My tip to you

I often hear people express how much they long for their summer holidays and they lyrically talk about all the things they are going to do and experience in their 4 - 6 weeks of holiday.

Many studies, though, show that the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year. There are so many things we want to have time to do, places we want to see and people we want to visit. So we plan for more activities and events than we possible can fit into the time allotted. And the result is frustration and stress and a lack of satisfaction. As well as feeling tired and unrested when it’s time to go back to work.

In other words, the whole purpose of the holiday, which is resting and restoring, has failed.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again that I feel it is so incredibly important that we allow ourselves time to do absolutely nothing.

Time to sit and stare out in front of us, where-ever we are and just let thoughts come and go. Without doing anything. Not checking the phone, not reading - although that can be highly relaxing too - but I really, truly believe that we should take some time every day to just sit and allow the mind and brain to rest. If you can do it in a beautiful spot in nature, it’s even better. But even staring into a wall will be beneficial to you.

Just sit and breathe without any pressure to perform or to feel anything in particular and allow your gaze to become soft and your mind to relax.

Do that every day and after the summer, let me know if it changed something for you.

One of my favourite spots is the one in the picture below.