Take breaks!
As the school year progresses and homework starts piling up, study sessions become longer, and how much sleep you get starts to decline, it’s imperative that you make sure to take a break once in a while! The stress of the school year can really affect you gradually, maybe without you even knowing it, so it’s important to stop once in a while and think, “Do I need a break?”
If the answer is yes, then absolutely take one. A break, even a small one, can have many benefits for your mental and physical health.
Studies have shown that while doing different activities, your brain produces different waves. It produces gamma waves when concentrated, beta waves when active, alpha waves when resting, theta waves while deeply relaxed, and delta waves when sleeping.
It is suggested that humans need to spend time in each of these brain states, and we can do this by doing activities of different attention levels. For example, while working and studying you might be in the gamma or beta states, and while taking breaks and relaxing you might be in the alpha and theta states.
Different brain states are also geared towards different things. You might have experienced this when trying to recall information and not being able to but then remembering later while relaxed.
How to take breaks?
Many activities that were thought of as taking breaks might not necessarily give you the best benefits. This means that doing chores might be a break from schoolwork, but it’s still not necessarily a rest.
To receive the benefits of a rest, spend time doing something that calms your central nervous system. Your nervous system can be activated while doing low-stress activities, and over time, the constant activation can lead to negative effects. It’s important to return to the base level once in a while.
Do whatever relaxes you! For some, this might be meditation, and for others it might be getting out in nature or exercising. Anything works, as long as you feel relaxed while doing it. These breaks do not have to be long either. Mini-breaks, lunchtime breaks, and longer breaks have all proved to be beneficial.
In conclusion, breaks reduce and prevent stress, help you maintain performance throughout the day, and improve your mental state. They’re very important to take and can be highly useful.
Written by: Shengze