Are you constantly cramming more and more into your day? Health coach Suzy Glaskie shares her tips on allowing yourself a break
Words: Suzy Glaskie. Image: shutterstock.
Let me share a story that makes me cringe. Many years ago, when my three kids were younger and I was running a busy PR agency, we had a lovely au pair from the Czech Republic living with us (let’s call her Magda). One morning, I was working from home, frantically juggling my team’s demands. With my head bursting, I bustled into the kitchen to make a quick cuppa and I found Magda, standing stock-still, staring blank-eyed out the window. I asked her if she was okay and she pointed to the dishwasher, which showed three minutes on the countdown. She told me that she was watching a squirrel in the garden while she waited for the cycle to finish.
My brain couldn’t take this in. It took a few seconds for the realisation to gradually dawn on me. Could it be possible that Magda was actually planning to spend THREE WHOLE MINUTES looking at… a squirrel?
If I’d walked into the kitchen to empty the dishwasher and found it had three minutes to go, I’d have marched straight back to my office and fired off another couple of emails, or started making dinner. But to just stand there waiting for those three minutes to elapse, staring out the window as the precious seconds ticked by? Unthinkable.
Wait a minute (or more)
I can now appreciate that Magda was the sensible, calm, grounded one. It was me who was derailed. For the longest time, I chose to believe that every single minute of the day was there to get a job done. And that losing even one of those minutes (let alone three!) to pause and look out the window was inexcusable.
Most of the women I coach harbour the same compulsion. Even when there’s a spare moment, the instinct to fill it with something – another chore, another errand – can be overwhelming. Why? Because most women have been conditioned to believe that their worth is tied to how much they do for others.
But here’s the truth: rest is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. When you don’t allow yourself to take a break, your body and mind pay the price with fatigue, stress, forgetfulness, resentment and even physical pain.
Yes, I know that giving yourself permission to stop, even briefly, feels strangely difficult. It’s time to change that. Resting does NOT mean that you’re lazy, unproductive or selfish. In fact, the more you rest, the more energy, clarity and patience you’ll have. The key is to start small. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment to take a break (which never comes), create intentional moments of rest every day… even if it’s just those three precious minutes.
By taking small steps to integrate rest into your routine, you’ll begin to feel calmer, clearer, and more in control of your time. Remember: you don’t have to earn rest, you simply have to allow it.
Recognise that overcommitment leads to exhaustion; practise saying no without the guilt. Remind yourself that your time and energy are just as valuable as anyone else’s.
Grant yourself your own daily mini-holiday – whether it’s a short walk, reading your favourite magazine or simply sitting in silence. Choose a daily ritual that signals to your body and mind: it’s okay to pause.
Suzy’s 5 ways to pause
When you find yourself with a few spare minutes between tasks, try one of these simple grounding techniques:
1. 3-3-3 breathing
Inhale for three seconds, hold for three and exhale for three. Repeat three times. This calms your nervous system almost instantly.
2. Hand over heart
Place your hand on your chest, take slow breaths, and then tell yourself, “I am safe, I am enough, I deserve rest”.
3. Sit with a hot drink
Hold a nice hot drink in both hands while sitting down. Close your eyes and focus on the warmth, the scent and the taste. Let it be a mini ritual of calm.
4. Stretch and release
Stand up, roll your shoulders, stretch your arms overhead and shake out any tension. This helps release tightness and refocus your energy.
5. Go outside – and just be!
If you’re fortunate to have a garden, just sit there! Look at the sky, watch the clouds, listen to the birds, put your feet on the grass.
