The Art Of Taking A Break

I can’t imagine my workday without a break. After some time working, I just need to clear my head and put my current occupation away for a few minutes, so I can jump back into it and continue being productive. A few times I caught myself spending breaks scrolling through social media, and the break ended in the blink of an eye. I didn’t even know how it happened - I didn’t feel relaxed and ready to get back to work, but I had to. For the rest of the working time I was counting minutes till the end, I couldn’t get excited about what I’m doing, and I could see my work was of lower quality.

I decided that this had to change in order to be good at my work and feel relaxed and happy at the same time. This article is for everyone who’s looking for an effective way to take a break. Let’s get to it!

It’s in your hands

Keep in mind that it’s you who decides how you spend your break - break is a time for yourself. Therefore it should be filled with activities that you find the best. Social media time didn’t work for me but it doesn’t mean that a short Instagram news-check won’t be a good option for you. In the process of finding the best way to spend your work break, you will be the one to experiment and find suitable options. Listen to yourself, ask and answer questions like: ‘Are you chatty and do you enjoy talking to colleagues during your break?’ Would you rather spend your free time alone, quiet, calm and isolated?’ ‘What activity gives you energy?’

Tick tock!

I found out that time management plays a key role in spending the best work break possible. How long is your break? Try to create a schedule for it! Write down the things you want/have to do during your work break, and try to work on the timing. Do you have lunch during your break? Do you need to make some personal calls during the break? Include everything into your break schedule. Keep in mind that the break is not the end of your work, and afterwards you will need to be productive again. The chosen activities might differ from those you could do after the work. Think about some activities you would enjoy doing which would make you relaxed but also allowed you to continue with your work afterward.

Few tips

Now I would like to show you a few tips which I found cool and suitable for work breaks! Maybe you’ll find some of them useful and helpful for you.

1. Short exercise - most of the time I sit while doing my job. My back isn’t very happy because of that. Therefore, I love to take short exercises like this one to relax both my body and my mind. There are many work-break exercises on YouTube, you can watch them and try the best one for you. Somebody might not feel really comfortable getting into some exercising positions in front of colleagues (or because of the dress code you might have at work); if this is you, there are also subtle exercises which are really relaxing and you can do them in a chair - check this one.

2. Effective relaxation- taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to take an hour! Try to use the VOS app. Breathing exercises could help you get relaxed and focused. If you like to read on your break, check out the blog sections with articles or Facebook community for mental health tips and more! Affirmations and quotes could give you inspiration and empower and motivate you for the rest of the workday.

3. Music, podcasts, and shows- I really love to listen to music during my school/work break. It makes me relaxed and it effectively takes my mind away from work for a while. You could also listen to a podcast or TED talks or watch some entertaining video/episode of your favorite show.

4. Spend time with your colleagues- Sometimes I enjoy spending the work break with my colleagues. I get to make friends, have fun, learn a lot about them and afterward, I can work with them more effectively and we sometimes make some plans for free time after work!

5. Meditation - It could also be nice to listen to a meditation video and relax it. I got a tip for this nice video.

I hope you’ll find the best way to spend your work break! Would you like to discuss more on that topic? I would love to read about your work break ideas! Let’s meet in the VOS Facebook community!