Gimme a Break

Coming into the first week, there was a need to clearly define something along with the rules. This was what taking a break meant. It isn’t a realistic expectation to spend literally every minute of every day being active and engaged. Breaks are good, rest is healthy, and it absolutely adds value. But it was still murky, what kind of break actually added value? What actions constituted mental/physical rest? If I had two or five or ten minutes between tasks, and needed that break, what was it going to look like? The activity to avoid was one that we engage in all too regularly. Be it on some social app, viewing video clips, news articles, online shopping, or even houses for sale…it was the endless scroll.

I have avoided social media for awhile, although that wasn’t always the case. I had to segment the time for content on LinkedIn as it quickly morphed from professional networking to the most cringe worthy posts I’ve seen. Even so, there was seemingly always something that follows the same pattern. News article on google quickly became the replacement. Along with watching a single video on YouTube resulting in jumping right to the next one. More sites and platforms were quick to adopt the endless scroll.

It is hard to beat the allure of the endless scroll. The constant stream of new things to look at just grabs our attention and tightens its grip with every flick of the thumb. In our minds, this time is utilized as a break. Where we think we aren’t doing anything and it provides a moment of “rest”. However, the endless scroll creates something of a break paradox. While we think we are taking those two or five or ten minutes to rest, what is actually happening is loading our mind with more information, more stimulation, and more emotional noise.

Neurologically speaking, endless scrolling isn’t neutral, it’s active. The design of infinite feeds keeps our brain in a mode of constant seeking. Dopamine gets triggered not by content, but by the anticipation of the next thing. So we keep swiping, thinking there is something truly worth it around the corner. All while we feel as those this action is some kind of relaxation.

But what’s actually happening is attention fragmentation. Our mind gets pulled in multiple directions (headlines, images, opinions, outrage, humor, fear) and never fully lands. It’s called continuous partial attention, and it burns us out. The brain’s working memory stays overloaded. The end result is we don’t consolidate anything meaningful. We just get more tired, less focused, and emotionally depleted. The opposite of what taking a break should do.

So then let’s just call it what it is: fatigue. When we sit to “just to take a break” but waste that time scrolling, we end up more stressed, more anxious, or more mentally foggy afterward. Especially when the feed is filled with bad news or “curated perfection,” our nervous system gets hijacked. We just jump from fight, flight, or comparison mode. All without any followup action to burn those chemicals off. It is just on to the next thing. We feel just as (if not more) tired when we decide the break is over.

This isn’t a break, and it is not real rest. This is self-distraction disguised as self-care.

So. What Does a Real Break Look Like?

A break is when we want our brain to actually recover. Not just escape. So that means I needed to find ways to disconnect that replenish cognitive energy. Of course, breaks come in all shapes and sizes. That two minutes before the next meeting could be a useful time for a break, but not really long enough to get up and walk around. Likewise, if there are thirty minutes at the end of the day and my brain is fried, but my body is not, that break will need some physical activity to it. Just like with the rules, this was not going to be exhaustive. More like guidelines to get started.

Walk outside.

Not with a podcast, just walk with the dogs. Keeping the phone in the pocket (or on the kitchen counter at home). Ten minutes is enough to reset our executive attention system. Whenever time allots, get up and go for a walk (dogs will be happy about this one). Walking improves cognitive function, boosts creativity, reduces stress, and allows our attention systems to recalibrate. Exposure to green spaces (aka nature) offers what psychologists call “soft fascination”—it holds our attention just enough to be soothing, without demanding effort.

Reading a book.

Not some article with ads on either side, an actual book. Unlike the scroll, when we read books our attention narrows, our mind shifts from scattered stimuli to focused engagement. We begin to hold thoughts again, thinking deeper. Books present linear narratives or structured arguments, helping the brain process information in a cohesive manner, unlike the fragmentation that happens with the scroll. Having some fiction or light material) can serve as a productive mental rest that still engages the imagination without overstimulation.

Just writing.

Whatever it is that fills the pages. A break for a lot of people is a creative outlet. Whether it is picking up the guitar and strumming a few notes, or grabbing a pad and just doodling out some sketches. Unfortunately my artistic talents do not lend themselves very well to either of these pursuits. What I do enjoy, is creative writing. Even just a few minutes of jotting something down in my notebook, or hammering away on the keyboard feels like a nice mental reset for me. And is lumped into the category of a break for sure.

Sitting in the moment, and breathing.

When’s the last time you just sat in a moment, maybe outside, and just were present? Letting your mind either wander on its own path, or take in your surroundings? Truly just letting your mind be idle for a moment. And if that seems to hard, taking those precious minutes to just focus on breathing (correctly). Something so involuntary, we forget that there is a better way to do it, and that has benefits for our entire mind and body,

These things may not offer the same quick dopamine hit, and some are literally doing nothing. But they actually offer restoration. So that with their completion, there is something to be gained, in the form of rest—mental, physical or emotional. They would become my primary options for the “break” times during the day. Regardless of how long or short they were. When I need a break, these are the activities I turn to.

The Real Choice

Here’s the hard truth: if we’re turning to a screen to escape our day, we’re not giving ourself a break — it’s just postponing the crash. The scroll will never satisfy. It will never end. That’s the point.

But we do. We have an endpoint. A capacity. A limit. How much information we can add to our cognitive load before something snaps. Causing a ripple effect into all other activities, actions, and aspects of our lives.

So we are left with the choice. To do something that will have a positive value add in the form of genuine restoration, or not. It starts with a pause. And asking the question “What do I really need right now?” Then go get that.

Not the illusion of a break, but the actual rest.