I need a break! Yes, your brain needs breaks, like your body after an intense activity: weight lifting, running, or after an illness. Brain breaks are for recovery after building and learning – and returning yourself to a baseline level. Healthy physical recovery choices include rest, ice, water, or nutrition. Unhealthy recovery choices include excessive rest that weakens muscles, sitting too long without moving, and consuming sugary drinks or junk food.
Now let’s translate that to your brain and understand checking-out vs re-charging. Smartphones, computer screens, and electronics are amazing. They grab our attention, help us get lost in amusing entertainment, connect with others, and give easy access to research questions. These devices help us check-out, turn our brains off, turn stressors off, and block out problems and anxieties.
Checking-out is like turning your phone off; when you turn it back on, you have the same battery life you had before. The problem with checking-out is that as soon as you stop, your stress and fatigue levels immediately come to the front of your mind. Checking-out is OK to do, but only at the right times. Instead of checking-out, let’s figure out how to plug-in and fill up that battery.
When you need a break, it’s time to re-charge and recover, not turn off. Re-charging activities add to your rest, energy, health, and peace of mind. Re-charging activities can be a good meal, a walk, intentional breathing, and slowing down. Reading fiction books for a predetermined time can help you recover by being transported to a different world. Stimulating the other half of your brain will re-charge the thinking (cognitive) parts you use when studying, going to classes, working, and handling problems.
- Do you check-out when you need a break?
- Where are you spending time (or losing time) to checking-out? (ex: cat videos, FaceBook, TikTok, Snapchat, mindless scrolling, doom-scrolling, video games, matching games, video gambling, IG reels)
- Write down five small ways to re-charge and then put them into your next weekly sheet. Commit to trying at least one of the items today so your body and brain can learn what feeling better is like when you have work to do. If you can do this once a day (or more), you will get better at feeling relief at a faster pace. 2 minutes a day and your brain will start learning
Need ideas?
- 2 min deep breathing
- 10 minutes of laying down and doing nothing
- 15-minute walk
- shower or bath
- put on lotion
- eat a meal or a snack with protein and fiber
- talking face to face or on the phone with someone who makes you feel good
- journaling your thoughts for 5 minutes
- standing up from your desk and stretching all your limbs
Need bigger ideas?
Set a timer and spend 15, 30, 60 minutes on a craft or piece of art. Anything creative to get your brain out of mindless-time will transition your mind to re-charge.
Do something rhythmic that moves your body - walking, running, dancing in your living room, even leg lunges down the hallway will change your mindset.
Work on a puzzle, board game, solitaire or multiple player card game for 30 minutes. Engage the playful and strategic parts of your mind.
Play music, sing songs, play an instrument, dig out old CDs. Listen to an entire album.
Cook a delicious meal. Make a smoothie that you really want to consume. Simmer something that smells amazing on the stovetop.
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