Work breaks should give you the time and space that you need to reduce stress, improve your overall wellbeing, and get back to work feeling refreshed. If your current work breaks don’t offer this to you, then it’s time to make some big changes.
This guide will outline the universal tips that everyone should try to improve their work break, as well as a few niche tips for smokers who want to get more out of every break they take. Always customize, try new ideas, and work on how you can get more out of your break so that you feel better when you come back, rather than stuck in the same stressful loop you were in beforehand.
Universal Tips to Spice Up Your Work Break
These tips are universal. They will help you reset, refuel, and shake off any stiffness, while also improving your circulation. They will help you feel better, and with a little extra spice, also help you perform better in your work role:
Rehydrate and Refuel
Drinking water and having a small snack can do wonders for your body when you go on your break, but don’t just stop there. Introduce new flavors and pack more of a punch with your snack and drink. Instead of water you may want to try different sport drinks, for example, as these have electrolytes that help the body absorb and use the water you drink more effectively.
As for snacks, go wild. Small snacks that pack a punch of flavor can give your mind a different and pleasurable focus, and will also increase your energy levels while you work.
Get Away From the Desk
Never take your break at the desk, but don’t immediately just sit in the break room or the kitchen, either. There are so many more exciting places to take your break. If your office is close to a park or garden, go there; if it has a rooftop, go there. By going somewhere entirely different than where you work you can refresh your mind ready for when you return to work.
Shake it Off
Sitting at a desk for long periods of time or alternatively working on your feet for long hours both cause stiffness and muscle strain. Stretching, shaking off the stiffness, and moving in different ways than you do when you are on the clock can all be great ways to get your circulation going. If you can have fun with it, all the better. Dancing is a great way to stretch and shake off any stiffness while also giving your mind a fun activity to focus on!
Spice Up Your Work Break: Tips for Smokers
If you are a smoker and want to use your smoke break and lunch break more effectively, then these tips will help:
Find a Quiet Oasis
You are always going to be limited to smoking outside, but if you can, try to find somewhere that is calming and refreshing. If your current smoking location is behind the store where the garbage and recycling is taken out, walk a little bit further to where you can see some greenery, or at least somewhere that makes you feel more comfortable.
Try Vaping Instead
Just as flavorful snacks can help boost the brain and give your mind a pleasant focus while you process and try to relax, so too can the many vape flavors that are available. If you haven’t already done so, consider trying vaping instead of smoking. There are so many excellent flavor options out there, and all you need to get started is a vape kit that suits your needs from redjuice.co.uk.
Spice Up Your Work Break: Tips for Non-Smokers
If you don’t smoke you should still be given the short five-minute breaks that your smoking counterparts are awarded. These short breaks can help give you just a moment to take yourself out of a stressful situation, relax, and refocus:
Do a Creative Activity
If your daily work isn’t all that creative and feels more like a slog than anything else, then use your short break to do a creative activity. Try to fully engage the senses if you can. You could have slime, play-dough, or other sensory toys to fidget with while you take your short break, or alternatively you could spend a few minutes just doodling, painting, or anything else that you enjoy. For the best results, always opt for pure expression, rather than working on a project that you have to keep picking up.
Find Somewhere Nice to Sit (Ideally Outside)
Go without distractions. Don’t look at your phone or do anything of the sort. Simply sit in a nice location, ideally outside amongst nature, and be. This can do so much to help you process what you are feeling, can help quiet the mind, and can help give you that moment to reset before going back to work.
