Self-care is Not a Waste of Time

Many people do not acknowledge that taking breaks is necessary for us to perform at our best, no matter what we are working on. And even fewer people are intentional as to the when, why, and how of taking breaks. 

Intentional breaks are just that…intentional. 

You must consciously make the choice of when and how to take a break. The when is a deliberate stopping whatever you are doing to implement a mindful break. Whether you are at work, home, school; the where is not as important as knowing the break must happen. 

But why? 

The why of the break is about giving ourselves a moment to refresh, renew, relieve, or restore us in the moment so that we can go onto our next moment with more clarity and energy. Studies show that taking breaks throughout the day increases productivity to whatever task is being focused on. 

Breaks are a vital part of self-care. Self-care is often thought of as a significant activity like a big vacation, or a trip to the spa when in reality, it is more about finding those intentional breaks throughout the day to pause. 

This takes us to the next point of the purpose of the break. It may be walking away from an overwhelming moment to collect your emotions, to try to think clearly or to rest your body. It can be taking a break in between tasks to help transition you into the next thing. It can be to refocus your energy, stop a ruminating thought, remove yourself from a difficult situation, or rest for a hard task later in the day. 

Whatever the reason is, it will help if you can give a concrete cause for the break. This will also help with the how of the break. You will then choose what the break can look like based on what the purpose is. If it is about getting a moment to gather yourself, you can take a quick break to the restroom, take some deep breathes, wash your hands while you feel the warm water and smell the soap as you rub it in, and then proceed back to what you were doing. A longer break might be going for a walk or bike ride, taking a shower/bath, reading a book, having a cup of tea, listening to calming music, watching a tv show, actually taking your lunchtime, go out with friends, and the list could go on and on. 

The point is that the how of the break should align with the why of the break.

For example, if an important value of yours (the why) is to have a human connection and this is what refreshes you then find a way to do a break that emphasizes this. It can include simply asking a family member how their day was, going out for a cup of coffee with a friend, interacting with the cashier at the grocery store, ask a coworker for help with a project, join a support group online (the hows). It can be as small as or as big as you need it to be. 

If an important value to you is learning (the why) then you can find a break that lines up with that purpose such as reading an article, watching a documentary, take a class, play a new game, buy and read a book on the desired topic (the hows). Again, it can be a 10-minute article reading or a 6-week course you sign up for, as long as it matches the reason for the break. If an important value is resting or relaxing your body (the why), then you can take a nap, get a massage, plan for 7-8 hours of sleep at night (the hows). You get the idea.

Practicing the Pause

Start small here, just try it and see what happens. Notice what gets in the way of you taking a break, notice which breaks bring you joy, notice what happens on the days you are able to take a break, and the days when you are unable to. Is there a difference? 

It is ok to hit the pause button in life, it is actually the thing that will help us be able to resume play. Begin practicing the pause in your life.