Our world is so busy it is so easy to get caught up in the rush, the hustle n bustle and the stress.... But are you taking the time to restore, to regroup and to heal?

Even Richard Branson, entraprapenure extradonaire says in his new book 'You've got to give people time to mend', are you giving yourself time to mend? Often we don't.

Time to Restore

Is your glass half empty, half full or overflowing? When you take the time to restore you can be an overflowing type of person. It is absolutely VITAL that you give back to yourself and top yourself up.

You wouldn't drive your car around for weeks, months or years without filling it up with petrol or taking it for a service. Why wouldn't you? If you did this you know that the car would either break down or at the least not work as well as it would normally. Why are you any different? You're not!

Time to Regroup

With the variety of demands that come with our modern lifestyle means our energy can often get strained and segmented which can lead to a feeling of overwhelm. Taking time to regroup yourself will help you to align, centre and focus on what's really important to you and help you to be more effective and perform better at the tasks that you need to complete.

Time to Heal

Sometimes you simply need time to heal. Our body, mind and spirit has amazing healing abilities. Sometimes it just take some time, and other times it takes a reasonable amount of focus, change and effort. It is so worth it though and it is a journey to be celebrated.

Although healing sometimes leads us through some pretty dark valleys, their is always sunshine, love and light to look forward to and plenty of rainbows along the way if you care to open your eyes and see them. Let yourself feel what you do, honour it and then move through it. Remember you can't find a solution until you acknowledge there's a problem.

7 Ways To Help you Restore, Regroup & Heal

1. Rest - Good quality rest is not only vital to survival, but an important way to restore, regroup & heal. Allow yourself extra time for sleep and nap if you need to. It is during good quality sleep time that the body builds new healthy happy cells and repairs damaged cells. Aim for a good 8-10 hours sleep every day especially during times of high stress (including physical, mental and emotional stress).

2. Relaxation - Guided relaxation is a great way to top yourself up. This is especially good in the morning upon waking, during the middle of the day or just before bedtime. There are many different types of guided relaxation audios you can tap into, or try a relaxation or yoga class at a local studio. Studies show that a 20 minute relaxation can be equivelent to 2 hours sleep.

3. Breathwork - Simply taking time to conciously breath is a great way to top up your energies whether it's for 5 minutes or 20 minutes. Sit in a quiet space or at least somewhere you won't be disturbed with your spine tall and close your eyes. Soften your eyes, your brain, your tongue and your jaw and start to notice your breath. Feel your whole body breathing in and your whole body breathing out. Slowly lengthen your breath and just enjoy focusing totally on your breath.

4. Time in Nature - Getting away from the hustle n bustle and back into nature is one of my favourite ways to restore, regroup and heal. Once you're out there, you don't even need to do anything... Simply allow yourself to be immersed in the energy of the natural environment. It's great if you can go spend a couple of days out in the bush, the country or by the beach, but often that may not be practicle. Even half an hour to half a day at your local beach or national park could do wonders for your wellbeing.

5. Take a Bath - This is such a wonderful self nuturing practice. If you have the chance it adds so much if you light a few candles, add either your favourite essential oils or bath salts and play some relaxing music. Let yourself soak an be immersed in the nuturing practice. Great just before bed and even sometimes in the morning. To enhance the practice even more tag on a relaxation or some self massage on after the bathing ritual :-)

6. Spend Time with Good Friends - We are social creatures by nature and need human contact to survive. The comfort of a supportive good friend or family member is so so valueable. By expressing and acknowledging our feeling it helps us to find our own answers and solutions. Take any feedback or advice they give you with a grain of salt but search for the gold in their words and the realisations in yours. Sometimes a hug and an understanding ear is worth more than words can say.

7. Movement - When we move our bodies we change our inner chemistry. Our bodies and our emotions are very intertwined... Have you ever noticed how people who are low on energy have more of a slouched body posture and look down and people who are full of energy tend to stand much taller and look up? One of the quickest ways to change how you feel is to move your body! Find something that you enjoy doing and move your body. Dance, walk, do weights, swim, sing, play with the kids, go to a boxing class, climb a mountain... Do something! Anything that will get you more into your body and into the present moment and allow your bodies chemistry to shift whether gradually or swiftly.

There are plently more ways to can restore, regroup and heal... These are just a few that I use. Make a list of things that you feel will help you, don't judge it, just grab a piece of paper and write them out. Keep the pen moving until you think you're got them all out and only them read back over them.

Once you've got your list keep adding to it, read it and practice them regularly. You're worth it!