Take a Break Today, or You'll Break Apart

Some people aren’t strict enough with themselves. But some of us are too strict. 

The work from home situation in the pandemic has highlighted this difference in many of us. While many folks have struggled to get by financially, those lucky enough to keep working seem to fall into two camps. Some are spending all day in their pajamas, others are working longer hours than before. We feel obligated to answer every email, to accept every phone call, to show up for every Zoom call. Plus untold additional family and personal obligations.

No wonder that, according to a recent study done by EPIC Provisions, 60-70% of work from homers are feeling burned out. As it happens, this is an issue that dates way way back. 

Musonius Rufus, like a lot of the Stoics, was a strict man. He was strict with himself. He was strict with his students. He believed in hard work, he did not ease up, just because other people did or because he had been successful.

A friend would describe one evening, when in Athens, when they were enjoying the Saturnalia—quite pleasantly, in fact: “We did not, however, let our minds go lax,” he wrote, “for, Musonius says, ‘to let one’s mind go lax is, in effect, to lose it.’”

Unfortunately, this is a common belief, not just among the Stoics. People think they are too important, the stakes of their work are too high, that there is not a minute to lose. So they never relax. They never shut off their minds. They never check out, or let go. And far too often they end up losing it. 

EPIC’s survey found that those who are feeling burnout associate it with feeling the need to respond immediately, be on all the time and stuck to their computer. Taking a mental break and eating healthy snacks helps both personally and professionally. 

I certainly relate to that. 

"The mind must be given relaxation," Seneca said, "it will rise improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be forced...so constant work on the anvil will fracture the force of the mind."

All muscles need rest. The brain is no exception. Fields must be alternated. Computers must occasionally be shut down or rebooted. To not do this is to risk injury, poor yields, or damage. We are not in this life for the short term. We are trying to build sustainable, enduring success.

I’ve been excited the last week to work with EPIC on a campaign to encourage people to take more breaks. It’s important stuff. If you don’t take a break...you might end up being the one breaking.

Me? I like to get up early, tackle my important projects and then around 10 or 11, I get up from my desk and take a break. It’s too early for lunch and too late for breakfast, so I’ll grab a snack. I’ll read a book. Or go for a walk or call a friend. Sometimes I just stare out the window. I do the same in the afternoon, usually in the pool with my kids. But the point is: I let the mind go lax. 

On purpose. So I don’t lose it. 

Do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to do the same. 

#TakeAnEPICBreak this week! so you can continue to be your best self. 

#sponsored