Taking a Break for Your Mental Health

Taking a Break:

I thought I'd just share with you something that I’m practicing doing for my own mental health right now.

And that is: Taking Breaks when I NEED them, rather than just when I feel like I’ve “earned or deserve” them.

As I’ve talked about this with many clients now, I’ve learned that it’s actually pretty common that many of our parents have taught us (as kids) to “do all our work first” (chores, homework), BEFORE taking a break (TV, video games etc…).. And so many of us are “pre-programmed” to work hard before earning a break. And society reinforces this idea many times when we are young. (kind of unfortunate, since taking a break is also so important).

So, maybe for “kids”, this is an effective skill to teach as it encourages work to get done before “play” and introduces the concept of responsibility.

But as adults, there are not usually natural “breaks” built into any part of our day or routine unless we have decided to allow that.

Which is a problem since many of us are hard-wired to just work until the work is done (but as adults, the work is oftentimes never “done”- like parenting… dear goodness that’s never “done”, is it?)

And so, I’ve recently been trying to reprogram my own brain around this and try to practice taking breaks.

I’ve been working on it for only about a week now and have already changed my thinking.

I went from thinking:

• “I can’t take a break because I’m not done working”, and…

• “I don’t have enough time to take a break”, and…

• “it will be too hard to go back to work after taking a break”/ “it’s not worth it” mentality…

TO:

• “I need to take a break because I’m hungry and my brain is feeling “tired/foggy” (which requires practicing some mindfulness), and…

• “A 5 or 10 minute break is not that long and won’t take up too much time…I have time for 5 or 10 minutes for myself”, and…

• “I am actually MORE productive and can get more done in a shorter amount of time when I have taken a break.”, and...

• “It’s not actually THAT hard to come back to work after taking a break. I just need to practice knowing and learning that I’m only taking a short break and will still need to finish some things up afterwards.

Simply practicing something like “taking a break” (a behavioral and routine based skill) can be an effective and important way to re-shape your thinking and allow for much more balance that includes self care.

Remember that self care is Necessary. It is NOT Selfish.

As a parent I often remind myself that I am BETTER for everyone else (for my kids and family), If I prioritize my own self care also. No one can endlessly give and give.

You cannot pour from an empty cup!

I hope you consider practicing “taking a break” and that it can be as helpful for you as it has been for me!

Sarah A. Robb MSW, LISW-S, LICDC

(Masters Degree in Social Work, Licensed Independent Social Worker-Supervisory Designation, Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor)

* LGBTQ+ Friendly ALLY.

Learn more about ME here: https://www.7cups.com/therapists/profiles/Sarah-Robb-SarahRobbLISWS/?redirect=true