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Feeling a little sleepy? Finding it tough to get down to work? Longing for that long-awaited end-of-year break? You, too, may be suffering from a severe case of Novemberitis. Here’s how to get over it.
By Sam Wilson*
When the going gets tough, I get sleepy. And at the moment…I am very sleepy. And short tempered. And a little stupid.
I know. It’s the tail end of Novemberitis Season, and it happens every year. No-one escapes Novemberitis. (Well, except that woman who happily trills “only a month til vaycay!” in the lift, but I don’t think she’s really human. At least I hope she isn’t.)
I am finding it harder to drag myself out from under the covers every morning. It’s still a yawning month til the holidays, but it has become wildly clear that there is absolutely nothing left in my tank, but lots left on the to do list. Sparkle at work? Please. It’s taking all my self control not to have daily 3pm naps under my desk.
I know you feel this way too. So I have decided to be really kind to myself for the rest of the year, with little ‘yay, me!’ decisions, like these.
- I am going to underparent til the end of the year. Hell, my sons are teenagers already. They probably won’t even notice.
- The foetal position is my friend.
- Make up is optional.
- I shall be the Queen of Ready-to-Cook meals. Okay, Ready-to-Eat meals. Oh okay…take-out.
- My gym routine has morphed from the treadmill to floating in the baby pool. And I’m fine with that.
- Everyone who comes over to dinner is to bring their own food. Actually, no one is to come over for dinner.
- Naps are the Goddess’s way of giving you a hug.
- Every small completed task is worthy of a mini-celebration. Made coffee? Well done, you! Opened your inbox? Well DONE. Etc.
- Carbs are wonderful, supportive things.
- Wonderful, supportive friends are really happy to lie on couches, sharing carbs, watching TV and not talking at all.
- I’m relaxing into dofness. I’m me, only thicker. It’s also like brain treacle, and actually rather comforting if you embrace the feeling.
Yup. I feel better already. I’ll start pretending to be a well balanced working wife and mother of 2 again next year. Right now, I’m going to go wth the slow flow…and celebrate writing a whole column with a well deserved nap.
- Sam Wilson lives in Cape Town with her husband Andreas, and teenage sons, Josef and Benjamin. She works in content and social media, but spent over a decade writing parenting columns about her sons growing up, for a living. Now that they can read, they are less than amused.
- This article first appeared on the Change Exchange, an online platform by BrightRock, provider of the first-ever life insurance that changes as your life changes. The opinions expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BrightRock.
