A Gentle Note for November

This time of year, many experience a feeling of being a little run-down, less motivated, and a bit less productive. As apathy sets in, we find ourselves looking forward to the “holiday season”.

Yet most of us cannot take time off over the “holiday season”.

People working in farming, retail, medical care, leisure, security, entertainment, banking, and other essential services do not take time off during December, and often work harder than at any other time of year.

Only an estimated 12–18% of people take annual leave over December. These include those in education, construction, and certain manufacturing organisations.

However, the feeling that everything is moving towards closure is universal. It occurs across all continents, is unaffected by seasons, and follows a very predictable pattern.

Not all cultures celebrate the birth of a new year on the same day. For all those following the Gregorian calendar, the annual cycle comes to an end on the 31st of December.

We are tired, we are introspective, and can feel a little emotionally down. There is a sense of things coming to an end — a slow march to closure.

Then, when the annual cycle is reborn on the 1st of January, it is full of hope, enthusiasm, and determined resolutions.

This is just one small example of the power our environment holds over us.Across cultures, the “Silly Season” has names like “holiday blues”, “festive season slump”, “year-end fatigue”, “December doldrums”, “Yuletide melancholy”, and more.

The New Year has its own set of descriptive words for the energy boost it brings: “New Year’s motivation”, “January high”, “Fresh start effect”, “New Year’s bounce”, “Resolution rush”, “Optimism wave”, etc.

This social signalling affects us quite directly. Being aware and mindful can help us maintain the energy of a fresh start every day, but it is much harder than we think. We are profoundly influenced by verbal and non-verbal signals in our environment.

We are not only affected by this phenomenon at this time of year. We are influenced by our environment all the time and in all areas of life.

Business philosopher and motivational speaker Jim Rohn is often famously quoted for this saying: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”, and Andrew Carnegie said, “I owe my success to having associated with the most brilliant minds of my time.”

Evidence has shown that our own weight tends to increase when we spend time with people who are overweight, and even the way we age is affected by expectations and social cues.

For many people, the ability to remain physically, intellectually, and psychologically healthy as we age is an act of pure rebellion.

Modern Western society expects us to become frail and forgetful as we age, and people often begin treating us that way — which can in turn accelerate ageing.

This environmental priming can influence us in a negative way. We can pick up on these cues and start to feel mentally and physically unwell. In fact, our body and mind respond quite strongly to these cues. The hormones released by our body, our immune function, and our metabolic rate are all directly influenced by our expectations, the behaviour of those around us, and other external triggers.

We can also use this knowledge to improve our wellbeing, heal faster, and reduce or even reverse biological ageing.

Certain countries and cultures—such as Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, India, Native American communities, and Mediterranean nations like Greece and Spain—revere older age, treating elders as sources of wisdom and emphasising their importance in family and community life.

Scientific evidence suggests that societies where elders are respected, valued, and kept engaged tend to experience longer healthspans, along with better mental health and greater life satisfaction among older adults.

The Counterclockwise study by Ellen Langer is a fascinating landmark 1979 experiment that examined how mindset and environment can influence ageing and health in older adults.

Langer took a group of elderly men to a retreat that recreated a world set 20 years in the past. They were asked to live for a week as if it were actually 1959. They spoke, acted, and thought as their younger selves, completely immersing themselves in that era.

This psychological “time travel” included the language, activities, and social engagement of their youth.

After just one week, participants showed measurable improvements in physical health—flexibility, dexterity, memory, posture, and even hearing improved.

Outside observers judged their appearance as younger after the experiment, and cognitive test scores rose. The improvements were attributed to a shift in mindset, demonstrating a powerful mind-body connection.

The Counterclockwise study is often cited as foundational evidence that our beliefs and expectations about ageing can physically influence health — exemplifying the “psychology of possibility”.

Langer’s work led to further research in mindfulness, showing that cultivating a positive, flexible, and mindful approach may help people defy perceived limits linked to age or illness.

This study demonstrates just how much our attitudes and expectations may be far more important for our well-being than commonly assumed, particularly as we age.

This is what makes places like Hoogland so special. Surrounding yourself with those on a wellbeing journey is priceless.

At Hoogland, this immersion is deliberate. The environment is shaped to support health on every level — from the stillness of the natural landscape to the quiet rhythm of the day, the absence of digital noise, and the carefully held structure offered by our professionals. Each element reduces external strain on the nervous system, allowing the body to settle and begin its own work of repair.

Those facilitating care at Hoogland understand how strongly we respond to our surroundings, and how quickly the body shifts when it is met with calm, consistency, and genuine support. By creating an atmosphere that reflects possibility rather than limitation, guests often find themselves stepping into patterns that feel lighter, clearer, and more aligned with health. In a setting that consistently mirrors wellbeing, meaningful change becomes not only possible, but expected.

True wellbeing cannot be taken as a pill. Many of the medications prescribed for modern-day ills barely outperform the placebo effect, whereas lifestyle health improvements and social support have a therapeutic benefit close to double that of the most widely used medication.

True wellbeing cannot be improved significantly through an app. This is why AI will never be able to take over as healers.

Try to always be aware of the messages, verbal and non-verbal, that you surround yourself with.