This time of year has a way of speeding up. Our calendars fill, the to-do lists get longer, and before we realise it, we’re moving through our days on autopilot—quick, scattered, and slightly overwhelmed.

As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’ve been feeling that mix of excitement and overwhelm that always seems to come with Christmas.

This year doesn’t need you burnt out — it needs you balanced. You can finish strong and stay steady. Pause. Refocus. Reset. December can either shine bright or burn you out, and the truth is, you don’t have to do it all.

Before the December chaos takes over, pause and celebrate how far you’ve come this year. Small wins, mindful moments, and simple choices can help you reclaim calm and make the season meaningful.

The season of giving begins with giving to yourself. Energy, patience, and joy all come from a full cup. Refill before you pour, otherwise you’ll be overflowing.

As a valuable part of this community I want to make sure you have everything you need to continue building a mentally fit workplace, for yourself and the people around you.

For many of us, it’s something that feels just out of reach. Like it belongs to people with less on their plate, more time, more money, fewer responsibilities. You know, the ones going to yoga retreats and drinking green smoothies on a beach somewhere.

But here’s the real truth: wellbeing doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.

It can be built in the small, ordinary moments that make up your day.

Many new mothers find themselves grappling with more than just physical recovery. There’s the emotional labour of constantly being “on,” responsible for a tiny human’s needs around the clock. There’s guilt (so much guilt), self-doubt, hormonal chaos, and a pressure to feel nothing but joy.

But real motherhood? It’s joy and frustration. Love and loneliness. Gratitude and grief.

And all of those feelings can exist at once.

Friendship isn’t just a “nice to have,” it’s a wellbeing superpower. The people we let into our inner circle shape our self-talk, our energy, even our sense of identity.

But what happens when our circle feels... a little off?

Friendships evolve. Some drift apart naturally. Others get harder to maintain as life grows busier. And sometimes, we outgrow people, and that’s okay too.

Let’s be real. Boundaries with relatives can feel impossible. You don’t want to “start drama,” and yet... every time you leave a family gathering, you feel drained, disrespected, or just not seen.

Ever looked around your workplace and thought, “How did I end up here?”

You’re not alone.

At some point, many of us feel the slow disconnect, that creeping sense that our values don’t align with our work anymore.

If you work in the health or care sectors, chances are you’ve witnessed exhaustion, vicarious trauma, and even burnout in your team. It’s a lot. Especially when the expectation is to always stay strong.

Burnout isn’t just tired. It’s soul-tired.

It’s waking up already exhausted. It’s losing interest in the things you used to love. It’s feeling like you’re failing, even though you’re doing your best.

And the truth is? So many people are silently struggling with it, especially those juggling work, caregiving, and high expectations.

Toxic work environments aren’t just uncomfortable, they can be depleting. They impact your confidence, your motivation, and even your physical health. So what can you do when your job starts draining your soul?

What if the magic isn’t in doing more… but in letting go?

We waste so much energy worrying about things we can’t change—other people’s opinions, the past, the future, the market, the weather, the “what ifs.”

But when we learn to control the controllables, our reactions, our habits, our mindset—that’s where our real power lives.

Let’s be honest. Most blokes didn’t grow up being told it’s okay to talk about feelings.

They were taught to “man up,” to push through, to keep it to ourselves.

But here’s the thing: that silence? It’s costing them.

Whether you're a student living on noodles and Centrelink, or a parent trying to cover textbooks, rent, groceries and keep the lights on—financial stress doesn’t just hit the bank account, it hits the whole household.

And when we don’t talk about it, it can quietly eat away at our peace, our patience, and our relationships.

As we wrap up the financial year, it’s the perfect time to also check in with your emotional wellbeing. Money stress is real—but so is your ability to take small steps forward.

Farmers face some of the toughest mental health conditions, literally and emotionally. Droughts, floods, financial stress, isolation, succession pressures, and now policies that threaten their future… it’s all a heavy load. Add to that the difficulty of actually accessing support - long waitlists, limited services in remote areas, and stigma, and it’s no wonder so many suffer in silence.

This time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in productivity mode. We start reflecting on what we’ve done—and sometimes, what we haven’t. The pressure builds. The pace quickens. And without even noticing, we push our mental wellbeing to the bottom of the list.