Prioritise rest
By Amanda Scali

Have you ever taken a holiday to realise when you come back to work just how much you needed the break? You might have thought before heading off on leave that you were fine, only to find that you were tired and were, in fact, in need of a break from the office and the day to day.
 
From skipping our daily lunch break, pushing through with the housework on the weekends instead of taking 30mins to read a book, to pushing out our annual leave further and further, we can all be guilty of not prioritising rest.
 
But how do you prioritise rest when the world is full of stress?
 
Take your annual leave
 
We all know that we perform better after we've had a break, but actually scheduling that leave-in and taking it can be a bit harder. There never seems to be a right time to take leave; work can always be busy, the borders might not be open for International travel, or you just can't decide how you'd like to spend your time.
 
Book it out in advance and then work the rest out later; it will help you prioritise that much needed time away from the office.
 
Embrace slowness
 
While days might pass by in a flash, you have a great deal more time on your hands than you might have believed; it’s simply about changing your perspective.
 
Taking the time to savour a meal, enjoy a cup of tea, read a book or have a lie-down. We can often get caught up in wearing the 'busy badge', and it really is a choice that we get to make daily.
 
So slow down and embrace slow living for a time.
 
Schedule less
 
The more you have on your plate, the easier it is to feel overwhelmed by it all, so there is one simple solution to try and schedule less.
 
Less is actually more when it comes to self-care; we don't need to be able to do it all and at the same time. Try and subtract things from your calendar that no longer bring you joy or are useful ways to spend your time, and try and schedule in rest instead.
 
Put your phone down
 
What did with do with all our spare time before mobile phones? Unless you really need to look something up or call someone, try and not just pull your phone out every time you have a free moment.
 
Take that time at the bus stop to look at the autumn leaves, put down your phone and play a game with your kids and be present at the restaurant table with your friends. All the digital stimulation will be there for you when you pick it back up later.