Breaking Light Don’t worry my light isn’t breaking - still shining. My light is simply ready for a break. Have you ever had times when you are trying to solve a problem or tackle a project and you struggle to come up with where to begin? Well maybe just maybe you need a...BREAK. It’s funny how if we step away and break our light a little we will step back full of energy, tenacity and engagement. A breaking light isn’t breaking bad...it’s breaking good. Let’s pay attention and give ourselves a break. I know when I find myself in meeting after meeting; to teaching from class to class; to swimming in the email abyss that my quality of what I do can suffer. Many times we can shame ourselves and feel guilty if we decide to take a break - sleep, a walk, dinner with a friend, playing with our kids because we get caught up in all the to dos. My son Caelan and I spent time discussing “breaks” on Wednesday of this week about the importance of taking a break. Perhaps quality would enhance if we take breaks and encourage others around us to take a break.
In 5 Research-Backed Ways to Take a Better Break that will Improve Your Work, Nir Eyal shares, “good breaks can reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function, and keep us on-task for longer periods. I’ll admit sometimes I ignore the signs for needing a break and I don’t always follow what I suggest. We need to check others and ourselves for when we need a break and role model the importance of breaks for family, colleagues, and friends. For example, I like to take breaks by being outside in nature (this has been difficult this week with all the rain, however, as I walked from meeting to meeting on campus this week in the rain I still felt better stepping out into the fresh air); Walking on the indoor track at the YMCA (to daydream and take notes on my phone about ideas floating around in my mind); And laughing with my son at night (this week one night we found ourselves cracking up creating rap songs after he watched a show called Brainchild, it was an episode about creativity. We turned off the tv and got to creating our own individual authentic rap, we even found music to play in the background). Breaks can be for five minutes to an extensive break. During the regular week, I’ll sometimes catch my brain going in multiple directions and it triggers to me that I need a break. I’ll leave my office to simply walk around the building and come back inside even if that is only 3 minutes of my time. Next week we have thanksgiving break, I’ll be working Monday- Wednesday grading papers and working on projects. I’m excited because I’ll get to take a break from dressing up (haha), I can chill in my workout gear and get tasks completed in a relaxing environment. One last thing, sometimes changing the environment in which we are working can help get a break from the same ole same ole. For my students I might change the location of where we hold class or find a creative space to collaborate with colleagues on research. Let’s break our lights to regain our creativity and focus. Encourage someone close to you today to take a break Come on now, GIVE ME A BREAK and I promise to GIVE YOU A BREAK!
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