Take a break
What do you do when you feel scrambled? The next time it happens, try one of these ten microbreaks. For such a small activity, they have a profound impact: studies show they help you to improve your energy and well-being.
1. Take a few deep breaths. Breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which can minimize your stress response.
2. Be kind to yourself. Put your hand on your heart and say, “You’re doing a great job, [NAME]. This is hard right now, and you’re being really brave.”
3. Catch yourself rushing — and slow down. Rushing is so counterproductive: it ends up creating lower quality results and increases your stress at the same time. Move 10% more slowly.
4. Stand up and walk around (if you are able) or stretch your body however you can. A few minutes of movement can help you to release the stress on your body.
5. Set a timer for five minutes, and look away from the phone or a computer until it goes off. Pay attention to the room you’re in, the people around you, and any nature you can see.
6. Talk to someone for a few minutes. Call a friend or loved one and tell that them you only have five minutes, but you wanted to say a quick hi.
7. Sometimes, stress can manifest as boredom and a struggle to pay attention. Set yourself a new goal to focus your attention.
8. Express gratitude. Take five minutes to send a quick text or email to someone who has helped you recently.
9. Put on a song that makes you happy and dance or sing along.
10. If you are feeling really overwhelmed, write down all of your thoughts on a piece of paper or document, under these three headers:
“Things I Can’t Control”
“Things I Can Influence”
“Things I Can Control”
From there, choose one thing from either the Influence or Control lists and take an action towards addressing it.
