I’ve long been a fan of taking little breaks, but that wasn’t always the case. I was raised with a very strong work ethic- unfortunately I mistook that for meaning you work, work, work, work heads-down until the job is done.
News flash: this is not a good strategy. As the old saying goes, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”…. if only being dull was the worst of it. Truth is, working too long without break can increase stress and blood sugar, cause lack of ability to focus, strained eyesight and pain in the body (among other body challenges).
Enter micro energy breaks. Little snippets of activity that break up the monotony of physically or mentally draining tasks. These breaks can help us to cope with long periods of focus, especially taking the strain off our bodies.
This article from the BBC highlights these micro breaks and even delves into a couple fascinating studies where these breaks were tested. The one I found really telling was the difference between the surgeons who took microbreaks versus not. If I end up under the knife anytime in the future, I’m definitely talking to my doc about taking microbreak.
While this is all good, I do think it’s important to note that microbreaks are about standing up, stretching, getting your eyes off the screen, not getting lost on Facebook or catching up on the latest episode of Tiger King.
What do you think? Have your tried micro breaks? Let us know if these have worked for you.
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