Destress & Maximize Energy by Taking a Break
Sometimes it feels counterproductive to take a break. But no matter what kind of work we are doing: a corporate job, entrepreneurship, motherhood… taking a break usually leads to better productivity than if you just keep powering through.
We are meant to balance our energy between work and play, that is something that our ancestors have done for thousands and thousands of years, we have evolved to need and desire balance in life.
I think that it takes a certain amount of trust in myself to know that I CAN take a break, and to believe that when the break is over, I’ll be more productive than I would have been without the break. Sometimes I get nervous that the opposite will happen and I’ll miss out on prime time to complete important tasks. But I have to remember that the break, mentally and physically is just as important than the task.
Not taking breaks actually creates stress on our body. And stress is produced by the hormone cortisol. Did you know that cortisol is such a dominant hormone that when it is present in our body, our body can’t release other important hormones such as the ones we need to digest our food or get proper rest at night. By overworking and not taking breaks, we can find ourselves in a trap of chronic cortisol. I love how Mark Sisson describes this in Mark’s Daily Apple:
What happens when stress hits? Cortisol appears. If stress sticks around, or constantly wells up, cortisol levels become chronic and disrupt your endocrine system. Chronic cortisol opposes testosterone production. Chronic cortisol reduces thyroid hormone production and impairs the conversion of inactive T4 to active T3. Chronic cortisol makes you insulin-resistant. Click here to read more.
So what kind of breaks should we take and when? Follow these four simple strategies to taking breaks and reducing stress:
#1 - Get more rest. Go to bed an hour earlier than usual or take a midday nap! There are huge benefits to napping, as Sisson says:
Far from being anti-productivity wastes of time, a well-timed nap can boost cognitive function, improve work output, and make you healthier, happier, and a better employee (and person).
And especially in the evening, taking a break in the evening from simulation such as television, and letting yourself wind-down before going to bed can help your sleep be more consistent and more restorative. Some experts recommend turning off all screens at least one hour before bedtime. Then, try to get a good solid 8 hours of sleep, at least a couple of days each week if not every night! Not only feels good the next day, but it makes me so much more productive because I actually can think better and I feel more motivated.
#2 - Exercise! A quick 20-min mid day yoga session or a mile long run or jog can make a huge difference in our day and create endorphins in our blood stream - which are happy feelings that will help us feel more motivated when we come back to our tasks.
#3 - Move in a non-exercise way. Exercise is definitely super important, but it can also be another task on our todo list that can add stress if we don’t get to it or prioritize it in our day. Exercise isn’t always a true break for our mind and body when we condition ourselves to go-go-go. So while I highly recommend an exercise routine for most people, it’s not necessarily what we should consider as our break. Try going for a 10-min walk around the block, and just deep breath and listen to the sounds around you as you move. Grab a soccer ball and kick it around in the backyard or shoot some hoops, play with your dog for 10 min, do a bit of gardening. These movements help keep our bodies healthy and our hormones balanced and they can add up throughout the day to really make a difference. We are conditioned since childhood to sit still and not get up in the middle of class, and this can be detrimental to our health as we age. Keeping that youthful desire to move alive is very important to our health and productivity.
#4 - Enjoy some quiet time. Turn off all music, artificial noise and talk, go somewhere you can be alone and take a break from the sounds that can trigger stress hormones to rise. If you can sit outside and just close your eyes and listen to the sounds of nature, those are sounds we evolved over thousands of years to enjoy and create balance in our bodies. We need to turn off the noise sometimes to really hear the beautiful sounds that God has provided for us, these natural sounds can be very soothing to our bodies as well as our minds. Spend some time meditating, praying or practicing a visualization.
I try to focus on at least one of these four practices each day to maximize my energy, keep my stress levels down and create a sense of peace in my body and mind.
Most of my adult life I didn’t make these 4 practices a priority at all. I think we all have to find our own way to discover the importance of creating balance through taking breaks from work and the business of life. I’ve been on the verge of burnout several times before committing to these 4 practices.
And somehow what I’m doing right now, creating a business that I really care about, something that I love to do and lights me up, has made me go above and beyond to take care of myself in a way I never did before this. I think I finally realized how important I am and the success that I’m capable of. So I’m willing to invest in myself a lot more these days. To think about how I’m feeling, to make sure I don’t wear myself too thin. So taking breaks has become a practice that I do prioritize now, and I’m really proud of that!
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