The Importance of Small Breaks Throughout the Day
No matter what line of work you find yourself in, or whatever structure your day takes, it can become the case where you feel guilty for not constantly focusing your attention on being productive. Even on weekends, you might feel as though too much time spent relaxing feels unnatural. Everyone is going to have their own mileage with how they prefer to spend their time, but it’s important to get into the habit of taking breaks for the sake of your own wellbeing throughout the day – learning to encourage a more balanced lifestyle.
At Work
The most important time to do this for many people might be at work. This is a difficult area to start with because it doesn’t solely rest with the individual (the employee), it’s also dependent on their working conditions and how stringent their employer is with their time. While many companies might adhere to national guidelines about how often breaks have to be enforced, it’s easy for work cultures to emerge where people are made to feel guilty about taking any time for themselves. At this point, breaks can be seen as something negative. With this time, the employee should feel as though they’re free to do anything unconnected from work. Having ample room, like a break room, can help them unwind just to talk to their co-workers, listen to music, or play slots.
From Screens
For many people, however, work can have them craving a break from screens altogether. It can be difficult when you like to unwind with activities like movies or games, because when you finally pull away from the screen that you work on, spending more time with a screen feels much less appealing – not to mention the damage it can do to your eyes.
Getting into the habit of incorporating more screen-free activities into your life can be difficult at first, but an open mind can help you to get started, and once you feel the benefits you might find it hard to go back. This could be anything, including going on walks, exercising more, playing board games, baking, arts and crafts – whatever you feel like appeals to you most is worth a try, and it’s not like you have to cut screens out of your life entirely.
From Anything
Even then, you might feel that filling your day with non-stop activities is quietly wearing you down. When you’re not spending your free time doing anything, it can feel likeyou’re wasting that time, but that’s not the case. It can be healthy to be content with doing nothing at all; many might even see it as a good opportunity to practice mindfulness through meditation. To many people, sitting and paying attention to your breath, your mind, and the sensations around you might feel unnatural at first, but over time and enough practice, you might find that this restlessness gives way to a feeling of being content to be still, which can help you to enjoy the smaller moments in life.