Dr Nick - Breaks and well-being

Firmly based upon the study of lives that go well... here are at least six reasons why taking a break can make a real difference not only to your own life, but to the lives of those you care for:

1) When you invest in your well-being, you invest in the well-being of everyone you care about...

because you’ll bring all sorts of fresh energy back into your everyday life. This is why taking breaks shouldn’t be seen as a luxury, but an absolute necessity and a good-sense investment in whatever you’re doing.

2) Taking breaks prevents burn-out

Just think of how, if we over-use a muscle with the same movement time and again, it will quickly grow stiff and grind to a halt. It’s very much the same with our ability to think and to socialise and to get things done. If we become stuck in the rut of a daily routine, we eventually grind to a halt. But we can prevent this by taking frequent breaks which are full of colourful variety to refresh us in mind, body and soul.

3) Taking a break helps relax us

And a relaxed body can stretch further and faster than a tense one; likewise, a relaxed mind can stretch further and faster than a tense one... which helps us learn better and solve problems. To put it another way :  the better we become at balancing ourselves by taking dynamic breaks, the further we can reach in our goals and ambitions.

4) Taking breaks greatly refreshes our problem-solving abilities

Taking a break isn’t just a good idea, it’s a good idea that will lead to many more ‘good ideas’ you’ll be very glad you had. This is because fresh activities are like vitamins : they nourish our ability to be creative. Albert Einstein noted that we cannot solve our present problems with our present way of thinking. Thankfully, making time for new experiences helps change our perspective on things so we can come at life afresh.

5) To work well, we have to play well, and that takes planning

We need to put as much planning and dynamism into making good use of our play-time as making good use of our work-time. This way, we recuperate fully and come back to work fully restored.

6) If we really want out children to enjoy the world around them, we need to lead by good example

As every teacher knows, telling a child simply isn’t enough. We need to demonstrate, to prove things through real actions and hands-on experience. England is waiting for you!