Can you spare 5 minutes for a brain break? Chances are you are already running on a tight schedule, and the thought of scheduling in a brain break seems rather ridiculous.
However, everything in your life depends on your brain’s ability to function. Yet most of us know more about how to maintain our cars than how to do maintenance on our brains.
We just assume that we’re using this brain energy time clock that requires some sleep and a little coffee to perk up its electrical grid of neurons.
In all of human history, it’s our world that makes the greatest demand on our brains.
What a Good Brain Needs
A good brain needs to be stimulated, it needs to be fed and nurtured, it needs to be given downtime, and most important of all it needs distractions.
Your brain can only take so much punishment in a day. Click To TweetBesides all the critical and creative thinking, you are asking it to do, it has to sort through emails, private messages, spreadsheets, infographics, ringtones, pdf’s, jpegs, mp3’s, 140 character tweets, memes, emojis, html, .docx, wav, gif, tiff, png and any other short-cut codes needed to communicate in our extended digital environment.
Ever wonder why your brain suddenly hijacks you into erroneous thoughts, old memories, or fantasy daydreams? You think it’s a lack of focus and concentration on your part. When in fact, it’s your brain saying it’s had enough and it needs some distractions.
Obviously, if you aren’t going to give it some interesting distractions, your brain is going to wander off on its own.
Want to be Productive?
If you want to have a productive day, then you have to build in some 5-minute brain breaks.
- a trip to the bathroom counts
- a trip to the refrigerator also counts, so long as you just look and don’t eat
- some stretches will do, and if they are yoga stretches all the better
- open a window or door and take deep breaths of fresh air
- practice your best dance moves wearing ear buds
- hit your home gym for a quick spin cycle
- find another human and have a quick face-to-face conversation without holding anything in your hands
- meditate
I know you think meditating takes more than 5 minutes. After all, you need your comfy meditation clothes, your meditation mat, your votive candle, your meditative music and time to settle into your meditation pose. Then, and only then, can you focus on your breathing and begin to quiet your mind.
Instead, why don’t you give yourself a brain break with a YouTube, 5 minute meditation. They do exist, they are easily accessible from where you already are, there is more than one to choose from, and yes some are longer than 5 minutes.
It only requires that you sit back, continue to breathe, close your eyes and listen. No physical or mental challenge here.
Try the sample below and see if your brain is more willing to stay on track and get you through the rest of your day.
How many brain breaks did you take today?
Image: pixabay 1093904 Video: 5 Minute Quick Break Meditation: A Heart Chakra, Guided Spoken Visualization
Five minute meditation can be really refreshing. That is what I usually do in my breaks and it always work. Thank you for the great tips!
Zaria
Mediation is one of the best things you can do for your brain. Happy to hear that you are already using it. Your brain loves you for it because it makes its job easier. And, that’s a really good thing.
Always good to stop and think of nothing for a while every day. 🙂
Nothing wrong with putting your brain on pause and give it a chance for the buffer to clear. Thanks for stopping by.
Although I don’t always take my own advice, I do take regular breaks throughout the day. Vitally important if I’m to create my best work!
Isn’t it the way it is. We are the ones you need to be taking our own advice. Taking any kind of break away from the computer helps to give the eyes a rest and recharge the system. Keep being creative. I always make a point of reading what yoyu have posted.
Great topic! I’m a big believer in giving my brain periodic breaks and as a full-time writer, my poor brain really gets a workout most days. It’s hard to stop when I’m on a roll, but I manage to take a break every couple of hours. What also helps me is to vary what I do on my breaks. For example, a couple of times a day I’m outside with my dog, or I might read for half an hour, or even do a load of laundry. It all adds up!
I see that you’ve caught on to the additional secrets to taking a break. Pay attention to pets that demand your attention, because they know better than you that you need a break. Also, sneak in household chores. I always feel better that I’ve accomplished something in the house, and then I feel I can go back to the computer as be productive.
Love the quoteYour brain can only take so much punishment in a day. so true, I am guilty , although have added music to the background more and that is good for me and now off for a 5 min brain break xxoo
Music is good for creating a productive environment. Of course, it depends on the kind of music, but overall there is a part of the brain that is responding to what it hears while it’s also processing everything else.
Joyce – Wow, I listened to the video, & I can tell how ideal it would be to listen to it during a stressful, busy day! I’ve read studies about how medical mistakes go down when nurses take a tiny break at their most stressful times of day. I was not aware of the you-tube relaxation videos before, but I think I’m going to get a couple of them on my phone!
Happy to hear that you will be adding the videos to your phone. Now, you’ve got stress relief on the go.
So true…. brain breaks are vital to being more productive and avoiding overload.
Thanks for the tips!
More that welcome.
