In an increasingly efficient world, we spend everyday trying to do and be better. We obsess over our performance in school, university, and the office, always feeling like we are lacking and like we cannot feel better. Although these are extremely stressful and overwhelming situations, it’s important to know that there’s a way to help you cope with them, and allow yourself to relax more, even while your life continues to be like this.

Getty Images / Moment / Natalia Gdovskaia

One of the most important tips to prioritize your wellbeing is to take a break. The contents of that break can vary widely, but often it begins with a bunch of hours where you simply sleep. Even if you don’t necessarily feel sleep deprived, sleep is an excellent way for your body to recover without you even having to put thought into making it feel better. It is nature’s way of allowing us to heal everyday while not putting too much thought into it.

Another thing to keep in mind is how you’re using your free time. Often, we notice people who feel awful about not working, even while they’re supposed to be resting. This issue usually ends in you lounging around, trying to watch television or Netflix, while constantly thinking about the work we could be attending to at that moment. Instead of becoming relaxed during your free time, you end up feeling guilty.

Also, food is something we sometimes don’t think about too hard. It’s not something to think deeply about, just a part of our routine as human beings to get steady energy. We sometimes forget that our daily meals shouldn’t be more instances where we feel stressed and unhappy, but moments where we choose to disengage from our work completely. There’s a reason there are lunch breaks in schools and offices exclusively for us to consume food, because they understand that it’s important to not let combine the two.