Everybody needs a holiday. Whether it’s to the beach, to ski, or a weekend city break, taking time out from the mundane everyday routine is an essential part of life for career or work-oriented people. It’s so common to hear people around the workplace talking about their upcoming holiday or trip with excitement, most often accompanied by the phrase “I just need a break.”

However, as stimulating and as fun as holidays can be, they’re not always particularly restful or even healthy for our bodies. More often than not, a holiday means large indulgent meals, sleeping late, imbibing in more alcoholic beverages than normal, and loafing around in the sun. As appealing as these things are, people often find that they return to work still feeling worn down or tired, and may even get sick quickly after returning from what was supposed to be a restful break.

There are alternatives to the kind of holiday described above, and while they may not sound as fun when described to co-workers, they are ideal for restoring mind, body, and spirit. Try a weekend at a relaxation spa or natural hot springs retreat. Here, you can receive restorative body treatments, each healthy and enriching food, and ‘un-plug’ from all the technology that’s a part of your daily life. Or, rent a cottage or cabin that is away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Take time to cook a full meal, read a book, write in a journal or practise mediation.

The ones described above are just a few of the many options for those that want to take an alternative holiday. In order to fully reap the benefits, the most important things to do to on a restorative holiday are as follows:

• Refrain from any excess: food, alcohol, sleep, or rich and indulgent sweets. While these things are pleasurable, loading your body with them while you are trying to get healthy and rested is counter-productive.

• Take yourself out of the hustle: Don’t attempt to find quite and stillness if you’re staying in a hotel in the middle of the city’s best nightclubs and bars. Remove yourself from the temptation to go out on the town and your body will thank you.

It’s not reasonable to expect to be good at something right away. When you try something new like a craft, exercise, or other physical activity, you usually have the expectation that you won’t be very good at it on your first try. Getting yourself to a passable level of proficiency will require practice, repetition, and skill building. Trying to get centred through the relaxation and mindfulness of meditation is no different.

People seem to think that all that meditation entails is sitting down and doing nothing. While this is partially true, the mental practice of meditation is much harder than it looks. This is why so many people try, and fail, to integrate mediation into a part of their daily routine.

In our daily lives, we are so overrun with external stimuli that our mind almost never has a chance to rest. Mentally, we get used to this cycle—if we’re not thinking about what’s going on in our immediate surroundings we are always thinking about what’s coming up next. That is why when we take pause and seek a few minutes of letting our minds rest, they do not know how to turn off. Here are some tips to giving meditation a try for the first time:

• The right setting for meditation is in a darkened and quiet room. While it needn’t be totally silent, turn off any loud televisions and silence your cell phone.

• Keep in mind that when you first begin practising meditation, your mind may not be totally empty the entire time, but that is okay. Try and follow your breath and slow your thoughts from a rushing river to a calm pond.

Life is full of its share of difficulties, hurdles and trying times. It’s rare that someone manages to go through life without any major setbacks or failures. Too often though, when these hard times arise, we tend to focus only on the bad aspects of our lives, and completely forget about all that we have to be thankful for. This negative mental attitude tends to pervade its way into all of our thoughts, until we can’t even appreciate the good things in life any more.

A great way to keep things in perspective and focus on all that’s good in one’s life is keeping a gratitude journal. The premise is simple: each day, no matter what happens, write down a simple list of things you are grateful for. These can be as small as the smile that the cashier at the grocery store gave you or as big as the love and support you’ve received from your family throughout your life. By giving mental thanks for all the good things in your life in the form of writing them down, you are fostering a positive mental attitude that you won’t even fully realise. You may find your friends and family remarking on your positive attitude and cherry outlook. The effects of maintaining a positive mental attitude will continue without limitations. Here are some examples of the many small things to be thankful for. While these things may seem minute, it’s important to remember that not everyone has these things.

It's hard to think of anything more relaxing than lying in a bubble bath after a hard day at work. But turning a bathroom into your personal oasis doesn't start and finish with a good bath. Filling the room with the scent of aromatic fragrances and the use of special bath salts takes the whole experience one step further.

However, no bath alone can truly transform a bathroom into the ultimate relax centre. To achieve this you must add better décor, furnishings and, most importantly, the right lighting. Furniture pieces such as cabinets can be added to store towels, sponges and other accessories. It works best especially if everything follows the same style and has complimentary colour schemes. In smaller bathrooms a vanity shelf can be replaced with a tiny shelf above the mirror.

Bath Gift Set Baskets always add a great touch to any bathroom, designer bathroom rugs also help to warm colder bathroom tones, and the same goes for shower curtains which are a great way to add colour to white tiled floors which are invariably found in most bathrooms. Small figurines, sea shells, decorative candles and stylish mirrors all spruce up the look and add a personal touch. Bathroom decor designs can range from contemporary chic to vintage to minimalist – the varieties and options are endless. The theme you pick should represent your personality. Lighting is another vital attribute; you want to make sure you have enough light to see clearly, but the light shouldn't be too harsh.

Meditating is the act of relaxation through calming the mind. It can be effective in reducing stress and promoting better general health. If you're new to meditation, here are few simple tips that might help you enjoy the process.

Focus If you prefer to have your eyes open, find a point directly in front of you, or just within yourself. If you have your eyes closed, try to imagine staring at a solid object.

Trickling Thoughts The human mind is active even during sleep, so attempting to silence it entirely is likely to distract or aggravate you. Simply be aware of your thoughts and accept them, whatever they are.

Control your breath Your breath should be audible, and ideally your out breaths will double the number of in breaths, giving the mind a job and drawing it away from the thoughts.

