Most of the time, whenever we know and feel like we really have so many things to do, and so many things to accomplish in a given time frame, we tend to believe that we do not have time to take breaks. We feel as if taking breaks will just be a waste of time. But, from now on, I want you to refrain thinking that way (that includes myself, by the way). We have to stop convincing ourselves that we cannot take a break. Because, we can, and we definitely should.

Studies have proven that there are so many benefits you and your work can get if you do take a break while working. It does not matter what kind of break it is -whether it is a lunch break, a micro break, or even longer breaks than that. The importance is that as long as you take a break, you are helping yourself to create a positive atmosphere for yourself and for your well-being. You must also be reminded that it is better to take regular breaks than taking a break whenever you feel like doing, because taking regular breaks can help you boost your performance. 

If we take breaks the longer, the more beneficial it is. But taking short breaks is also impactful though we sometimes belittle its result. Even short breaks can a) maintain your good performance the whole day, b) you will not feel the need to take a long recovery period after the day of working, c) prevent stress from coming in. Korpela, Kinnunen, Geurts, de Bloom and Sianoja (2016) found out through their study that taking breaks from work, like lunchtime breaks can help a person decrease the exhaustion he is feeling and increase his energy level. After a year of their study, they added that taking breaks can increase the person’s vigor overtime. 

Breaks could also be some kind of relaxing and social. It could be seeing friends and talking to them after some time, or just having a get-away. These kinds of breaks can help you recover faster. It brings back your mental and physical system to its baseline after being exhausted. A relaxing break can reduce stress and promote a positive well-being for it will reset your mood as well. In doing a social break, even mere chatting with your peer can help you a lot. Every time you talk with the people you value, you feel secured and related. The belongingness you feel will be your weapon to feel motivated and validated. You may or may not share your experiences. Their presence is more than enough to keep you going. But in cases where you cannot keep the stress away from you, the best way to recover from it is to take a break. It can help you restore your positive outlook, energy, and mental state. It decreases the chances of you getting sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and fatigue. 

The research of Kim, Park and Niu states that it is very helpful to take mini-breaks while working. It can help you be in a working mood with good performance to increase productivity. A mini-break is a break you do in the middle of the work. It is you being away from your work for a few minutes. It could be talking with the person near you or simply getting a drink for yourself. 

My Personal Take On This

Honestly, I made this article after researching what is the best thing I can do to reduce the stress I am feeling, mostly the stress is due to the schoolworks which is mostly done with people I do not enjoy working with. It pressured me badly. As I am researching, I found out that taking breaks could really be a great help. Whenever we feel like something is wrong and we are not satisfied with what we are achieving, do not push to finish it right away. It will do no good. Instead, look for someone to talk or something to eat, anything that could take you away from what you are doing -you must take a break. Work could really feel so exhausting, or the mere breathing in this kind of world is already exhausting, isn’t it? But, what we can all do is to help ourselves to continue and still breath in the coming days. 

So, I hope you guys prefer taking breaks while working. We all need lots of energy nowadays. Please do not completely consume yours. 

Can you promise me to take a break?