I love your suggestions for 5 minute brain breaks – they are truly do-able and make a huge difference! xo, Reba
Glad you found this helpful Reba.
I love calling them brain breaks! Never thought of it like that before. Working from home is a two-edged sword; you can take all the breaks you want, or you can take none. Balance is what it’s all about.
You’re right Carol about working from home being a two-edged sword. There are the temptations for distractions, as well as, losing track of time. The brain breaks help to divide your time up more productively.
Such a valuable point and I really need a better brain break.. I do go to the bathroom easily once an hour.. but still think.. how do I shut it off? lmao
Glad you’re open to better brain breaks. Trips to the bathroom and the refrigerator are natural interrupters, but directing the mind in another direction for a few minutes helps to clear the neuron pathways and get them primed for fresh data.
True, once that little brain motor gets going it always doesn’ want to shut down. But, if you can build in some breaks the brain will eventually catch on.
Great ideas! And yes, if our brains are fatigued, we are more prone to mistakes as well as lose a healthy dose of creativity. I recommend in my time management group that people take at least 5 minutes between tasks — to clear out the stuff from the previous task, gear up for the next one…and, as you say, just give your brain a break.
Good time management technique Jackie. In some parts of psychology is called a change of state. You have to move the brain out of where it is, so that it can make fresh connections to the new task at hand.
Love this. I totally agree and follow these concepts too. Yes, the brain does tend to hijack our thoughts when we need a break….interesting. I also will use youtube for quick meditations when I just need something now and have little time. Great article!
Glad you liked the youtube meditation idea. It’s a quick and easy mental break to get you re-focused and energized.
I am all in for mediation and yoga stretches during the day; Maybe even a handstand or two to really get the blood flowing. I just need a personal reminder to make it happen…an accountability partner.
Christy, love your handstand as a way to get the blood quickly to the brain. Not everyone would be so trusting and daring, but nothing beats it for detoxifying the brain quickly. You might want to try one of those online timer reminders. You set them for the amount of time you want to work, and then the screen pops up with your reminder. I have one but never use it. LOL.
Hi Joyce 🙂
Wow this is such an awesome post! I can totally relate and agree that our brains could always use a 5 minute break 🙂 Great ideas for the best 5 minute breaks! Will be trying a few 🙂
Thanks for the awesome compliment Joan. It just made my brain soar.
This is really helpful. It was a busy day today and just now I had a chance to read this. It was really needed. This is a great reminder. I can say that I probably took at least 3 or 4 brain breaks today. Thanks for sharing this reminder.
Your brain is probably very grateful you took 3-4 brain breaks on a busy day. Happy to hear you found this helpful.
Since my mother’s 100th birthday celebration and getting the flu, I feel like all my brain wants is a permanent “break” from the online space, Joyce. I am in perpetual high gear and I guess every part of me is asking for a break for right now. It’s amazing how the wisdom of our body and mind will “force” us to take the break if we do not voluntarily take them on our own. I usually get up and do something else when I feel like I have had enough. Many different things work at different times and lately, watching the presidential primaries has proven to be a perfect diversion from whatever else is going on in the world for me in the moment. Thanks for the reminder to schedule in some time outs during our day! Our body, mind and spirit will always thank us.
You’re absolutely right Beverly, the body and the mind will make you take a break whether you want to or not. Many times when we have a lot going on and we push ourselves (of course thinking we can handle it). It feels good to get everything done. Afterwards, we pay the price and collapse. I’m learning to pace myself better and taking the mini brain breaks during the day reminds me not to push so hard.
I use a mindfulness clock when I am working. Once every hour I take a five minute break, close my eyes and deeply relax by yawning and stretching. Otherwise, I lose track of time and over work my brain 🙂
Smart idea Rachel. It’s easy to lose track of time. Sometimes, I’m in the groove and don’t want to stop, so I’ll stand and do some stretches.
Other times, the brain is just in a blank mode. Then, I find taking a walk seems to get the flow going again. Either way, it shows how committed we are to our work.
Loved this.I took the 5 min meditation. Not a meditator but I could get the value. I do believe in resting my brain & eyes as well as pleasuring both. Thank you for being so thoughtful to blog about this.
Glad you were adventurous enough to try the 5-minute meditation Roz. Even if you just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths it’s a help.
Love this, Joyce! We’re often so focused on all the items on the list, we forget to pay attention to brain overload. I know I’m guilty of this too! Good to know just 5 minutes counts 🙂
I’ve found that taking the time to just stop, breathe, and center myself makes a world of difference. Glad to see this on your list!
The idea of brain overload among professionals is becoming a serious condition. We all have so much to process and time seems to be getting more and more compressed. Our brain is quite efficient and can handle more than we give it credit for, but it too needs its downtime. Being able to take time out to breathe and center oneself is a simple technique to being more productive.