Listen,Pause, Reflect,Knowing When to Take a Pause : MindsetOpediaDMHC Blogs

Listen, Pause, Reflect: Knowing When to Take a Pause

By Arushi Suri : Council Member-WICCIDMHC

What is the role of commas in a sentence? Giving pauses at accurate times, keeping its meaning intact and, at the same time, making it easier for the reader to read the sentence.  

A long sentence without pauses, at the appropriate places, will make reading it, tiring. Similarly, a life without pauses becomes meaningless and exhausting. 

It is fairly said, take breaks at the right time otherwise your body will take them for you and it won’t be at a convenient hour.  

As essential as it is to be good at time management and schedule your errands and work tasks into your calendar, it also crucial to schedule breaks during your days, weeks and months. 

Breaks play a key role in slowing down and giving meaning as well as direction to our life. It also helps us listen to our body and know its needs. 

Not taking breaks can lead to chronic fatigue and resulting burnout. Every human being a unique system that suits to different paces of working. It is required for us to recognize, understand and follow this pace to lead a healthy life. 

Take a break when, 

When you start feeling fatigued all the time: all living beings have limited amounts of capacity, whether physical or mental. Just like you charge your electronic devices when the battery falls low, our body needs to be charged when the capacity falls short. Our body signals “low battery” through fatigue. If you feel a loss of energy to work or an information overload that starts becoming an obstacle in your day-to-day life, it’s time to take a break. 

When your day starts feeling like a to-do list: each morning when you wake up, you feel like your day is repeating itself. It’s the same getting ready for work, listing your tasks, etc. You don’t feel excited and motivated to get up each morning and start your day. Even though we all have experienced this in our lives at least once, if this happens for longer periods of time, it could also be a potential sign of burnout. 

When you don’t feel fully engaged in your work: similar to your day feeling like a to-do list, sometimes we stand very productive during our days but it doesn’t feel fulfilling. It feels like one is going through motions and is not mindful during their day. Taking a break, giving yourself the required rest and reevaluating what is not working for you could help.

When you’ve had a hectic day/week: it goes unsaid but apart from your daily pauses, one should be aware of the load they’ve had during the week and set aside sufficient time to recharge themselves. Be as strict with your breaks as you are with your work. 

Everyday: lastly, take a break every day. When you write your to-do list in the morning or the previous night, also assign some time to yourself. Do something that recharges you, that gives you time to be silent on the inside and reflect. These breaks could be as little as 10 minutes or as long as your unique system requires.

Listen to your body. Take a pause. Reflect and feel re-energized.