25 Breaks to Energize You
12 Oct
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, stressed and drained in your day-to-day life isn’t it?
Inundated by email, voicemail and texts for starters, there’s an unspoken assumption that you should be available 24/7. And that’s before taking into account your kids, spouse or partner!
24/7 . . .
Do you really want to be that available?
I felt my energy drain just writing that!
The truth is everything in life is either giving you energy or draining it. The best way to combat the energy drain is to be at your most resourceful by building up and replenishing your energy throughout the day.
This is an opportunity to get creative and proactive about your self-care – a very good thing to take on during this month-long Homage to Self-Care
With a little attention, you can integrate these breaks into your life and with practice, develop new habits that top up your energy leaving you feeling better than ever.
(psst. . .notice they’re all verbs, and that means they require action!)
Here are 25 Breaks to Energize You:
The art of the mini break – 5 minutes or less.
1. Breathe: Take a deep breath. Hold for 3 counts, then breathe out slowly. Repeat 3 times.
2. Visualize: Picture something that makes you happy and remember what you love about it.
3. Stretch: Stand up and stretch your hands high above your head. Drop them and reach down to the floor.
4. Hydrate: Keep your glass full.
5. Feel: Scan your body for any aches and pains. Breathe into them.
These chunks of time will surprise you – 10 minutes or less.
6. Sing: Put on a favourite song and sing your heart out!
7. Dance: Turn up our favourite dance tune and move your body.
8. Brew: Make yourself a soothing cup of tea.
9. Play: Got toys? Use them throughout the day, ie: slinky, ball, yo-yo.
10. Connect: Call someone up to say a quick hello.
These may take planning, but still easy to fit in – 30 minutes or less.
11. Move: If you’ve only got 10 – 15 minutes, do the Daily Invigorator; otherwise take a stroll around the block to energize and impact your day.
12. Eat: Make a healthy snack or lunch, then take a break and nourish yourself.
13. Read: Grab a magazine, book or click on your favourite blog.
14. Write: Send someone a note or card of appreciation. Then walk to the mail box to post it!
15. Plan: Pull together a surprise for your partner, a friend or even a colleague.
This set definitely requires scheduling – up to 2 hours.
16. Explore: Check out a new neighbourhood, visit an art gallery, ride the bus or go for a bike ride.
17. Learn: Sign up for a class – creative writing, yoga, sushi making – learning something new will give you energy.
18. View: Go to a movie, or settle in with an inspiring DVD.
19. Gather: Meet your friends for lunch (a personal favourite!)
20. Soak: Take a bubble bath and let the stress drain out of you.
21. Meditate: Light a candle and let your thoughts go.
22. Pamper: Almost any bodywork will relieve tension.
23. Rest: Settle in for a nap.
24, Socialize: Use your networks, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to connect with others.
25. Unplug: Move away from your desk, turn off all bells and whistles and just be.
Over to you:
Leave a comment below and tell me which two breaks you’ll take on today!
. 
This is a great list. My favorite breaks during my work day are making myself a nice hot drink or poking around in the yard, seeing how the garden is doing, looking for birds, or just lying in the grass soaking up sun. To go back to the intro to this article, I'd also like to pose the question, where exactly did the unspoken assumption that we'll be available 24/7 come from? I think, in most cases, it comes from within ourselves. Just because someone writes to us at 2 a.m., for example, doesn't mean they expect us to respond then. It's so easy to succumb to this pressure, but I really think it's something we've invented!
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