It was 1am.

"Like any tired muscle, our brains need regular rest."(Image via iStock)

Giving yourself permission to relax is a tricky thing to do. We are all primed to believe that sitting down and kicking your feet up is lazy. The desire to appear busy is such an epidemic that many workplaces now have to enforce the rule that no-one eats at their desk. Madness.

Everyone from stay-at-home mums to corporate CEOs struggle to convince themselves they deserve some downtime in their lives.

My micro-managing lifestyle - the fallout from a pretty intense few weeks of some massive life changes - was not healthy. I was panicked about how much I had to do alone, and how I would do it. But burning the candle from both ends (and the middle, and the sides) was leaving me exhausted and overwhelmed. I woke up tired, and went to bed exhausted. Something had to change.

Listen: Simple rituals to stave off the blues. (Post continues after audio.)

So, I gave myself permission to relax.

"Several studies have shown that a walk in nature or listening to music can trigger the mind-wandering mode,” says Dr Levitin. “This acts as a neural reset button, and provides much needed perspective on what you’re doing.”

"My mission: to schedule down time into my diary. And stick to it."

Downtime, daydreaming, and relaxing, are the only conditions which our brain has time to create. It’s the time which you will solve problems, sharpen skills, build confidence, and really engage with our thoughts.