As the calendar edges toward December, many of us start feeling the weight of the year. You’re not imagining it—the end of the year can genuinely be tough to manage, emotionally and mentally. Despite all the festive marketing and holiday cheer, it’s also a time when burnout, overwhelm, and emotional fatigue quietly set in.
So, why is this time of year particularly draining?
For one, accumulated fatigue plays a big role. Most of us have been running on autopilot for months, juggling work, family, relationships, health goals, and a hundred other responsibilities. The end of the year often feels like an emotional audit—suddenly you’re aware of everything you didn’t tick off the to-do list, all the promises you made to yourself in January, and the time that slipped through your fingers.
Then there’s the pressure to be joyful. Social media fills with highlight reels of holidays, dinners, matching pyjamas, and recaps of “what I accomplished this year.” If your year hasn’t gone to plan, this can hit especially hard. You might feel like you're the only one not thriving, even though the reality is far more complex behind the scenes for most people.
Family dynamics also come into sharper focus. For some, the end-of-year period means navigating difficult relationships, grief, estrangement, or the absence of a support system entirely. The expectation that everyone should be celebrating can make those feelings more pronounced.
There’s also the sheer logistical overload. School concerts, deadlines, gifts to buy, meals to plan, people to see. What’s meant to be a “break” can turn into a project in itself—often falling disproportionately on women or caregivers, who are left carrying the invisible labour of holding it all together.
And then, of course, there’s the psychological weight of transitions. Even if nothing is changing, the end of a year is a symbolic shift. It’s a natural time to reflect, re-evaluate, and reckon with what’s next. That can stir up anxiety, fear, or a sense of being stuck. It can also prompt existential questions: Am I where I want to be? What needs to change? These aren’t always easy or welcome reflections when you’re already running on empty.
So if you’re feeling flat, frayed, or not quite like yourself in the final months of the year, you’re not alone. It’s not a sign that you’re doing something wrong—it’s often a reflection of just how much you’ve been holding. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel, to rest when you can, and to let go of the pressure to wrap the year up perfectly.
The truth is, the end of the year doesn’t need to be a sprint to the finish line. Sometimes, simply making it through is more than enough.