Take a Break from Work
In our society, it’s easy to fall prey to a message that working hard means not taking breaks, but that’s not true. Caring for yourself by taking breaks is essential to your work performance and overall well-being. While research indicates that when a worker takes several fixed breaks throughout the day, there is an increase in work satisfaction and efficiency (Li, Xu, & Fu, 2020), the benefits don’t stop there. If you’re wavering on taking a short break at work today, let these reasons be your motivation to take a break today.
5 Reasons to Take a Break Today
1. Re-focus
Working for prolonged periods can reduce your focus and concentration. If you find your mind wandering off or catch yourself task-switching to keep yourself engaged, this is your sign to take a break.
If you’ve been staring at your screen, giving yourself a short break from technology will be essential to aid your brain in re-energizing. If you can incorporate movement into your break, this will also help. Taking a short walk around the office or stretching at your desk is all it will take to reset your brain to produce more optimal cognitive function.
2. Get Unstuck
We’ve all hit a block in our work where our capacity to be innovative and solution-focused seems compromised. Taking a break can help to stimulate our creativity and facilitate more effective problem-solving. Taking advantage of a break to re-center will be most beneficial. Consider doing a short guided meditation, do some deep breathing, or take a moment to orient to your surroundings by activating your senses. Notice how it feels to sit on the chair or stand on the floor, take in the scents of your office, feel the temperature in the room, look at the colors of the furniture, and listen to the sounds around you. These grounding techniques can help to reduce stress and unlock the parts of your brain that drive creativity and problem-solving.
3. Build Relationships
Informal conversations with our co-workers are the most powerful for fostering teamwork and collaborative success. Taking a break to connect with a colleague will help to increase your sense of connectedness and give you a much-needed break from the grind. Ask them about their weekend plans, tell them about that fun new immersive art exhibit you went to, or check in about how their kids are doing. These are the kinds of connections that grow into meaningful working relationships over time.
4. Nurture Your Body
Let’s be honest; it’s easy to get caught up in work and forget to stop and take care of our personal needs. Taking a break allows you to eat and stay hydrated. The reality is that without proper nutrition and hydration, there is no way you can sustain your energy and cognitive function throughout the workday. Grab a snack, fill up your water bottle at the water station, or do a quick yoga pose (or two or three) to stretch out all those tight muscles.
5. Do Something For You
So you haven’t made that doctor’s appointment or called the babysitter? Taking a break to attend to something on your personal to-do list accomplishes two essential tasks - taking care of yourself and getting a brain break from work. You could even take a moment to read an article online, send a text to a loved one, or watch a funny dog video. Who doesn’t love a funny dog video?!?!
You can take a few short breaks in a day and find yourself more productive, satisfied, and engaged. Give yourself the love you deserve and step away from your desk occasionally. The benefits to yourself and your work are innumerable.
ABOUT ME
Hello! I’m Karen, a psychologist specializing in supporting leaders to care for their mental health and improve their heart-centered leadership through a journey of self-discovery in therapy. I write blog posts like this to indulge my passion for writing and provide information to those interested in self-development. This blog is for information purposes only and is not a form of or replacement for psychological service or treatment. If you live in Oregon and are interested in working with me, please consider checking out my website to learn more about me and my services.
Reference
Kai Li, Shuling Xu & Hong Fu (2020) Work-break scheduling with real-time fatigue effect and recovery, International Journal of Production Research, 58:3, 689-702.
