Hello, and welcome to the magic of Brain Breaks! What is a Brain Break, you may ask? Well I’ll tell you. Brain Breaks are intermittent times where you do something fun to give your brain a break from whatever taxing activity you are doing. For example, say you are spending hours studying for the MCAT, class, or another standardized exam. Or you could even be working on something hard and boring. It’s nearly impossible to stay focused that entire time and not get fatigued. Even if you do it successfully for one day, you’re not going to be able to sustain it over a long period of time.
Trying to push yourself for long periods of time will lead to fatigue and burnout. As I mentioned in my post about my first week of medical school, it is so important to know when your brain has had ENOUGH. There is no shame in taking a short little break, to re-energize and recuperate. Also, for me personally, Brain Breaks serve as a little reward that help motivate me to stay focused when I have to. It’s like sprint through your work for and hour and a half, then get 15 minutes to do something you really enjoy.
In case this is your first time hearing about Brain Breaks, here are 20 suggestion for the next time you are feeling burnt out. They are all relatively short, so they won’t eat up too much of your time. But they are enough of a distraction that your brain actually gets quite a bit of rest. It’s almost like a HIIT workout for your brain!
1. Learn a TikTok dance during your Brain Break
I personally have still not downloaded Tik Tok. However, Twitter and Instagram make it impossible to ignore its influence. There are several renditions of the same 8-20 second dance that float around after a popular song is released. During your Brain Break, take the time to learn one of them. It’s fun, keeps your mind engaged so it doesn’t fall asleep, and is a sneaky little way to get some exercise in.
One of my favorite dances is “Savage”, by Megan Thee Stallion. Below is a tutorial the dance!
2. Phone a Friend
I speak about how important community is all the time. Friends and family are the people that keep you sane when everything around you is hard. Hopefully you have someone that you can call throughout the day that will make you smile. You may not have time to talk to them long, but you can at least take 10-15 minutes to have a short check-in. Even preface the conversation by saying, “Hey, I only have 20 minutes, but just needed a break and wanted to talk to you.” It’s super easy and keeps you out of trouble of running over your time!
3. Watch a YouTube or Disney Short
Never underestimate the power of short-term entertainment. Watching short videos on YouTube or Disney+ (if you’re blessed to have an account) is the perfect Brain Break. They are funny, normally have some sort of lesson in them, and are the perfect length to give you a break without taking you out of your rhythm. When I was a teacher, I used these all the times and the kids and adults in the room loved them. Below is my favorite one, by far!
If you’re looking for a short concert, NPR has some great options for you. They host a Tiny Desk Concert with some amazing artists. Below is my favorite one. *WARNING* It’s got some intense language, but when you’re stressed out, who minds a few cuss words right 😃 (really sorry to the parents out there. Promise there are other options. Click here for one!)
4. Take a power nap for a great Brain Break
The power of power naps is undefeated. Power naps are intentionally really short naps. You shouldn’t necessarily enter REM sleep, but at least fall into a deep enough sleep to turn your brain off for a second. Research shows that different levels of sleep serve different purposes for your brain. Don’t sleep too long or you’ll be really groggy and have wasted all of your time. But if you truly are sleepy, too sleepy to work, a short 15-30 minute nap may do just the trick. Just remember to WAKE UP!
5. Listen to a short podcast
Unfortunately, I am not at the point in life where I can create a podcast to plug here. I wish, and it may be in the works…BUT, until then, I’ve got some fire suggestions for you. The beauty of podcasts is that you can listen to them while you do other things. So maybe you can combine this Brain Break with another one? Here are a few links posts with some great suggestions:
- https://discoverpods.com/short-podcasts/
- https://discoverpods.com/10-podcasts-you-can-listen-to-in-10-minutes-or-less/
- https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/great-short-podcasts-under-25-minutes.html
- https://blog.feedspot.com/black_podcasts/
- https://www.blackenterprise.com/16-best-black-hosted-podcasts-2017/
6. Make a quick snack
Nothing makes me more excited than food. I know I’ve been slacking on my Melanated Meals and Munchies, but I have somethings in the works. Recipes are just a little more time consuming to publish, if I’m being honest. But that’s besides the point. Find a quick and easy snack that you can spend time making. It’s a great Brain Break because at the end of it, you get to eat something. How awesome is that? Some quick and healthy snacks that you could make are:
- Chocolate Banana Smoothie
- Garlic bread grilled cheese
- Baked campfire bananas
- Yogurt and fruit parfait
- Pita nachos
- Apple chicken quesadilla
- Yogurtwhiches
Some of these may sound silly and highly questionable, but one thing that’s undeniable, is they are so fun to make! What’s more important for a Brain Break? Give them a try, and let me know what you think in the comments 🙂
7. Pray or watch a sermon
Sometimes when life gets the best of us, we just need to talk to the Big Guy upstairs. Just taking the time to read some scripture, pray, or watch a quick sermon can give us the motivation we need to continue! This may take longer than the 15-30 minutes that most of these Brain Breaks take, but this will really feed your soul. I have some devotionals you can read. Below is a link to my favorite sermon at my former church. It’s so inspirational, and although it’s a few years old, it still does the trick.
