Is your health and wellbeing a priority? Do you want to move through your day feeling more recharged and relaxed?
There’s a lot of pressure to do more, be more, keep busy and advance… go, go, go. With that can come feelings of being overwhelmed and overworked leading to chronic stress and anxiety. It is very common but not normal or healthy to live with chronic stress and tension from living a hectic lifestyle with no healthy and consistent downtime. Its impact on your body, mind and spirit are detrimental in so many ways.
Taking consistent breaks is extremely beneficial for your health and wellbeing. You don’t want to wait until you’re on the brink of burnout to finally take time off. You’ll end up taking off much more time due to burnout than a few restful breaks throughout your busy work days.
5 signs it’s time to take a break
- You feel computer fatigue (eye strain, headache, energetically drained)
- Working too much on one single task
- Hungry for lunch or a snack
- Feeling frustrated and need to clear your mind
- You find it hard to concentrate on anything
10 benefits of taking breaks
- De Stress
- Recharge
- Restore focus and attention
- Increase creativity
- Boost Energy
- Enhance your mood
- Restore Motivation
- Prevent Fatigue
- Gain New Perspective (this can be especially helpful if your work is becoming monotonous)
- Improve overall well being
5 reasons why you might struggle to take breaks
Do you find yourself resisting breaks, even when you know your body and mind are in need of rest and relaxation, or you are told by colleagues and loved ones that you should make time for breaks?
The struggle to take breaks can correlate with negative core beliefs. So understanding your resistance by uncovering these beliefs can help you shift them, allowing yourself to integrate breaks into your daily routine with more ease. I’ve included examples of negative core beliefs with the 5 reasons why you might struggle to take breaks.
- Self care/wellbeing not a priority: “I don’t deserve to rest”
- Feel like it’s slacking or laziness: “If I take a break then I feel not good enough”
- Feel like it’s waste of time: “If I take a break, then I’m not being productive”
- Believe breaks are for the weak minded: “It’s not ok to rest”
- Feel Judged: “If I take a break, people will think I’m worthless”
Take a break and give your soul what it needs. – Audrey Kitching
10 ways to take breaks
- Technology break
- Movement break
- Creative break
- Food break
- Daydreaming break
- Breath break
- Nature/Outdoor break
- Power nap break
- Mindfulness meditation break
- Social/Connection break
15 tips for taking breaks
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- Take breaks in the morning, afternoon and evening
- Lunch break is non negotiable. Make sure you eat and refuel your body
- Allow yourself to eat lunch and disconnect from work mentally, emotionally and physically
- Schedule breaks into your calendar
- 10-20 minute breaks are an ideal amount of time to refresh your mind
- Take a small break every 60-90 minutes
- Take 60 second micro breaks to rest your eyes, stand up and stretch or step outside briefly for fresh air
- Don’t push yourself all day to “rest” later (there will always be more stuff to do later)
- If you can’t take a break it’s really helpful to switch tasks
- Notice what kind of breaks help you feel certain ways.. More energized, more relaxed, etc. that way you know exactly which kind you need for different times
- Learning how to rest throughout the day helps you sleep better at night
- If you notice yourself struggling mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually. Take a break
- Know the signs that your body and mind give you that say it’s time to refresh
- Check in with yourself periodically throughout the day: Ask yourself “What do I need right now?” And listen to the answer
- Find what works best for you
Yes, sometimes you need to do important things during your breaks and that’s fine but I do want to emphasize the importance of taking relaxing and rejuvenating breaks. Doing things that help you feel more positive and relaxed by completely disconnecting from career stress and life’s worries.
One of the ways I teach my clients to rest and relax is using Restorative yoga. Check out my desk yoga videos on my YouTube channel so you can enjoy short and easy practices that will help you feel less stressed and more relaxed.
