I love to take take mental breaks and recharge my creative juices by bumbling through the above site like Alice in Wonderland minus the creepy.
How important are “breaks” really? Really, really (outside of the “warm and fuzzy” “psycho-babble” we’ve all read ad nauseam in beauty mags)?
It’s (at least) important enough for companies to spend millions on research to improve they’re bottom line (in reports like this one: How Lunch Breaks Effect Work Performance).
There’s more (surprise, beloved readers!) to giving yourself a break, I’ve found, than just de-stressing or purposefully integrating into our lives as a way of achieving a healthier work-life-balance (both are great reasons, BTW!).
I learned a good deal about myself in assessing my motivations for “taking a break”.
I learned even more about assessing my motivations for NOT “taking a break”, which I I felt was worth a quick post here.
So your question may be: “So, you sat and asked yourself why you don’t take breaks? Do you make a habit of talking to yourself, LittleGoldenLamb?”
…
Uhm.
…
Maybe.
…
Ahem.
…
More to the point…my answer(s) surprised me:
“I can’t (really, self?) take a break because if I don’t finish this, people will think I’m slacking. I’ll let other people down. I won’t be performing as well as so and so, or I need to out-perform so and so, to get half the recognition. I just have, have, have to keep going –isn’t taking a break being lazy? I can’t take a break, maybe she can, but I don’t have that luxury. I can’t afford to take a break. No one’s going to take me seriously if they see me just sitting here….”
And on and on.
I was disappointed a lot of my answer(s) had to do with others perceptions of me…that for some reason, always had me at the bottom of the “totem pole”. Or had to do with a value judgement of myself as an individual based on something I produced (not good).
I was quite disappointed actually.
I know better, but I often don’t live out the lengths of my common and God-given sense.
SCHEDULING breaks is HEALTHY and NECESSARY…so why did I legitimize not doing something so wise?
Self-perception. Self-Image. Self-esteem. Call it what you will.
Maybe for you its simply poor time-management, poor organization skills, or the inability to say “No.” (being a “people pleaser”).
Maybe it’s fear (of being left behind, seen as unnecessary, obsolete, inferior, etc.).
Or all of the above (or something else entirely!).
It’s important that we extend the simple, kind, and wise privilege and honor of a few minutes of respite to ourselves for our own physical health and emotional well-being (and those that depend on us and love us…or pay us).
It’s a simple thing, but simple thing have a habit of being very powerful.
As a result (because faith without works is dead and “talk is cheap (sometimes)”), I made a point to schedule in daily (and longer weekly breaks) breaks that enrich my spirit, ease my mind, and give my body a chance to keep stress at bay. I also took a good look at myself and checked insecurity at the door.
In other words, I told it to GTFudgeO. ^_^
Huzzah!
How do you take a break, beloved readers? I’d love to know!
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