Finding Beauty in Weeds: Lessons Learned from Unlikely Sources
April 24, 2023
When was the last time you stepped away from your work, disconnected from screens and tech, and took a few minutes to clear your mind and gaze out your window? Or went outside to look around and let your mind wander?
It’s so easy for us to get wrapped up in our to-do lists, emails or endless Zoom meetings that we often forget to give ourselves a break. And by break, I don’t mean stopping work to check out social media. I mean a “put down your tech and take a few minutes to gaze at something other than a screen” break.
Taking regular breaks throughout your workday, particularly ones that involve nature, can have numerous benefits including reducing stress and alleviating eye strain. And, giving your brain a chance to wander can lead to new ideas and inspiration for your work. Here are a few ideas:
- Got lots of meetings? Take 5-10 minute break between each one to move around and look or go outside. Let your gaze drift and listen to the sounds around you. What do you notice?
- Block time on your calendar for lunch and use it to take lunch without devices. Read, walk or just eat and enjoy your food.
- Decide when you will end your workday and then build in a 15-30 minute buffer between work and home/personal life. Use that time for YOU! Stretch, walk in a park/forest, read, color, meditate, nap…you do you ☺️
- Take 5 and do some cloudgazing! Taking a break from screens can help reduce eye strain and headaches. Heard of the 20-20-20 rule? It’s where every 20 minutes, you look away from your computer and at something that’s 20 feet away (or more) for 20 seconds. Clouds are a great thing to focus other than your screen AND you can have fun trying to figure out what they are!
What are your favorite ways to take a break from work? One where you disconnect from technology and screens? How do those breaks help you?
✨ Oh…and if it’s been a while since you took a real break, why not take a minute and do it right now? Look out your window or go outside. Take a few deep breaths and let your gaze wander. You’ll thank me for it.
If you want to dive deeper into the benefits of breaks in your workday, check out this article from BetterUp. https://www-betterup-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.betterup.com/blog/the-importance-of-taking-breaks?hs_amp=true