space the holidays can grant us.
[1] ‘Difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic,’ BYJU’s, 6 December 2022.
[2] ‘What are the doldrums?’, National Ocean Service, 6 December 2022.
[3] ‘Does fast-charging affect the battery’s longevity?’, StoreDot, 2 June 2022.
Article supplied with thanks to Michael McQueen.
About the Author: Michael is a trends forecaster, business strategist and award-winning conference speaker.
Feature image: Photo by Isabella and Zsa Fischer on Unsplash