Switch Off shows you how to take that sorely-needed time-out. We all know about the benefits of slowing down and disconnecting: reduced stress, higher satisfaction, better performance, higher productivity, tighter focus, reduced depression and innumerable other positive health effects. The big question is, "How?" When we're all stuck in a cycle of demands and pressure it feels hard to prioritise slowing down. How do we step back and find the time to take care of ourselves? This book shows you how to let go of the guilt, turn off the phone and step away to re-energise and re-focus. Whether you need a true vacation or just an uninterrupted cup of tea, you'll learn how to integrate the skills of slowing down into your life so you can do what you need, when you need it. Written by a health professional who has witnessed the impact of being constantly switched on both professionally and personally, this book gives you more than permission to disconnect it gives you a real-world blueprint for taking the time thatyou need.

This book shows you why it's so important to slow down, and how it actuallyis possible in what can be a pressured and overwhelming world.Choose how you use your timeStop feeling guilty for practising self-careBoost your energy and productivity levelsHarness the power of perspective and focusLearn how to create an environment that supports your health and wellbeing

From the executive needing time to contemplate big decisions, to the teenager closing their bedroom door to be alone, we all need time to disconnect.Switch Off shows you how to do just that, with expert guidance with you the whole way.

Angela Lockwood is an occupational therapist, the founder of The Place for Health, a health education company helping people individually and in organisations to prioritise their own health and wellbeing, and the author ofThe Power of Conscious Choice. For more information, visit www.angelalockwood.com.au.

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction: A message from the author xi

Part I: The burden of connection 1

1 Worklife integration 5

2 Constant connectivity 13

3 Workplace overwhelm 23

Part II: When to switch off 35

4 Understanding your behaviours 39

5 Understanding your triggers 47

6 Flicking the switch 59

Part III: Regaining control 69

7 We can choose 73

8 Phase 1: Disconnect 87

9 Phase 2: Re-energise 101

10 Phase 3: Refocus 127

Part IV: Designing your habitat for health 135

11 Setting up for success 139

12 Your picture and your people 145

13 Your time 159

14 To be at your best 177

Final message 197

Index 199