The importance of taking a break…
by Amanda Hayward
When working from Home (WFH) or office based, it can be very easy to grab lunch at your desk and not step away from your desk or screen all day. In fact, figures suggest 82% of workers don’t take breaks. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2020/07/14/eating-lunch-at-your-desk-again-study-examines-why-workers-dont-always-take-breaks/
Reasons given for not taking a break include:
- Social relationships – workers will take a break if their fellow employees do
- Feeling anxious or guilty
- Employees feeling their workload will not allow them time to step away
Some employees feel that their work culture doesn’t allow it, and if they do, they are frowned upon or even feel that they may pass up promotion opportunities, demonstrating a lack of dedication.
However, studies show that stepping away from your desk, even for short periods, is important for many reasons:
- Increases Productivity
Breaks can give the body and mind time to recharge. By walking away from your desk, you are giving your muscles the chance to stretch, and relieving your neck and shoulders from staying in one position. Your brain also works naturally in bursts of high activity which lasts at around an hour at a time and then switches to low activity. Therefore, your concentration levels can start to dip during the low activity and productivity is lower.
- Lowers stress
Regular breaks can help lower your stress levels. Sometimes just walking away can help you re focus on your return and feel more able to tackle the task in hand.
- Physical and emotional health
Even just a five-minute walk during the day can help in reducing the chances of heart disease, depression, and stress. Taking a walk outside, especially now Spring has sprung allows your body to absorb vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, which can help boost your mood by increasing your serotonin levels.
- Increase motivation
Taking a break can allow you to return to the task in hand with renewed vigour and allows you to focus more.
- Keep up to date on industry news
Sometimes you may want to stay at your desk but still take a break. What a great time to catch up on some industry news.
Here at Urbanissta we encourage you to take a break, so grab a coffee and head over to our Urban Musings page to have a read of our team’s blogs, musings, and industry related news!
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