Do you dream of feeling deeply relaxed, of waking up fresh and ready to go?
Much of the answer lies in learning how to switch off and recover from your day, every day.
So I’d like to share with you what I learnt from some research presented at the Wellbeing at Work Conference last week in Amsterdam.
It all revolves around the idea of recovery.
We know that athletes include rest days in between training to ensure that their bodies recover and their muscles work effectively, but how many of us give ourselves mental recovery from our busy lives each day?
Switching off devices, not thinking about work and having restorative time is essential to mental health and wellbeing.
Did you hear me? Switching off.
Let me repeat. Switching off. Relaxing. Not thinking about work or being on your phone or computer.
Here's the thing, switching off doesn't just matter at the time, it matters for how we sleep, therefore our recovery and how we start the next day.
If you don't switch off, your heart activity is negatively affected ALL NIGHT. So you don't recover properly from your day.
Without proper sleep and recovery, we start every new day a little wired and can't make the kind of decisions and actions we want to to support our best lives.
Switching off, sleep and recovery are the cornerstones of your dream life, because they are the foundation of relaxation, joy, creativity and great decision-making.
You might not know what switching off would look like. As much as I try to focus on this, it's still something that is quite foreign to me, as someone who tends to jam in things when my daughter is in bed.
You may need to spend time working out what you could do to switch off.
Follow your nose to anything that makes you feel a little bit happier or more alive. To anything that twigs your interest, not just habit or a cheap thrill (like checking Facebook for the billionth time).
Like I mentioned in my post about night routines, give your phone and other devices a bedtime – think of something fun to do when they are off, so your brain feels rewarded - FERC it!
The goal is always to find the ways you need to care best for yourself.
That's the path to finding a truly joyful and peaceful life.
Let's all focus on really switching off this week!
With love,
Lara xx
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Hi, I'm Dr Lara Corr, life coach and researcher in work and wellbeing. I coach successful 30 and 40 somethings who want more fulfilling or bigger careers but doubt themselves and their options. I help them get out of their own way, find direction and go for what they really want.