I feel re-energised after a week’s break in Kruger Park and it got me thinking how so many people don’t seem able to take a break. It’s not something to feel guilty about, your brain needs some respite now and then.
Driving yourself too hard for too long could lead to debilitating burnout, but it can also blunt your performance. You might take longer to complete tasks, mistakes become more frequent and ideas and solutions don’t come to you so easily. Taking a break is not an indulgence, it’s a necessity.
What does it mean to ‘take a break’?
We know there’s no ‘off’ switch for our brains, but it is possible to take a mental break without assistance from substances because our brains’ default is actually to daydream.
Letting your brain lose for an ‘expression session’ of freestyle freeplay is what it’s craving when you’re mentally tired. Although we try so hard to knuckle down and focus, our brains are wired to daydream and wander off.
The brain is never truly at rest. Neuroimaging studies consistently demonstrate that when we daydream and imagine alternative scenarios, a complex network in the brain fires up, according to Muireann Irish, Senior Research Officer, Neuroscience Research Australia, quoted in The Conversation.
Activation in this ‘default network’ is observed across several deep-thinking brain regions including structures in the prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobes. Consuming social media is not daydreaming. Social media provides the brain with a superficial dopamine shot. The plastic changes in heavy social media users’ brains have been likened to those addicted to drugs and gambling.
A holiday or staycation
A holiday, ‘staycation’ or even just an afternoon off can interrupt the cycle of daily life’s pressures and stressors. The break needs to be long enough to disrupt the body’s stress response cycle. It could be an exotic adrenaline-fuelled vacation, a chilled staycation, a long run, or an afternoon in a quiet place.
Psychologist Kathryn Isham says studies have shown that taking time away from the job can have physical and mental health benefits. People who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals.
If you feel your burden of responsibility is too heavy for you to take a break, she advises applying the ‘Oxygen Mask Rule’ which states that you should “secure your mask before assisting others”. In other words, address your mental, physical and spiritual needs before committing to responsibilities benefitting others outside of your immediate family.
Taking a break to recharge so that you can be your best is not an indulgence, it’s the responsible thing to do.
Follow me on Instagram @shirleywilliamscomms to see some of my pics from Kruger, or give me a call to chat about vacations, staycations and how I can assist with your business communication.
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