How to Take a (Real) Mental Break

If you’ve been feeling exhausted you have probably heard the ubiquitous reply of “you should take a break.” You may have also found your response being “how?” Between work, school, kids, daily tasks, and everything else life throws at us, how do you find the time? How can a break even be restful if you have so much on your plate and it feels like it just grows? It takes time and intention, but there are ways to make breaks feel peaceful again and even help our productivity.

What Is a Real Break?

Oftentimes people confuse taking a vacation with taking a break. A vacation can be a break for many, but it is not the only option available. A vacation might not even be a break if we find we’re spending the whole time worrying about the same kinds of things we worried about at home. Ultimately a real break is clearing our mind of those worries, even for a moment. For example, if someone’s at work and during lunch they eat while going over everything that’s happened throughout the day and everything that’s coming up, they had a working lunch rather than a lunch break. If they set their work aside and focus on enjoying their food, taking a walk and focusing on the walk, talking with coworkers and engaging in the conversation, etc., then they’ve had a lunch break. It isn’t even necessary to make it as long as a lunch. Even taking thirty seconds to breathe or stretch and leave the current task alone for a moment can help us clear our minds. This is a skill that can be easier said than done. If you find difficulties with this, start with something shorter or in a less stressful environment to practice the skill.

Breaks Can Increase Productivity

So why out work into improving your relaxation skill? Aside from mental health benefits, it has more pragmatic applications as well. If someone is regularly taking time away from a project it actually helps us to focus more, think clearer, and work faster. It’s like if we were told we could have a surgeon who just had a nice rest and a good breakfast, or one at the end of their 6th 14 hour shift for the week. Just about everyone is choosing the rested doctor because they’re more likely to be able to do their best work. The same is true for every job and every task. If we can take time to take care of ourselves then we make it up in our output. We can even relax more efficiently if we do it often enough!