Session 4: Take A ‘Breather’

Below is a sample session that I have created for the website Buddy & Soul. The site specializes in creating scientific-based courses for self-improvement and emotional tools to cope with illness and related stress. All content belongs to the 'Buddy & Soul' team, and is shared here for sample writing purposes only.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the middle of a big task and all of a sudden you get a panicked feeling and think: “I can’t do this!” or, “I’ll never finish in time!”

Though you might have been steadily working before, your mind is now spiraling, and your body has given up on the task. You’ve become so busy tending to your stress and panic that you can no longer see what’s in front of you.

This can happen to anybody, and it does, all too frequently. It may happen during a work assignment, while struggling to find the right words for an email, making a decision in the midst of the supermarket, or making big life decisions for your future. No matter how big or small the stressor, the panic that we feel in that moment can make us feel paralyzed and unable to continue with the task at hand. So what can we do? How do we take control of the situation, instead of letting stress take over us?

A time management technique that many find to be helpful is the Pomodoro Technique. Developed by productivity consultant Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro Technique is made up of 25-minute working slots, spaced out with short breaks or ‘breathers’ in between. Francesco Cirillo writes in his introduction to the technique: ”[f]or many people, time is an enemy. The anxiety triggered by “the ticking clock”, in particular when a deadline is involved, leads to ineffective work and study behaviour which in turn elicits the tendency to procrastinate (p. 1 intro)”.

Cirillo noticed that our minds tend to become overwhelmed, and therefore discouraged, tired, and unmotivated when faced with large tasks. The way to encourage productive and motivated work is to challenge yourself to work in 25 minute intervals. When faced with the task of working for 25 minutes, you think “hey, I can do that”. In response, your body and mind work together to manage the task to the best of your ability in the short time given.

But almost as important as the helpful time management tip is what happens after the 25 minutes. The technique does not suggest resetting your timer for another 25 minutes of work; instead you are told to take a break. Whether it’s getting up for a walk, talking to a friend, getting a cup of coffee, or just looking out the window. Not only does this serve as a reward for your hard work and concentration, it doubles as the necessary breather to restore your energy for your next task.

So how does this relate to stress? Technology has changed the way we deal with many things today, and perhaps one consequence is that we’ve come to believe, that just as computer engines work tirelessly on a task, we too can achieve more by working non-stop. But unlike computers, we humans run on emotional and physical fuel. Taking breaks during a stressful situation can give us just the space we need to calm our racing thoughts, and come back to the situation with a clearer perspective. You can take this space at any time by physically removing yourself from a situation or work space mentally, or removing yourself from the stressor by closing your eyes, counting to 10, or focusing on something else for a minute.

Not only will this allow you to de-stress and put your worries aside for a moment (a much-needed relief for anyone experiencing stress), it can also allow your mind to refresh and think up new ideas for the problems at hand. In an article titled Taking Timeouts to Decrease Stress and Increase Creativity, Robert J. Kriegel Ph.D., in collaboration with Neal Vahle Ph.D., wrote that, during breaks, “[t]he ideas you’ve been thinking about, the problems you’ve been working on, shift to a ‘back burner,’ where they incubate, moving from the logical left brain to the creative right brain. And then, when you least expect it, lightning strikes!”

So, not only will short breathers allow you to bring more calm to your day, it can actually produce creative solutions to problems that may be clogging up your brain. Let’s take a look at one of the many ways we can implement this stress relieving technique today.

Action:

Let's apply this information right now.

Step 1:

Take a full minute now to look up from your computer and take a ‘breather’. This can be looking out a nearby window and noting what you see outside, closing your eyes and counting down from ten, or even thinking about something positive and completely unrelated to our topic.

In the first text box, write what you experienced. Did you feel lighter or fresher when you came back to the computer screen? Did you notice anything about your surroundings, or the way that you were holding yourself?

Step 2:

Write down three ideas for breathers that you can take during future stressful situations. Be creative, and try them out this week to see if they work for you. (e.g. doing some stretches, getting a drink or snack, calling a friend, doodling on a piece of paper, or even just shutting your eyes for a minute to think about other things).

Tips:

1. Don’t know what to think about during your breather? Close your eyes and picture yourself lounging in a peaceful place. You can imagine yourself on a deserted island, enjoying the sunshine, floating in a pool, or walking through the woods. Whatever brings you the most calm.

2. Beware of breathers wasted on social media sites or with other technology. Try whenever you can to get up, move around, and experience the little pleasures of life outside your screen.

Sources:

Pomodoro Technique PDF (2007), retrieved from http://caps.ucsd.edu/Downloads/tx_forms/koch/pomodoro_handouts/ThePomodoroTechnique_v1-3.pdf

Robert J. Kriegel Ph.D, (2012), Huffington Post, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-kriegel-phd/unplug-recharge_b_1333126.html