If you’ve been hustling and bustling, running from one place to the other, it’s time for you to take a break. Push the pause button and breathe.
Have a cup of your favorite beverage and a cookie. Just like when you were in kindergarten and the teacher or your parent settled you down during a day of play and learning with a glass of milk and a cookie. Then you’d crawl on your mat and take a nap. Ahhhhh, those were the days.
Not only was the break good for you, it was a much needed reprieve for your caretaker. We all need a break during the day, every day. It helps us to rest our bodies and minds. When I take a break, I allow my mind to wander and drift to pleasant thoughts. Thoughts of fun times with my family or lazy Sunday afternoons with a cup of hot tea and you guessed it, a cookie.
At work, I take a break with a little soothing Jazz softly playing through my computer speakers, with a warm cup of coffee. I don’t take a nap at work, but I take a much needed breather. On really busy days, I work straight through lunch, but by 3 or 4 o’clock, I have to stop what I’m doing and take a quick 10 or 15-minute break to relax my mind, clear my thoughts, and de-stress from the day’s activities.
If you need a positive message to ease you into a good night’s rest, try listening to my podcast, Motivational Muse by Kimberly B. Lewis, like this one:
In Spain, it’s customary for everyone to take a break that they call a “Siesta.” Spain is very hot during the day, so they take a break during the hottest period, go home and take a nap. Afterward, they return to their shops and offices and work into the evenings.
In Italy they often close their shops in the middle of the day too, and on Sunday and Monday mornings for their break, that they call “Riposo.” During their Riposo they go home cook and have dinner with the family before returning to work.
In Sweden, they take a mid-day break. They typically take two, which they call “Fika.” One is mid-day and the other at about 3 p.m. They don’t go home, but they gather in the break room at work and enjoy a cup of coffee, and a variety of sweet treats and sometime petit sandwiches. Breaks, no matter the length or the break are recognized as essential to good physical, mental and emotional health.
In the United States, most employers allow for two 15 minute breaks, but we don’t always use them. I’m guilty of that myself. So I’ve made a promise to myself to be more diligent in taking two breaks during the work day.
I encourage you to do the same. Have a cup of hot tea, cocoa, coffee or milk, and of course a cookie, and relax for 15 minutes. I promise you, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to conquer any tasks ahead.
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