The power of Micro Breaks when you are really busy at work

 When we are very busy, working long hours, barely making time for exercise family or friends can take a big toll on our health. We know that long term elevated levels of stress are implicated in the major chronic diseases, we tend to eat and drink too much when we are stressed, tend to exercise less and spend less time with family and friends. We can keep doing this for a while but eventually we won’t be able to keep going and may end up sick- plus it’s a miserable situation to be in. The personal and economic cost of getting sick is huge but when you are in the trenches at work it may seem like the most efficient way is to keep at it however we know that Micro Breaks are a very helpful and efficient way to be able to keep going during these periods.

Micro Breaks are small periods of proper down time during your day. These will help you keep going a little longer and boost your system to help calm your stress response. (You won’t be able to keep going like that for ever- no one is super woman but it will help you day to day). Micro-breaks are when you fully down tools for at least 5 minutes at intervals during a really busy day. So instead of sitting at your desk all day for hours with not even a toilet break you should try the following:-

✨set your alarm at hourly intervals and get up and get a glass of water .

✨ get away from the desk and think about something else more pleasurable - I keep shells as a reminder of holidays and this fills me with happy emotions .

✨Too busy for lunch? Take a walk outside for 15 minutes to get some air and vitamin D .

✨walk away from the desk and listen to your favorite song - again this counterbalances stress in the body.

✨ do a 3 minute breathing exercise to calm and centre the body and the mind.

 These are doable- you don’t need loads of time for any of these and they will help dampen your stress response and will help your brain function better- it may seem counter productive but it’s the opposite and it is better for your health.

Busy periods with long working days may be a given - we have to find ways to stay well during this time.

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