The Importance of Breathers

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.” -Anne Lamott

How important is taking a breather no matter what you’re doing? In my opinion, it’s perhaps the most pivotal thing you can do when doing something difficult. You not only get some physical rest but mental rest as well. Very often, I think people tend to forget that the mind works just like a muscle. If you train it, excercise it and nourish it, it’ll grow exponentially. But like with any other excercise routine, it needs time to break down and grow back stronger. There are several other benefits to resting. There have been several documented examples of how people agonized over an idea for something only to have a clear answer after a good night’s sleep. That’s happened to me many times when I’m thinking about what topic to write about for this site. When we sleep, our minds as well as our brains produce the lowest neurological activity which is why it’s so easy to drift in and out of dreams. In essence, we take neurological vacations. It’s not too different from physically going on a vacation and coming back recharged. Now imagine if those vacations could be more frequent and at will. Possibilities are endless. Scientists have also argued that we’re more likely to have a “eureka” moment when we’re actually NOT thinking about the task at hand. Similar to the example about sleep, there have also been instances when people try to come up with ideas only to give up and move on to another task out of frustration. A little while later, the idea will suddenly strike, seemingly out of nowhere. But it’s not really “nowhere,” it’s actually stemming from some much needed rest. At this point, let me clear and point out that there’s a significant difference between taking a breather and being outright lazy. When you’re lazy, you sweep the dirt under the rug so you don’t see it. When you’re just taking a break, you leave it there with a sincere intention to get back to it. How do you feel about taking breathers? Are they important to you? Do you function better or worse with them? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.