Learn how incorporating relaxing activities into workday breaks enhances emotional well-being and reduces fatigue. Research highlights the importance of taking regular breaks to engage in social, nutritional, or calming activities for improved overall productivity and mood.
Scheduling Breaks into Your Workday
Do you include regular breaks in your daily schedule? Are you aware of the advantages they offer? Many of us take breaks sporadically, unintentionally, or not at all. However, understanding the well-documented benefits of workday breaks might inspire you to prioritize and plan them more consistently.
A study conducted with Chinese white-collar employees found that taking breaks during the workday significantly decreased fatigue and enhanced positive emotional experiences.
The study also revealed that not all breaks are equally beneficial. To maximize the impact of a workday break, it’s important to engage in activities like eating a healthy snack, participating in social interactions, or doing cognitive tasks. On the other hand, spending your break scrolling through social media or consuming junk food may not provide the restorative benefits needed to boost energy or enhance your mood.
The Effort-Recovery Model
The effort-recovery model suggests that the energy expended to meet work demands leads to short-term physiological and psychological responses, referred to as “strain reactions.” These reactions often manifest as fatigue and other negative effects, highlighting the importance of recovery periods to restore balance.
Taking breaks helps reduce short-term strain reactions, allowing the body and mind to return to baseline levels. Breaks provide an opportunity for individuals to psychologically detach from work-related demands and focus on other activities, promoting recovery and restoration.
Although it might seem like evenings or weekends provide sufficient time away from work, they are often not enough to fully prevent strain reactions. Research indicates that while longer breaks, such as evenings off or vacations, do support recovery, it’s the regular breaks taken during the workday that serve as the most effective mechanism for mitigating strain and promoting overall well-being.
Creating a Culture of Workday Breaks
Depending on your role, expectations, and schedule, you may need to tailor your breaks to align with your organization’s needs. However, prioritizing break-time is essential—not only for boosting productivity and performance but also for reducing fatigue and negative emotions such as stress, frustration, anger, or overwhelm. If you’re a manager, fostering a culture that encourages regular workday breaks can also benefit your employees. Valuing and normalizing breaks at all levels of an organization can significantly enhance well-being, performance, and overall productivity.