Taking a Break & Self-Care

BY ISD Student

Is taking a break being lazy? Being unproductive? Being irresponsible? Putting off important work? Sometimes, maybe. But what if we switched the perspective? While taking a break, could I be working on other important things? Recharging? Taking care of my social and emotional well-being? Am I being “unproductive” because I’m working on something that seems unimportant? Am I “lazy” because I’m taking care of myself? I believe that taking a break can have very positive results.

I understand that we need to be productive, and taking long breaks isn’t always a good thing. It varies from person to person and situation to situation. But often, it isn’t a choice, and avoiding it can cause a lot of stress. Sometimes taking long breaks causes students to have to stay up until 3 in the morning working.

But does productivity always have to be directly academic or work-related? What if I’m not able to be “productive” without first taking some time for myself? I take breaks to spend some time with friends at a café; that’s my way of recharging after a long day. If I was at home trying to work, there’s a good chance I would have been staring at a blank screen while beating myself up. Instead, I choose to take a break so that the next day I would have the energy to be academically productive again.

In addition to taking a break, I was also working on maintaining social connections, which is very important for my overall wellbeing. In this instance, I was working on self-care, which can come in many different forms, and it is essential.

I truly believe that taking care of yourself and your needs is always worthwhile. And I know that is often mistaken for being lazy when all it means is that you need a moment for yourself.

Now, getting that validation from others, especially parents, can make a huge difference. Parents, if you see your student just staring at a blank screen, not getting anything done, then it might be a good idea to encourage them to take a break and recharge!

When you, a friend, or a family member is taking some time off to take care of themselves, don’t forget to be kind and understanding. They are being very productive!