Taking a break is an essential part of life. It allows us to spend time with ourselves and be in the moment. It allows us to recharge and not suffer from burnout.

Just as little kids fight naps, I used to fight taking breaks. Sometimes, I still do. Yet – I have learned when I refuse to take a break or ignore my body’s cry for help to take a step back, I suffer. I usually am far less productive the next day and never fully recharge. Making my next day’s work under my desired level of achievement.

This is when I started to realize that breaks are so profoundly important.

I began to see the impact on my mind and body and the effects of burnout. My experience in graduate school has been filled with imposter syndrome and the constant go, go, go of studying. I will read article after article for hours, research topics for what feels like forever and write and rewrite papers until I believe they are perfect. As the days go by, and the weeks slowly fall into the past, I realize the tolls it has taken on my body when I don’t take time for myself.

Whether you are in graduate school, undergraduate, in the workforce, etc., make sure you take time to recharge and spend time with yourself. You only hurt yourself when you push yourself to unhealthy limits of mental exhaustion.

What I have learned to do is set timers for breaks. It holds me accountable and reminds me to take a step back. Get some fresh air, eat a meal, and maybe even take a quick nap. Sometimes we are so mentally focused on what is in front of us we really do disregard ourselves. I believe that when I work far too many hours and far too hard that I suffer the next day because it’s my body telling me to slow down. It’s my body’s way of saying, “you know what, you didn’t care for yourself and because of that, you are being forced to take it easy today.”

I have had times where I continuously ignored these signals for days, thinking I could overcome the warning signs my body so desperately wanted me to hear. When this happened, I physically felt sick. I felt shaky, uneasy, and had little to no energy. I had no option but to lay down and sleep until my body was ready to rise again.

It is not our body punishing us, but our body protecting us from continuous burnout. My body wins every single fight, and I have finally after twenty-two years given in. I will listen to its needs, I will do what it needs me to, to make sure I am safe, healthy, and okay.

Things I do during my breaks are –

• Clean my room

• Take a nap

• Take a shower

• Watch movie

• Take a bath

• Make a snack

• Take a walk

• Call a friend

Take time in your days, whether it be a five-minute break or an entire evening, to do something for yourself. You are your own built-in best friend – listen to your body and remind yourself that breaks are necessary in order to keep moving.