Feeling like your energy is running on empty? You’re not alone.
As the year hits its midpoint, many of us start to feel the weight of long workdays, mounting responsibilities, and the pressure to keep pushing forward. With a few months still to go before the festive break, it’s easy for motivation to dip and fatigue to creep in.
This “mid-year slump” isn’t just in your head—it’s a real wave of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that often shows up between June and August after the fast-paced demands of the first half of the year.
NMG Benefits, a South African Healthcare firm, states that this has been something employees have been facing for years.
According to the above-mentioned source, “presenteeism,” which refers to an individual being too stressed, anxious, or burnt out to be productive while in a work environment, is costing South Africa around R235 billion a year, which equates to R95 500 per employee. This is nearly seven times the cost of absenteeism, notes the above-mentioned source.
Furthermore, this kind of exhaustion is known to manifest itself in various ways. This includes fatigue, lack of motivation, constant feelings of stress, brain fog, irritability, working longer hours, and getting less done.
While this may be a clear indication of your body telling you to take a break and rest, there are dozens of ways in which you can counter this – even just for a little while until your eventual break.
Here are some useful tips on how to beat mid-year fatigue as recommended by wellness publication Better Health:
- Talk about it – It is said that lots of evidence proves that talking therapies such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy help to destress.
- Reduce stress – You can reduce stress by introducing fun activities into your day that will help you release the built up tension. These may include, mediation, going to a gym or even listening to music and going out with friends. This helps improve your energy and cause you to relax.
- Learn to do nothing – “One of the drawbacks of modern life is the pressure to drive ourselves to bigger and better heights. A hectic lifestyle is exhausting. Try to carve out a few more hours in your week to simply relax and hang out. If you can’t find a few more hours, it may be time to rethink your priorities and commitments,” notes the above-mentioned source.
