Take a break and rest your body!
11 February 2015
Read by 2567 persons
Like sleep, we have cycles, called biological rhythms, that we learn to recognize, understand, and master over the years. Our bodies don't function at the same pace all the time; sometimes we're at our peak, and other times, we're slowed down by fatigue resulting from physical, mental, or emotional overload—or all three at once. That's when it's time for a life-saving break.
We already knew this:
Regardless of the night before, or even the night before that, we know from experience that our bodies naturally relax every 1.5 to 2 hours. Like an engine that's been overworked, our bodies have a vital need for this break to recover, repair, and revitalize themselves.
Signs of relaxation are obvious:
We get the (strong or mild) urge to yawn, we stretch, we can no longer concentrate, listen attentively to our interlocutors, or respond appropriately. We want to snack, eat, drink coffee/tea, or smoke a cigarette. Basically, we want to pamper ourselves slowly. And if we don't listen to ourselves, we quickly risk accumulating clumsy actions, a slight nervous exhaustion that will manifest as irritation or anger, or even complete burnout...
Listening to and respecting these bodily signals is wise.
Of course, this is not about taking arbitrary breaks repeatedly, but about knowing how to pace yourself to go the distance...
A few life-saving breaks:
The quick break (30 seconds): Take time to close your eyes, relax against the back of your chair, lie down, and breathe deeply. Relax each limb from top to bottom.
The medium break (5 to 10 minutes): Do the same as for the quick break but spend more time on different parts of your body, especially those that feel sore (back, arms, legs, etc.). Massage them if you can.
The luxury break (20 minutes): Between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., our bodies spontaneously cry out for a nap, and we aren't always able to respond positively. At this time, know that the body is physiologically in a phase of hypovigilance, relaxation. Don't fight it, and calm yourself down, but don't sleep for more than twenty minutes; otherwise, you will fall into a real, deep sleep and will be even more tired afterwards.
So remember to treat yourself as you treat your mobile: recharge regularly!
The ReKrute.com Team
We already knew this:
Regardless of the night before, or even the night before that, we know from experience that our bodies naturally relax every 1.5 to 2 hours. Like an engine that's been overworked, our bodies have a vital need for this break to recover, repair, and revitalize themselves.
Signs of relaxation are obvious:
We get the (strong or mild) urge to yawn, we stretch, we can no longer concentrate, listen attentively to our interlocutors, or respond appropriately. We want to snack, eat, drink coffee/tea, or smoke a cigarette. Basically, we want to pamper ourselves slowly. And if we don't listen to ourselves, we quickly risk accumulating clumsy actions, a slight nervous exhaustion that will manifest as irritation or anger, or even complete burnout...
Listening to and respecting these bodily signals is wise.
Of course, this is not about taking arbitrary breaks repeatedly, but about knowing how to pace yourself to go the distance...
A few life-saving breaks:
The quick break (30 seconds): Take time to close your eyes, relax against the back of your chair, lie down, and breathe deeply. Relax each limb from top to bottom.
The medium break (5 to 10 minutes): Do the same as for the quick break but spend more time on different parts of your body, especially those that feel sore (back, arms, legs, etc.). Massage them if you can.
The luxury break (20 minutes): Between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., our bodies spontaneously cry out for a nap, and we aren't always able to respond positively. At this time, know that the body is physiologically in a phase of hypovigilance, relaxation. Don't fight it, and calm yourself down, but don't sleep for more than twenty minutes; otherwise, you will fall into a real, deep sleep and will be even more tired afterwards.
So remember to treat yourself as you treat your mobile: recharge regularly!
The ReKrute.com Team
