It’s that time of year when I remind you that if you are feeling fatigued, frazzled and generally freaked out you probably have a case of Novemberitis.
Novemberitis is the name I give to the cluster of symptoms that descend when we are feeling too tired to start anything new but too busy to stop seeing anything through. We are dazed, confused and overwhelmed by all that we have on our plate and anxious about how we are going to get it all done. We are itchy and scratchy and irritable and emotional and just generally wishing the year would hurry up and end. You can read what I wrote about Novemberitis, compounded by The Pandemic, (and some tips to treat it) last year here.
One of my suggestions to address Novemberitis is to “say no wherever and whenever possible” which is why I was so thrilled when a friend told me about the idea of NO-vember. I think that dedicating the penultimate month of yet another brutal year to saying NO as much as possible is a marvellous notion.
To help me make the most of my NO-vember I have started a To-Don’t List; a reminder to myself to not do some of the things that are draining my precious energy and time. Here is what it looks like so far:
Judy’s To-Don’t List for NO-vember:
I will not….
• Get too attached to plans unfolding in a particular way
• Beat myself up for being tired/sad/anxious/less productive than usual
• Worry about things I can’t control or change
• Feel I have to respond to every message/email/phone call immediately
• Forget to remember myself and my own needs and wants
• Do anything that makes me feel anxious or uncomfortable
• Waste valuable energy on unimportant things*
I feel so much better to have begun my To-Don’t List and I know you will too. I would love to hear what you put on your To-Don’t List.
As we run (or limp or crawl) to the finish-line of 2021 we all need to be as kind, loving and gentle with ourselves as we can. When we acknowledge how we are feeling and where we are falling down, we can put plans in place to build ourselves up again. Saying NO is a great start.
*There is still time to sign up for one of the Plan with Purpose workshops being run on the last weekend of November. We will be looking at how to prioritise where and how we spend our time and energy in order to achieve the goals that are meaningful and important to us (I will help you identify these in the workshop). And hopefully next year we will have a mild or even asymptomatic case of Novemberitis.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and liberating NO-vember.
Love,
Judy xx
