The hardest part of taking a rest is giving yourself permission. Here’s my guide to make rest part of your daily and weekly routine:

Culturally we don’t value rest, because we think that being busy or productive are necessary virtues. Rest has become more radical than busyness. The idea that we must work through and push through our tiredness encourages us to mistrust and override how we feel, ignoring fatigue, pushing through the day, turning to quick fixes like coffee and sugar. Unfortunately these will only delay tiredness and you’ll experience and even bigger dip in your energy later on.

Our 24 hour circadian body clock is broken down into 90 - 120 minute cycles, or ultradian rhythms. The most obvious one is the dip in energy you feel after lunch when it’s hard to concentrate and stay motivated.

I suggest starting with short forms of intermittent rest which will re-energise your body and refresh your mind through your day.

Start noticing your cycles of in the day and plan micro-rests at times when your energy is most likely to dip.

Rest doesn’t have to mean lying down, it can be a restful activity that doesn’t require intense focus, like watering your plants or taking out the laundry. If you’re at work, take a short walk to do a simple mundane task. Rests can be physical, mental or social, like an easy conversation in passing. What definitely won’t be restful is staying in the same place, trying to do the same task, particularly if it involves looking at a screen.

Small intermittent rests help you to manage your energy better, and to ‘mentally digest’ things. Its often during these mini breaks that thoughts that we’ve putting aside bubble up, so acknowledge them and maybe write something down if you need to.

Allow yourself to daydream especially in ‘time wasting’ moments, like waiting in a queue at the post office or on a train journey. Daydreaming is the mind’s way of making connections, consolidating and organising your thoughts so that afterwards you can look at things afresh. Reading and listening to music help us to unwind and daydream.

Don’t say to yourself that you’ll rest later when your list is complete! Your ‘to do’ list is never done and if you think you’re too busy to rest, you probably need it more than most. Our brains are overstimulated, constantly bombarded with information, and the nervous system, of which the brain is a part, needs several rests throughout the day.

Constant ongoing fatigue requires more than short micro rests in your day, and non sleep deep relaxation (NSDR) will allow a deep restful state of mind with brain waves similar to those found in the stages of deep sleep, and will revitalise you fully.

Make time in your weekly routine for longer rests of around 15 - 20 minutes. If you have regular working hours this might be the end of your working day before you start your evening activities, or if your schedule is flexible, the time when your energy dips the most.

If you really think you don’t have time in the evenings or whenever you finish your busy day, analyse what you actually do in these 3 or 4 hours, take out one thing and replace it with 20 minutes of undisturbed rest!

Once you have set aside regular times for longer rest, consider having a place set up at home ready for your rest. All you need is a small space on the floor (not a bed, as it’s too soft and unsupportive), a yoga mat or soft rug, blankets, cushions and pillows. The classic yoga relaxation pose is Savasana, or corpse pose, the one at the end of class where you lie down on your back in quiet rest. If you find this the least favourite part of a yoga class, consider making it more comfortable in the comfort of your home.

My ‘go to’ version of Savasana is to lie on the back, place a cushion under the head and squish it into the sides of the neck and shoulders. Support the back of your slightly bent knees with a folded pillow and place a rolled up blanket at the back of the ankles to elevate the heels off the floor (because, trust me, they will start to feel uncomfortable after 15 minutes). Cover your body with a blanket ( as you’’ll feel colder after a while) and lastly place a light scarf over the eyes, (nothing heavy on the eyelids please). Remember to set an alarm so you can relax without worrying you’ll overstay your rest.

In Restorative Yoga practices, the body is placed in a position of comfort, supported by props without the stimulation of light and movement, so that you become deeply rested. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes to get to a place of deep relaxation. You might experience a feeling of getting heavy, or melting into the floor or ‘dropping down’, these are all signs that your nervous system is downshifting into a parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest’ state.

Other forms of deep relaxation include yoga nidra, where the voice of the teacher or facilitator guides you in a body scan, breath awareness and visualisations, with the aim of taking you into states of deep relaxation. Some people prefer the guidance of a comforting voice. My suggestion here is to try a few recordings and find a teacher or whose voice you find soothing and relaxing. This is essential!

In both of the above relaxation practices you might fall asleep, and while this is not an issue, (you’re obviously tired)!!! …. it happens less with more practice. If you still fall asleep after a few times, a semi reclining position with the torso at 45 degrees will prevent this from happening. With both of relaxation practices, aim to be awake, drifting and floating blissfully, aware of things around you, but in no way disturbed by them.

You might be wondering, why not just take a nap? But sleeping in the day, particularly after 3pm for more than 20 minutes will lessen your sleep drive, which is necessary to fall asleep at your regular bedtime. Napping before bed is liking eating a snack before dinner, it’s going to ruin your appetite!

Going into restful deep relaxation regularly helps you to become familiar with the blissful feeling just before falling asleep, and is one of the best ways to manage fatigue as it ‘puts energy back on the grid’, sustaining your energy through your day.