Most workdays don’t come with a convenient pause button. One task ends, another begins, an email pops up, the phone rings, and before you know it, hours have passed without much of a break. Taking a break doesn’t always mean stepping away for 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes, 60 seconds is enough to give your brain and body a quick reset.
A micro-break is a short, intentional pause from work, generally lasting about 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Unlike a lunch break or a longer rest period, a micro-break is designed to give your mind and body a quick reset without completely stepping away from your day.
These brief pauses can help reduce mental and physical fatigue, restore concentration and ease tension. Research also shows when workers take a break to do something enjoyable it’s linked to better health, higher job satisfaction and lower rates of burnout.
Look for opportunities to take micro-breaks throughout your day, especially when:
You have difficulty concentrating
You start to feel irritable
You feel tension in your neck, jaw or hands
You experience eyestrain
You don’t even have to wait for those signs. Micro-breaks can be used between meetings or phone calls, after a demanding task or before starting something new.
Got a minute? Try one of these quick resets:
Reach for the sky. Roll your shoulders, reach overhead or gently stretch your neck and back.
Smell the flower, cool the soup. Slowly breathe in through your nose as if smelling a flower. Then slowly blow out as through your mouth as if you’re cooling hot soup. Repeat a few times.
Try a mindfulness scavenger hunt. Have fun trying to find something blue, something that moves, something that makes a sound and something you normally overlook.
Three good things. Quickly name three things that are going well today, even if they’re small.
Doodle away. Grab a pen and spend a minute drawing whatever comes to mind. No artistic talent required.
Micro-breaks aren’t meant to replace regular breaks. Think of them as small resets throughout the day. Sixty seconds may not change your workload, but it can change how you approach what comes next.
A small break can make a big difference. So can asking for help. Responder Assistance Initiative offers no-cost confidential support and resources when you need a little extra help. Call the RAI Information and Resource Line at 866-731-6901 to learn more or sign up for services. Prefer e-mail?
Free and confidential individual, couples and family counseling:
Phone: 866-731-6901
Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – noon
ncdps.gov/rai