When To Take a Break

When To Take a Break

Knowing when to take a break, from work, studying, hobbies and even friends and family, is difficult for many of us. Sometimes, particularly when workloads get on top of us, we need to step back and take a moment for ourselves. If you are stressed or worn out, you will be less productive and will most likely waste a lot of time procrastinating.

Although some of us like to stay busy and always have something to do, taking a break is crucial for both our mental and physical health. Knowing when to take a break can sometimes be a difficult decision.

You might have questioned when life will go back to normal after living through a pandemic for well over a year. At other times, you might have enjoyed the break from reality. As restrictions lift, many people will have gone from doing nothing for months, to suddenly having a full calendar of events. My advice is do not try to pack too many things into each week and ensure you take opportunities to rest. Failing this will increase your risk of burn out. Having said that, going out for food or drinks with friends for a catch up may be your opportunity to take a break from other things that may be going on in your life. Do not deny yourself the chance to let your hair down and unwind, and do not force yourself to stay home doing nothing if that isn’t good for you either.

We all enjoy different pastimes and many of us have struggled during the Covid pandemic to engage with what we enjoy, a form of self-care, necessary for our health and wellbeing.

Having the time to step back from your hectic life may have made you realise how much you have over worked yourself or drained your social battery previously. I know it did for me! I have found that I can’t go out as much as I used to, whilst also balancing my studies and work, because I am now so used to doing not much and having time just to myself. You might have found yourself feeling the same, and that is ok.

4 Top Tips to avoid burn out:

• Take time for yourself. Whether that is reading, watching your favourite show on television, having a bath or even putting on a face mask.

• Listen to your body. If you have been feeling excessively tired or lacking in energy, see if that thing you have to do on a particular day can wait until the next.

• Relax. Sometimes getting overly stressed with the number of things you need to do can stress you out more, so just take some time away, even if to just make something to eat or something to drink.

• Make a plan. If you find your workload is getting on top of you, make a plan in your diary or a calendar of what you are going to do each day. This is the best way to ensure you are on top of things and are getting everything done.