I know. Day 20 of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and just six days to go – and here I am already talking about taking a break. You know what they say – fail to plan and you plan to fail. So, even as you are planning to wrap it all up / sitting pretty with all your posts ready / freaking out over how to tide over another week, here are twenty ways to take a break. Hey, I am talking about short breaks that will cool your mind and help you relax – call it an instant energy boost if you like. So here we go:
Twenty ways to Take a Break
- Take deep belly breaths. I swear this works. Ask my physiotherapist friend. Or ask any physiotherapist.
- Take a sheet of paper and a pen and write a page. About anything. Free write. Offload what’s on your mind. Doesn’t have to make sense. Who knows, a post might come out of it! If you like variation like me, write with the hand you usually don’t use to write.
- Take a quick walk. Just grab your keys and go. Walk to the end of the street. Make sure you walk for ten minutes. Enjoy a nature walk!
- Take a leisurely walk with your camera and get photos of anything that appeals to you.
- Take something. Anything. And see it with new eyes. A different perspective.
- Turn off everything. Celebrate Earth Day even when it is not Earth Day.
- Tune in to your favorite song. Listen to each word
- Try meditating for ten minutes.
- Take a coffee break. I am rather accomplished at this. I walk into my kitchen and set the milk on the stove. Even as it is heating, I add cinnamon powder to a large mug. Then splash some coffee decoction into it. I stir it, unlike 007 who prefers shaken, not stirred. Then I add the milk from a height so I can froth it up. I carry my mug to my favorite chair and settle down to enjoy my coffee, sip by sip. As I sip, I let my mind wander where it wants. Yes, coffee time is precious!
- Take a book. Read a few pages.
- Take in a comedy show on tv and laugh your guts out.
- Thank someone, appreciate them for something. Or just compliment them.
- Let go of something. Nothing to let go of? Go out, buy a few balloons and let go of them! Feel the freedom!
- Take in the fragrance of your favorite perfume.
- Try something new – something you have never done before. Something simple. Attempt a poem. Write 55 fiction. Compose a haiku or a song. Write a love letter!
- Take in the sights around you. See that tree? Try describing it in your mind. Notice every little thing – the texture, the color, its height…
- Take a nap. A power nap to regroup your energies.
- Go buy some flowers and gift them to someone. Anyone. Even a stranger maybe.
- Go to a children’s’ park and listen to the laughter and other sounds.
- Take a moment to appreciate yourself. Because you are awesome, especially when you smile.
See? That’s 20 ways! I kept it short and simple.
Can you add to the list?
Thank you for your presence here today!
Where shall we go today?
Carrie-Ann Foster That Dizzy Chick
Visit the A to Z Challenge signup list and pick a random blog between serial nos.488 and 502 and visit!
Talk to a friendand have a chat:) Having a nice drink-it odesn’t have to be wine-it can be your favourite drink-mine is OJ with soda water and enjoy the taste. You are so right and I am glad I do quite a few on your list. I love to play board games-always fun and watching a great old movie-a musical and admiring their dancing makes my heart sing
Birgit – love what you listed! My go-to is coffee or just plain water. Funny how sedately sipping a glass of water can be very soothing! Oh yes, I love to watch dancing too! Makes everything seem alright! Hugs! Thank you!
Some ways that I take a break
1. Sudoku/crossword
2. Read a couple of pages of Wodehouse/Billy Bunter/William
3. Have a chat with a small kid, preferably a mischievous one.
4. Read a post on https://vidyasury.com 🙂 🙂 🙂 Those are some of the smiles I’m sure to collect!
Ah yes, how could I forget a crossword! But Pro, I can make a list of 300 without pausing to take a breath. 🙂 So many ways. Your mention of Wodehouse/Billy Bunter/William just raised you several notches in my respect meter. No.3 is something I do all the time. So I got a bit emotional at your no.4. Thank you!
This is a collection of smiles, again, Vidya 🙂 Because every single point that you’ve mentioned here is something we should do, everyday, to have that very precious ME time. I particularly love the coffee break, and reading the books thing. Even at home, when I feel weird ( you know what I mean) I go to my bookshelf,pick up some book and read a few pages. That is instant catharsis !! And of course, ringing a new friend, or taking my little woman to the park is another method 🙂
Sreeja, this post just rolled off – because I do these almost every day! I know what you mean about reading being therapeutic – it takes our mind off whatever is weirding us out! Hugs! Wish you lived nearby!
such a great list. I read in rapt attention and the last suggestion made me break into a large smile. you are always so good, Vidya. I just adore you.
my way of taking break- watching a mango tree just across the road. I get a lovely view of all the squirrels and parrots and sparrows that visit it.
Ooh, thank you Koyel! Incidentally, I walk on my terrace every evening and one of my favorite sights is a mango tree in the neighbor’s house – it hides a lot of koyels, parrots and squirrels! Love to see them suddenly make an exodus from the tree, chirping away. Sadly, no sparrows around our area. I adore you right back!
oh yes, I often switch on the TV and listen to old movie songs. they are soothing, helps to take a walk down the memory lane and relaxes the mind. you know, old soulful numbers of Rafi, Mukesh and Kishorkumar?
