Take A Break!!

When I am on a roll with something I have been trying to get it done, it’s difficult for me to step away from it and take a minute to relax… anyone else? Even though it may be hard to believe that stepping AWAY from your work for 10-15 minutes can make your MORE productive, research shows that this is actually the case. A break helps your brain rest and recuperate from strenuous activities like decision making, problem solving, concentrating, and communicating. With all of the choices we have to make on a daily basis, not giving your brain a break may mean a decrease in your ability to reason. If you don’t give your brain this time to recover, you actual reduce your brain’s ability to be creative and make connections. A short break can also restore your motivation to move forward with your work and prevent burn out. Not only can a long stretch of time working be hard on you mentally, it can also take a toll on your body physically. If you have a desk job, you may suffer eye and neck strain from staring at a computer screen for long periods of time. Those who do physical labor obviously need to give their body time to rest as well. Taking time to step away from your work also lowers your stress level, which contributes to other health issues, like high blood pressure and depression. Take a few minutes out of your day to unplug and unwind can benefit you more then you may realize! This week I challenge you to plan a 15 minute break into your day and see how much you can change!