Microbreaks: How to Add Mini Recharges to your day

Authors: Katharine Chamberlain, Health & Wellness Coordinator & Kerri Ritchie, PhD, C.Psych.

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When we are constantly on the go, our bodies can shift into using the fight or flight (stress response system). Although this can give us extra energy in the short term. In the long term, particularly during a pandemic, our systems start to experience chronic stress. We get tired more quickly, have more trouble paying attention, and remembering things, and can feel ourselves becoming edgier or more irritable with other people. Just like technology, if we are using our phone a lot, and for big thinks like watching youtube or movies, we are going to need to plug it in to recharge from time to time. Unlike our phone, our bodies don't show us how much we have left in our batteries.

If we add microbreaks to our day, we can help save some energy to get through the day until we can rest. This can helps our system shift out of the chronic stress model, which impacts our emotions, our brains, and our bodies.

Research supports that taking short microbreaks throughout your day can have a positive impact on how you feel

Here are 30 ideas for 30 second microbreaks for 30 days ; try one daily over the next month, and see what works for you.

1. Acknowledge or write something down that you are thankful for

2. Try breathing in a square (i.e. use a picture frame, a computer monitor or something square to guide your inhales and exhales)

3. Close your eyes and think about your favourite person

4. Stand up to take a call, or somehow change your position

5. Stretch your arms up over your head and take a deep breath, then exhale completely, release your arms, and roll your shoulders back and down

6. Close your eyes and imagine a huge smile, spreading from ear to ear

7. Sing a song while you wash your hands

8. Try 10 squats or 10 wall push-ups or an exercise of your choice

9. Take a blue-sky moment - look out a window or step outside for 30 seconds of sunshine

10. Skip the elevator and take the stairs, or embrace another opportunity to move

11. Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts and repeat

12. Do a quick body scan to check in with yourself from toes to head.

13. Repeat a positive or inspirational message to yourself

14. Fill up your water bottle and take a big sip to keep hydrated

15. Gaze at a favourite photo and remember when it was taken

16. Try a stretch a day from the stretching guides – i.e. neck, shoulders, wrists

17. Think about something that went well during your working day

18. Take a sip of tea or coffee from your favourite mug and relish the moment

19. Send a colleague a quick note to say hello or thanks

20. Pat yourself on the back for completing something small

21. Choose something to recycle that clutters your space

22. Notice the posters and see the messages of gratitude from the community

23. Give yourself a great big hug

24. Share a happy memory with a colleague or your team (a picture or story)

25. Savour a good piece of chocolate

26. Acknowledge a kindness that you witnessed or were the recipient of

27. Thank someone who is not usually on your radar

28. Try the STOP technique – stop what you are doing, take a breath, observe how you are feeling, then proceed intentionally.

29. Take a moment to check in with yourself with the Wellness Check in tool ‘What’s My Colour today?

30. Practice the lawn chair stretch - when you can, lean back, place hands behind head, and put your feet up for 30 seconds.

Article

Systematic review: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0272460.