Many leaders, high performers, managers of under-resourced teams and HR professionals often feel too drained to find ways to rest and restore. And yet one of the most responsible things anyone can do for themselves and others is to learn how to restore. 

Restoration is a practice, something you should do regularly, with awareness and compassion, as an integral part of life. It’s not a nice to have to do once in a while, it’s a must have competency, if you want to stay well in body, mind and heart and have satisfying and connecting relationships.

How, then, can you regularly recharge your sense of purpose, possibility, joy and belonging?

A 2025 HR Mental Wellbeing Survey found that the vast majority of HR professionals report symptoms of low mood, anxiety, and fatigue. Over three-quarters show signs of burnout or are at significant risk. Nearly half are thinking of leaving the profession. Beyond the HR profession, 9 in 10 UK adults experienced high or extreme stress in 2023 and a fifth of workers hit breaking point, needing to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress.

These are shocking statistics. Day-to-day life often consists of impossible commitments and workloads, unrealistic demands to always be ‘on’. There is little to no time for many to even begin restoring, let alone to do it sustainably.

Embracing nature’s season of rest

In the northern hemisphere, we are currently in nature’s season of rest, restoration and regeneration. The trouble is, we have become so busy and alienated from the natural rhythm of life that we don’t notice what nature beckons us to do.

Rest and restoration is not just time off, more sleep and relaxation. To restore means to rebalance your nervous system and sense of wellbeing. Sustained stress, ‘doing mode’ and high alert (fight & flight) flood the body with cortisol and adrenaline. While this is healthy in short bursts to keep us alert, in the long term it’s highly detrimental to your mental, physical and spiritual health. 

Striking a balance between your ‘doing’ mode and ‘being’ mode

From a neuroscientific perspective, chronic stress impairs prefrontal cortex decision-making, empathy, and creativity. These are the very faculties we rely on when we have responsibilities for others, such as leaders, managers, staff, and HR professionals.

To be well, you need to have a healthy balance between your mind’s ‘doing’ and ‘being’ modes. Being mode doesn’t necessarily mean ‘not doing anything’. Rather, it involves engaging in activities that have no agenda, for example walking in nature without looking at your phone, or listening to music or a podcast, as enjoyable as these may be. 

In this digital age of information overload, most people’s minds suffer from overstimulation, trapped in cortisol cycles, and not knowing how to switch off. It’s a severe issue for many, because it keeps you on the treadmill of doing, which further increases stress and exhaustion. 

The neurochemicals you need to keep in check

Sustainable performance, psychological wellbeing, and mental health depend on the brain’s ability to keep key neurochemicals in balance, a state that helps regulate the nervous system and supports clarity, creativity and resilience (reduces reactivity and dysregulation).

• Oxytocin fosters feelings of safety, connection, and trust, activating the parasympathetic “rest and restore” response.
• Dopamine fuels motivation, purpose, and drive, helping you stay engaged and inspired.
• Cortisol, when kept within a healthy range, supports focus, alertness, and energy – what psychologists call eustress, or positive stress, which helps you rise to challenges, maintain focus and be at your best.

When you approach exhaustion and burnout, you’re depleted in oxytocin and dopamine, while cortisol is firing overtime.

Four restoration strategies to help you truly recharge

Step 1: Start where you are

Bring kindness, honesty and compassion to yourself. This means willingly engaging with your difficulty, turning towards it without identifying with it, and acknowledging how things are right now.

For example, you could say to yourself: “This is difficult right now. I’m struggling. I’m feeling stressed and exhausted.” This is paramount. When stressed, drained and overwhelmed, don’t judge yourself harshly, as this adds more pressure and makes things even worse.

Step 2: Develop tiny habits to rest and restore 

It’s better to start with a tiny habit, make it consistent, and build it up over time, than to aim high and give up. In the long run, tiny is more powerful.

For example, every hour or between video calls, take a short break away from the screen. Step outside for some fresh air, or look out the window at the trees. Set a timer to remind yourself to become your own kind boss, giving you permission and encouragement to take a break.

Move mindfully between tasks. Stretch your whole body, roll your neck and shoulders and shake things out. These exercises are ideal for releasing tension and tightness in the body. They get the fluids in the joints going to prevent stiffness, regulate the nervous system, and revitalise the whole body.

Pause regularly and take three to five conscious breaths. Something so simple as a few deeper breaths can help you come back to your senses, soothe the nervous system and ground you in the here and now. This creates space in which you can think more clearly and act more wisely. It’s a direct antidote to staying stuck in reactivity, stress and overwhelm.

Every day, make an intention to notice something beautiful, something you enjoy and appreciate (in yourself, others, and your surroundings). Letting in the good stuff fosters positive emotion and wellbeing. And it’s deeply enjoyable too!

Step 3: Lead by example

As  an HR professional, you need to model restoration: take visible breaks, have digital-free meals, set clear boundaries between work and private life, take time out to reflect (on a walk, in a café), and encourage no-meeting mornings and deep work hours.

Leaders who model work-life balance set a coherent tone across teams and hence the organisation. 

Introduce regular check-ins at the beginning of team meetings. Make time to go around  each person and hear how they are. This encourages naming emotions, building trust and psychological safety. It normalises vulnerability around fatigue and struggles with overwhelm, worry and anxiety. This dedicated time is a paramount investment in employee mental health and wellbeing. 

Communicate, repeatedly, that rest is vital for creativity and productivity and absolutely not lazy. Perhaps share at staff meetings your regular restoration strategy and the impact it has on you. This can help some staff let go of the guilt and restlessness often caused by overidentifying with work and high work ethics (needing to perform all the time to feel safe, approved of vs judged for not performing all the time). 

Step 4: Create an organisational culture where people feel they belong and have permission to rest, be well and creative

As a leader, you determine, influence and shape company culture: what you model, how you show up, how you act matters. You are impacting others and organisational life. Create conditions that allow and encourage others to be well, grow, develop and flourish. Be mindful of the organisational pace – is it always on or balanced? Review workloads, how you run meetings (and how often), working hours and restoration time. These are all systemic issues. 

Restoration is revolutionary

Rest and restoration is not an indulgence, it’s a non-negotiable for you and your colleagues. When the body, mind and heart rest, the brain rewires, and neural circuits of stress give way to those of creativity and compassion. Engagement, wellbeing and productivity then happen naturally.

Reaping these rewards, though, requires a work culture where rest and restoration are integral and lived values are deeply embedded in organisational structures and processes. 

Restoration is revolutionary. You can begin today.