Taking a break!

I am so glad the spring break is finally here.

On a day to day hustle, I feel I am on autopilot with getting up at 6 in the morning to school with classes after classes and then afterschool activities and clubs. The home with doing more extracurriculars and homework and some household chores and the day is GONE. Monday to Friday, week after week. I can't even say that the weekends are better, as there is more commitments with sports, debate clubs, and extracurriculars.

So this spring break I made no plans. I took a break from planning a break.

There is nothing more refreshing than a good night sleep with no plans for tomorrow (sometimes!)

It couldn't be just my opinion that breaks are good just because they make ME feel good. So here I was again looking at a scientific explanation for whether this is true or not.

Focusing our attention for too long can wear us out and 'exhaust our mental fuel' and "microbreaks' for even 5 minutes can increase performance.( I knew that!)

In a fun experiment, university students were asked to monitor maps of railway lines on a screen, a task that involved sustained attention as they tracked the planned train routes. One group got no break while the other participants took a five-minute break halfway through the 45 minutes task. Sure enough, the group who took the break did better (sometimes scientists need to just ask a teenager). That's why I watch a YouTube video while doing my homework, mom!

While these microbreaks can work wonder , a break from our day to day routine is even more important to reset our mind and body. Vacations ( merely a break from routine, even if you don't go out anywhere) boosts brainpower, reduces stress, increases performance, improves heart health and increases mindfulness.

Simply, it reboots your body!

There is a value in doing nothing...so here is my plan for this break..DO NOTHING

(I might blog though, HAHA)

Refeences

1. Rees A and Wiigins M. The Impact of Breaks on Sustained Attention in a Simulated, Semi-Automated Train Control Task. Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2017

2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/05/23/why-taking-vacation-time-could-save-your-life/?sh=5da5dc0524de

3. Kets de Vries, Manfred F.R., Doing Nothing and Nothing to Do: The Hidden Value of Empty Time and Boredom (May 5, 2014). INSEAD Working Paper No. 2014/37/EFE, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2432964 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2432964