Quick author's note: Long covid is no joke, folks! Since I was diagnosed several months ago, I have had extremely limited energy. This blog was collateral damage. I may do this every other week or once a month for the time being. Thanks for your patience with me!
Adulting is exhausting! I can't be the only one that misses mandatory playing outside or a consistent lunchtime when I was forced to leave my school desk. Don't get me wrong, I have zero desire to return to my school days but recess was a pretty great perk.
That got me thinking - why do we have to give up recess just because we're adults?
Short answer: WE DON'T!
Long answer: There's legitimate science to support the importance of taking recesses or breaks as a form of self-care. Now, when I say "self-care," I'm not referring to the colloquial definition but the psychological one.
Self-care means engaging in behaviors that you can do autonomously that nurture your physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health.
That seems overwhelming, doesn't it? The most important thing to remember when it comes to self-care is that it is not about pushing yourself to reach unrealistic goals but to be good to your body, your mind, and your emotions.
There are thousands of ideas for self-care and I don't walk to research or write about thousands of ideas. Ain't nobody got time for that! Rather, I want to focus on one simple activity that we easily overlook yet takes very little time and almost no effort. It really struck a chord with me while I was doing some homework from my therapist.
What do I mean by recess?
When I think about recess through the adulting lens, I define recess as self-inflicted mandatory breaks from adult duties to give yourself a quick reset. In my experience, unless I was in trouble, I did not spend my recesses doing or talking about school work; it was about having fun for a few minutes. As an adult, fun isn't necessarily playing dodgeball or hopscotch with friends for 10 minutes. It means whatever I want it to mean!
Why are these breaks throughout the day important?
This is another topic that has tons of answers, so I cherry-picked my 2 favorites.
Breaks reset your perspective. It can be so easy to get siloed in a task when we work at it for hours without taking a break. So rather than overtaxing your brain and increasing the risk of mistakes or burnout (or both), taking a 10-15 minute break every couple of hours (at the minimum but hourly is better) breaks the cycle you're in. This allows your mind to see the bigger picture more closely. You may find more efficient ways of working or reprioritizing your tasks. Not only are small breaks daily important, but so are taking an afternoon off or going on vacation for a change of scenery.
Your mind and body will thank you. Have you ever been working so hard on something that you find your jaw is sore from clenching it for who knows how long? Or your body is sore all the time? Ya - this is from stress. And we've probably all experienced these symptoms! By taking breaks to engage in activities that reduce stress, you can rejuvenate your mind and body. Here is a decent list of activities you can do to manage stress.
If you're looking for permission to take breaks throughout the day, here it is! But more importantly, give yourself permission.
Image by Getty Images
Articles and Resources
Self-care from the APA Dictionary of Psychology, American Psychological Association
Self-care for the scientist by Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury, PhD, American Psychological Association
The Art of Pacing – Live Long and Prosper by Will Joel Friedman, PhD, MentalHelp.net
The unspoken truth about self-care by Jennifer Doran, American Psychological Association
Why do I have tight jaw muscles? Causes and relief by Jamie Eske, MedicalNewsToday
Why stress happens and how to manage it by Adam Felman, MedicalNewsToday
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