Page published on 18th July 2024
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In this guest post, Penelope Aspinall, Mental Health Consultant with Jonathan’s Voice, talks about the importance of taking a break for our mental health.
Penelope writes:
With our busy always on 24/7/365 days a year culture, taking a break, even a summer holiday, can feel like a luxury. It isn’t. It’s a necessity. The idea that we can work increasingly long hours week in, week out without a break and stay productive has long been questioned – whether it was through the factory acts of nearly 200 years ago or the more recent legislation to protect workers’ health and safety. However, it seems we continue to fall victim to this paradox, where not taking a break is seen as the better option, especially in certain professions, in spite of the evidence to the contrary. This was recently brought to the fore during the election campaign with Keir Starmer being criticised for prioritising spending Friday evenings with his family.
Maintaining a good balance between our time at work and our time away from it on the whole helps us function better all round. We are more efficient, more productive, less likely to make mistakes or have ‘near misses’ and are less prone to becoming physically or mentally unwell. However, sometimes it is hard to allow ourselves to take time off, especially if we work in a profession (and law is definitely one) or a company that sees working long hours and powering on through as somehow admirable, heroic or showing true commitment. And of course, it is difficult if we are self-employed or on a zero-hours contract where if we don’t work, we don’t get paid.
There are many reasons why having time off is important. Firstly, we need to rest. We are not robots. In fact, if we were robots, we would still need to have our batteries charged or we would stop functioning. We are humans and humans get tired. Whether we are working manually, creatively or at a desk on a computer. Our brains, as well as our bodies, get tired. Did you know that? Our brains need rest and nourishment too. So, if we don’t stop sometimes and let them rest – or exercise a different part of them – we become less effective and find it harder to concentrate. Our creativity or problem-solving capacity is likely to diminish. Of course, this might not the same for everybody and sometimes we get fuelled by adrenalin and find ourselves on a roll – but that should be the exception and not the rule. So, we need to make sure we build plenty of breaks into our working day, as well as our working week and year. Try and make sure you take a proper break in the middle of your working day. If you find that hard, block it out in your calendar along and make sure you don’t book things in. Soon it will become routine for you and others will accept and respect it too. It is not a luxury; it is the responsible thing to do and you will come back to the rest of your day refreshed in mind and body. Allow yourself enough time at the end of your working day and week to unwind, relax, exercise, be creative and spend time with family or friends – whatever works for you. This will pay dividends for your physical and mental health – and, importantly, your relationships. The same goes for having a holiday.
If you work in an environment that doesn’t encourage people to take breaks, including leaving work on time, having proper holidays or even time off sick – see what you can do to change the culture. Try challenging the idea that working more than your contracted hours is not a badge of honour but is actually rather foolish. If you have too much work to do to fit into your normal working day or week – or if you take time off, it just piles up for when you get back – then this needs to be looked at. Maybe your work load is too heavy or maybe you are not working as effectively as you might be and could benefit from extra training, resources or having people to delegate to.
As we are all different, there is no one-size fits all about how much time off it best for each of us. And this may also change depending on your age, circumstances, job role and what motivates you. There are usually parameters that have been set around the hours we are recommended to work, the hours we are paid to work, how much annual leave we are permitted and so on. You are entitled to these so it is important not feel guilty if you stick to them. If there is an unspoken expectation you should work over and above this to get the work done, maybe you should be questioning this. Taking breaks is important and managing your working hours to enable you to engage with the rest of your life is also important. Don’t compare yourself to others. It is tempting to feel guilty because so and so, always gets to work early or leaves late or doesn’t take a lunch break or checks their emails in the evening or on holiday, or doesn’t take a holiday because they are too busy. They may have their reasons for doing this – but it is not a model of good practice and should not set the tone for the rest of the department. For example, if you are asked to do something on a Friday afternoon which will mean you have to stay late to get it done, it is usually OK to say ‘no’ – even if you are the Prime Minister!
It is also important to recognise the value of having time to think, day dreaming or just do nothing. Sometimes we need a complete break from the emotional overload which can come especially from caring responsibilities. So, you may want to think about how to build time into your life – even if just for a day, where you allow yourself to do nothing at all.
Sometimes, it can be hard to relax and unwind when you have been very busy, under pressure or on the stress treadmill. It can make you feel twitchy and uncomfortable, guilty even. This is why it is so important to take your annual leave and have proper holidays, giving yourself enough time away from work to truly unwind (and sometimes this can take days – so it is especially important not to take work with you). Without realising it you might find your relationships suffer as you start to prioritise work over everything else.
Time spent with people you love is precious. If you have children, don’t forget they grow up quicker than you would imagine. I don’t suppose many people at the end of their life regret not spending more hours at work. It is more likely they regret missing out on time with their children, other loved ones or pursuing interests that they enjoy. So take that break.
Penelope Aspinall
Mental Health Consultant
Jonathan’s Voice