We’re major radio vividbharti fans! Especially old songs. And I love Kishore’s madness – Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Jhumroo are two of my very favorites. 🙂 Don’t get me started on music 😀 We’ll be here for the rest of the week, at least!
Thanks Vidya for the very practical rules to keep smiling. We all need a break from our hectic schedule. I hear old hindi movie songs and take out old family albums. Old memories always make us smile.
I love to look at old pictures too – each one has a full story around it and I enjoy reminiscing. Thank you Mrs.Usha!
Some great tips for taking a break, ok twenty breaks! I like napping a lot 🙂 even if it just means cuddling with a book for a while! And for me it is sometimes simply sitting in my fav chair in my courtyard and looking at the plants/garden from there. I have even found that when I need to do some serious thinking I find some organizing of my home/room/closet/drawer helps me get some clarity and gives me the much needed break from clueless wandering of the mind so I can then think straight. And yes, certainly music is a big thing for me too – love those old hindi film songs :)Thanks Vidya for another motivating post.
Take a nap, meditate, walk with nature – sounds good to me.
Awww.. I love all your tips. I think the balloon one is the best and the cutest! Me? I sit and play cards with Gy, watch her drape herself in my dupatta and do a ramp walk, read a book which I haven’t touched in a while, listen to my favourite music while I chop vegetables… oh, the list can go on. Maybe time for a post 😉
I agree and practice most of them.. Haiku and photography the most and these breaks make up my A-Z and most of my posts 😀
PhenoMenon
Yes yes…much needed these short breaks!! Lovely compilation Vidya and your description of coffee made me go to my cafeteria and pour a cup for myself (no cinnamon but quite good!)
So what works for me is – your tea and coffee breaks, snuggling up to your loved ones and just enjoying the togetherness, watching an episode of Friends, having chocolate or nutella 😉 and the best of all dancing!!
Last few days I’m taking a break by watching Ellen’s antics on youtube…Ofcourse, I began reading books again after 1 and a half month long gap…And it feels good…
Wonderful tips to relax from the stress that seems to accompany me wherever I go. I usually take a walk to regroup my energies or when I am having an argument and want to cool down 🙂
Yes, I surely need a break, there are too many things happening around me now besides this challenge- a respite that way :-). Thanks for a nice compilation of getting us rejuvenated. Take a break, read a few pages is closest to me. One thing that I can add is to do a different kind of work, may be social work-visit a slum or SOS village. You will feel good and time worth. Thanks for this nice post.
Yes. Taking a break is a must.
I would love to do them all, starting today 🙂 These twenty ways to take a break are so easy to do and hugely beneficial. Sometimes the little things give us so much satisfaction! Lovely post.
Vidya, Thanks so much for 20 Ways to Take a Break – this is something I need. Your fresh, energetic perspective motivates me to relax and take some time off!
Just Terrific Vidya Thank you! All great Tips! I will keep the list to refer to. I’d print it our right now if printer was working. Closing one’s eyes is also refreshing – and remembering to be thankful for all that is. And remembering to ‘smile’ 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much!
Garden of Eden Blog
Something that helps me is to turn on the music, get out my colored pens, and create another zentangle drawing. Other than that…power naps are great.
This list is appealing.I have many more ways to take a break from my long breaks!!!One is to read Vidya Sury’s blog and the innumerable comments therein daily thanks to A-Z challenge!!
Lovely tips Vidya 🙂 Some other things I do is sketch, make something with my hands-pttery or anything else, dance with my lil one with peppy music, Do shavasana, get aware of my breath, go and cook something different and so on
A wonderful list!
And I think you covered it all!
those are brilliant ideas, the easiest route I feel is to watch comedy shows, as you mentioned. 😀
Travelling, cooking works like a charm for us 😀
As my work and passion both are writing, my break involves..
Dancing, nagging my mom, bullying my lil bro, chatting with my bestie, crafts, sleeping :P, eating, well lots more.. and ur list if fab!
I am glad I came here and need to make it a habit, jot in the diary, sleep, buy flowers/choco, listen to music:)
Thanks for this one
🙂 We all need time off, Vishal. At least ten minute breaks, which I feel are doable! Thank you!
I was feeling anxious from the morning.. But after reading the post I feel calm. Thanks a lot for showing such twenty ways to take a break..:)
What a sweet thing to say, Simple Girl! 🙂 Thank you!
I like your ideas for taking a break much better than mine. When I take a break from my office, I usually clean, or cook or do some other type of housework to get my body moving
Carol @ Battered Hope
Carol, As someone who works from home, cleaning/cooking are my go-to breaks. I make them fun by blasting the music. And feel instant gratification because of the instant results! Thank you. So glad you dropped by!
No jokes. I come visiting your blog and always manage to take a lot of things which I desperately needed to pick. Thanks a lot for writing this, going to be using many of these points this week. Last seven days have been so weird cannot even begin to say.. honestly reading off pages from book have been following others not.
🙂 Have you begun to settle down Richa? Moving to a new place can be overwhelming! 😀 Take ten minute breaks. Doable and rewarding. Hugs! You take care.