Why taking breaks is so important

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Always on the run… Any time left to enjoy life? Don’t forget about taking breaks and relaxing. Most of the times, taking breaks will boost both your productivity and your creativity. It may be the thing to do when everything else fails, and you feel overwhelmed by daily tasks. By taking a break, you’re not running away from responsibility, but taking care of yourself, so you can always be your best.

Stress can affect your mental and physical health in so many ways. Long-term activation of your body’s stress response system, along with prolonged exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones, may put you at risk for health troubles like anxiety, digestive problems, insomnia, high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke.

Some time off and relaxation is definitely what you need, especially if you’re one of those people who make a habit of burning the candle at both ends. What happens to you when you take one or more days off?

  • You’ll focus better at work if you take a regular rest time every week. All work and no play dramatically reduces focus as well as productivity. Regular time off work improves it.

  • Time out gives you a chance to move more. Studies made on the impact of a lot of sitting time are not very optimistic. Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. Sitting extends beyond TV time to include all time at a screen, time at work, in the car, visiting with friends…in short, the kinds of things that fill the day for most of us.

  • You can improve your short-term memory. The life-work balance is not just a story, you should manage your time out during the week properly. Enjoy life, and as many studies show, you will probably better remember where you put things :).

So, are you convinced about taking breaks? You can go for a long and luxurious one, a relaxing and simple one, or short and sweet. You can even have minutes-long breaks that you take throughout the day to keep productivity higher and to keep from feeling overwhelmed. Take your pick.

  • Vacation

    A classic vacation is sometimes more important than people think. Believe us or not, there are some among us that don’t use all their vacation days. But they should be enjoyed to the fullest!

    During a vacation we usually combine resting with fun, in a balanced way. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with a lot of sightseeing, and get back home even more tired than you left.

  • Staycation

    The staycation is becoming more and more popular. You need some time off, but you’re not really planning any exotic trip, you just need some rest. You can turn your home into the most peaceful nest, and look at it from a fresh perspective. Feel free to cook something, or order if you’re not into it, catch up with some movies or books or invite some friends over, and, most important, no emails or work whatsoever.

  • Short breaks

    Sometimes it only takes a couple of minutes to disrupt the stress cycle, then get back in full force. So do whatever comes in handy: ride your bike to work for some fun & exercise, go see a movie at the cinema, enjoy your lunch break and really be present. Have a good laugh, listen to your favourite songs. All these and more will help you throughout the days.

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