What You Need To Take A Break

Life is crazy and constantly busy, so we need to know when to take a break for ourselves and our health. We have to take care of ourselves before we hit a certain point; that point being burnout.

You are too important as an individual to not take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself can be many forms, but sometimes a big part of that is taking a break from everything going on around you. 

What Does Taking A Break Mean?

First off, what does actually taking a break mean? It is essentially just that, taking a break from your day to day life or things causing you stress.

It is also realizing that you need to take a break and get away from the things affecting your mood leading to high stress and anxiety. 

Mostly, it’s allowing yourself time to reset and recharge. We tend to push and push ourselves until we hit that point where we can’t go anymore, and that is where you do not want to end up. So, it is crucial that you take the time to rest and relax as the days and weeks go by. 

It is why many jobs force you to take vacation or use your bank days, so you get that time off and away from that for a bit.

Additionally, a big part of knowing when to take a break is knowing how you feel and checking in with yourself. Or even getting feedback from others about how you’ve been acting lately.

Biggest Consequence of Non Stop

There are many consequences that arise when you keep going and not checking in with how you are. But the biggest one is burnout.

To explain, burnout is when you are physically, mentally, socially and emotionally exhausted from a prolonged amount of stress. It affects every part of your life no matter how much you enjoy some things and aspects.

Some symptoms of burnout are as follows:

• Recurring headaches
• Increased heart rate
• Feel overwhelmed by small things
• High blood pressure
• Stomach problems
• Poor immune function
• Constantly feeling/thinking negatively

Burnout is the place you get to before you are forced to have to take a break. Not just a relaxing night or having a day off, but a full on break.

This can be debilitating for people and like mentioned can affect all factors and aspects of your life. It is a constant state of tiredness, no matter what you are doing it’s going to seep in. 

In the end, it can be hard to get back to normal. Plus, in many cases you then have to readjust some parts of your life so you don’t slip back into the place. 

Why avoid burnout?

If anything else, do it for your mental health. You are important and matter in this life. So take care of yourself and help yourself not get to this place.

Yes, work is important, and family and relationships and adulting, etc. etc. But nothing is worth all your energy and your mental health. You have to take care of yourself or else you won’t be able to function in the other categories of your life.

If you keep pushing yourself and not resting sometimes, your mental health will plummet and you will be in a worse spot. Additionally, increased stress has risk factors for your overall physical health. Things like high blood pressure, migraines, and more.

So take a minute and check in with yourself from time to time. We aren’t so busy that we can’t take 2 minutes to see how we, ourselves, are doing. 

Different Forms of Taking A Break

So, breaks. Taking a break is very versatile because you can make it however long you need and can take. And keep in mind it can be a break from anything that is causing you stress and leading to, or already at, burn out. 

A Single Day

First off, the easiest one is just taking a day. Take one day off from whatever you need a break from. This is like a mini break and gives you a day to do what you need for you. Many will use this as a mental health day. 

Remember. A mental health day is a sick day too, just a different type of sickness!

If you do take just a day make sure you make it a day of self care. Try and pamper yourself a little, do something you live and make sure you do something that relaxes you. Even better, make it something that lets you feel refreshed. Check out this article about a night of pampering!

A Week

Most often than not a day simply isn’t enough. Many times one day doesn’t give you enough time away from the thing causing you stress, that’s where this form comes in. 

A few consecutive days in a row gives you a few days to relax and recharge, not just one. This way you can do more relaxing and more steps towards lowering your stress.

Taking a week, or even just 3 or 4 days, gives a better refresh than just taking a day because you have tons of time to do the things to help you. 

A Few Weeks or More

As talked about above, burnout is a very real thing that can disrupt every aspect of life. That kind of exhaustion can take time to reverse.

And so, taking a break can warrant a few weeks to a few months off to allow yourself to rest and recharge. Getting you back to your normal. Allowing you to reset your body and mind. 

Different Types of Breaks

Now, we know there are different forms of breaks, there are also different types of breaks. I know they sound the same, but they are different!

The difference being the type is the things you actually do to take your break. Whereas, the forms are the time you take and how long your break will be. 

Vacation

As well as giving you the chance to really relax, it also gives you the opportunity to get out of dodge and see new things. Also, forcing you to relax because you aren’t around the things causing you the stress.

Self Care Day

A self care day, or mental health day, is a time for you to treat yourself and only you. Focus on the things that make you happy and leave you feeling refreshed. Some days you just need to set aside time to focus on yourself.

Here’s an article you can check out for some self care ideas!

A Weekend Away

Next, a simple recharge is just a weekend, especially a long weekend away. Some place that’s not too far, but not at home or close to the things causing you to stress. Giving you a kind of mini vacation, but with all the big benefits.

Rest At Home

Kind of like a self care day, but just taking a day, or a few days, to sit at home and do nothing. Sometimes watching tv all day is just what you need to feel better. Or sometimes you just need to not be at work or out and about. 

Simply, just taking a day to not have anything to do. This gives your mind a chance to truly just shut off, giving you and it complete and utter rest.

In conclusion, everyone needs some time throughout the year to stop and take a minute. To reset themselves, relax and recharge, to help themselves. 

It is what keeps us sane and still functioning. Taking a break from anything is also not shameful or embarrassing. If it is what you need, it is perfect.