Brain Breaks

On a long weekend, thoughts often turn to the benefits of taking a break. We may get the opportunity to take the foot of the pedal and get some rest.

Ironically, I’ve used some of that time to catch up on some interesting research about the benefits of a brain break. 

In recent years (and amplified by the events of the last couple of years) I have seen a trend toward greater push back on our productivity-focused, always-on, work cultures, and more of us understanding that taking a break is important.

Although, tension often remains between the “should I stop and get some rest” versus the “I’ve still got so much to do.” If we consider a break to be more of a nice to have as opposed to a vital requirement, then we can be convinced to let them slip. Before we know it, we’re back on the mouse wheel.

In a 2021 study into the importance of brain breaks for learning, it was discovered “that after learning new information, our brains continue to whir, using cognitive downtime as a virtual staging ground to process, organise and integrate learned information”. Instead of resting in the true sense of the word, our brains are replaying whatever skill or knowledge we’ve learned.

This positions our brain breaks as much more than a nice to have. They are a vital step in the way our brains process information and learn.

Next time we feel the need to keep going and push through, this might be just the reminder we need. Taking a break is the best thing we can do.

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