Music A calming soundtrack, like the sounds of a gushing waterfall, may help you relax far better than sitting still a quiet room – it's really a matter of trial and error. However, all music should be kept at a low volume so it does not overpower your thoughts.

Yoga, also known as meditation for the mind, does wonders for the mind and body and has been known to significantly reduce stress and anxiety. Should you be new to the practice and looking to see which style would best suit your lifestyle and approach to exercise; Kundalini yoga may well be the answer or at the very least, a good starting point.

Kundalini yoga or the yoga of awareness differs from Ashtanga, Vinyasa or even Hatha yoga in that it focuses on attaining spiritual enlightenment primarily, and developing physical strength after. The practice originated from the term Kundalini, or what is otherwise known as the totality of energy, the constant and infinite flow of creative energy within us all. In order to awaken that energy and unblock the energy centres or chakra's in the body, one must perform a series of postures or asanas at varying speeds and at times sequentially.

Starting with the spine or base chakra, a combination of these postures and hand gestures known as mudras will gradually allow the upward flow of energy, until the crown (top of head) is eventually reached. A typical Kundalini yoga session will also combine breathing exercises, in a controlled and repetitive way. The duration of a class will vary from 60 to 90minutes, depending on where you choose to have your session. A trained and certified yoga teacher will advise you to practice Kundalini whenever possible in the morning, on an empty stomach.

A new you can mean a new way of thinking, a new sense of self - or just an entirely new approach to skin care. With the beauty world taking notice to its consumer's evolving needs by introducing gentler, skin friendly products, there's really no better time than now to start cleansing your cosmetics and introducing natural, organic products that are more nourishing to the new you.  

All of this Aussie brand skin care range is certified organic and made entirely from either plant or mineral based ingredients, meaning they are 100% gentle to the skin. Boasting the cooling and calming properties of the rose flower, and proven to be effective in treating inflamed skin, this Organic Rosewater by Pukka is a must try. It's even suitable for all skin types and can be used as a natural toner after cleansing, or simply to hydrate dry and tired skin when needed.

Although designed to use with the Camelia & Rose Moisturiser, the Pai Organic muslin cloth can be just as effective without. Made from an unbleached natural fibre cloth, this gem promises to gently exfoliate while carefully cleansing the skin. It also comes in single or multiple packs.

If you are feeling low and lethargic, with little motivation for life, first try natural ways to improve your mood before turning to the doctor and medication.

Exercise is well known for releasing endorphins, however there are also properties within certain types of foods that are believed to have positive benefits on your mental health.

As well as being packed with vitamin E, these tasty morsels also contain plenty of selenium, a mineral that has been linked to lowering depression. Stick to a few a day, as they are also very high in calories.

Protein has high levels of amino acid phenylaline, which increase the brain's levels of dopamine, the happy and alert brain chmical. Research is being undertaken to see if pheylaline can even help combat the symptoms Parkinsons disease. Whilst all protein is a good source of phenylaline, white meat has particularly high levels, and is typically healthier than red meat.

Broccoli is naturally high in vitamin B and folic acid. Vitamin B has been linked to lifting moods and studies have shown that those with low folate levels may be more susceptible to depression. Broccoli is also a great all-round ‘superfood' maintaining health as well as mood.

Not only can chocolate make you feel better because you are enjoying it, it also increases levels of serotonin, another brain chemical linked to being happy. It also contains anadamine, a chemical with mood uplifting properties. Opt for dark chocolate to minimise calorie and sugar intake.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to get out of bed on a Monday morning, dreading the day and the week that looms ahead? And, once at work, do you find yourself ‘going through the motions', barely waiting until 5.30pm when you can escape? Worse still if you find yourself in the sort of hectic career that demands even longer hours.

Be strict and really ask yourself why you're sticking with the job. No doubt you'll come up with the usual answers: you don't have experience in anything else; you can't afford to retrain; you can't drop to a junior salary and you don't know what else that you would (or could) do.

All of these are genuine stumbling blocks, but it's nothing that can't be overcome with work. However, you also need to be honest with yourself and really confront the reasons not to change career head on. With support and a bit of honest evaluation of yourself, all of the above can be easily overcome. You need to dig deep to discover the real reason; if (hypothetically) all of those problems were not there, then what would you feel about taking the plunge? Fear? This is often the real reason people don't change the things that bother them about their lives. Successful people are often credited with being risk takers, and it's because of this positive attitude to change and uncertainty that enables them to achieve their desired goals. Successful people still have fears, but it is because they are able to recognise and challenge them that they are able to move on. Nothing is unachievable, if it is right for you. Once you have realised this and can change your self-limiting attitude, then you too will be able to overcome any anxieties that might be holding you back.

To get started, make a list of all your skills. Include everything: those gained in your personal life, those that you feel are natural skills, and of course, those gained at work. Then make another list, this time of your interests. Closely examine the two and see where there are correlations, and where this might fit in with gainful employment. You'll probably start to see a natural pattern emerging. Ask a friend to do the same activity on your behalf and you might find that they can spot things that you didn't think of by looking at your skills and interests with a fresh perspective.

Next, make a new list of any careers that match your interests and skill set. What appeals most to you? There's a good chance that you will have identified a few careers, and it might be worthwhile honing the list down to one (or perhaps a second to bear in mind, as back up) in order to give you something to focus on. Now you need to research what steps you need to take in order to gain employment. This could be writing a business plan, signing up to take extra qualifications, or simply going and finding experience. This may have to be on a lower salary than you were used to, or even unpaid to begin with. Don't use this as a reason though not to try it. There are always options available – getting a small business or a personal loan to cover expenses for a few months or whilst studying, changing your accommodation to suit a lower budget, and of course, cutting down on what you spend. This is all possible and all worth it.