8. Run an errand
You have a laundry list of things you need to do. The best time to knock them out is when you might actually be doing something worse than that errand. Studying, working, whatever, can be a lot more undesirable than running to the grocery store. Don’t run an errand that will take you hours. Just something quick enough to give you a change of scene and a break from whatever you’re doing. Then come back, and get right back to work.
9. Take a personality quiz to make the most of your Brain Break
Okay, the year is 2008, and you’re trying to see if you and the cute boy or girl from your class would make a perfect match. You’re bummed when the results are 28% compatibility, but then you hit refresh and you’re magically a match made in heaven! No one else lived this life? …Yikes, well anyways, it’s still a great way to have a little fun and distract yourself. Here are a few quizzes you could take:
- https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
- https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/personality-quiz/
- https://www.magiquiz.com/quiz/can-we-guess-your-zodiac-sign/
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/usbank/how-compatible-are-you-with-your-significant-other
- https://www.buzzfeed.com/natalyalobanova/what-fruit-are-you
- https://www.quizony.com/which-celebrity-are-you/index.html
- https://www.quizony.com/which-us-state-should-you-live-in/index.html
10. Read a blog post
Reading may be the last thing you want to do as a Brain Break. HOWEVER, reading something that’s interesting is completely different. Personal plug here, you have a plethora of blog posts to read here. But in case I’m not your personal cup of tea, there are so many other blog posts to read about really interesting things. Do a simple Google search of something you’re interested in. It could be a blog post about relationships, careers, friends, or a new movie you want to see. Sometimes I read blog posts about music I’m interested in or a book that I want to read. The possibilities are endless.
11. Go fake real-estate shopping
Zillow is my guilty pleasure. I’m on there all the time when I need a break and some motivation. I go to the affordability calculator and put in the median salary for my dream job, then I look at all the houses I could afford. Who knew that looking at real estate would be so satisfying! I pick out what I would like to have in my future home and really scour the pictures like I’m buying a home next week. It’s so fun, and motivates me to keep working so eventually I can have a home like that!
12. Color a page for a nice Brain Break
Coloring books are absolutely not a thing of the past. Whether you are a grown adult, or a little kid learning your colors, you can take the time to color. Coloring is so much fun. You can use markers, crayons, coloring pencils, etc., to make your picture come alive. My goal is to one day have some printable coloring pages for you all. But until then, here are some links to some free coloring pages. Print them off and have a blast!
- https://www.justcolor.net/
- crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/adult-coloring-pages/
- https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/free-printable-coloring-pages-for-adults-1358144
- http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/tags/famous-african-american
- https://danaclarkcolors.com/free-coloring-pages/
13. Make a short playlist to listen to during your Brain Break
Making random playlists is pretty fun for me. It gives me a chance to go back through music that I probably haven’t listened to in forever, and put it in a concentrated playlist. Your playlist could be 8 hype songs that give you a 30-minute intermission. Once again, you can listen to this while you do one of these other Brain Breaks. If you don’t want to make a playlist, Spotify and Apple Music have plenty pre-made ones. You can look through these and find a few that you like.
14. Take a social media break
I say this with caution because as awesome as social media can be, it can also be a huge suction cup of negativity. I love Twitter as much as the next person, but when things are going bad in the world, it’s hard to get on there. Facebook can be the same way. I would say Instagram is safe, but it’s filled with fake images of people’s lives that can make you feel inadequate. So take a few moments to catch up on what’s going on, but proceed with caution.
15. Clean your room
You probably got to this and thought, “Now if I need a Brain Break, why would I do something as unenjoyable as clean my room?” I’ll tell you why. Sometimes when our space is cluttered, our mind is cluttered. I am normally a pretty clean and organized person. I hate having a messy room. So if you walk by my room and it’s looking crazy, understand that it is a physical representation of my brain’s current state. This is why decluttering your room is so effective. It puts you in a more effective state of mind. You feel organized and like you can breath. Not chaotic.
16. Go online shopping or online window shopping
This Brain Break may be dangerous, but so fun. Go to your favorite store and just fill the cart, then exit! (unless it’s my cart then please buy something 🙂 It’s wonderful, and provides you with some imaginative fun, without leaving you broke and wondering where your next meal is coming from.
Now, do this with caution. Don’t go breaking your heart over a bag you can’t afford and the jeans that really need to stay in the cart. Matter of fact, don’t even put in in the cart. Just smile appreciatively and scroll on. Set a timer so you don’t get caught in a shopping hole.
17. Journal or do some reflecting
Sometimes when you are frustrated, the best thing is to journal. Get out everything you are feeling and leave it all on the page. It is such a cathartic experience to write down how you’re feeling about something or someone. Then you can rip it to shreds or burn it if that’s what helps you feel better. Either way, this is a great exercise for a Brain Break.
Part of journaling is also reflecting. Reflect on your purpose in life, what your goals are, and why you are thankful for where you are in life.
18. Take a bath or shower for a Brain Break
A hot, steaming shower, or warm bath with a bath bomb is the bomb. I know, that was super corny, but listen, warm water is the end all be all of problems. It’s relaxing and a place for you to be alone (hopefully). You can cry, talk to yourself, have a fake argument, perform a concert, and give yourself a motivational speech all in the privacy of the bathtub.
When you are feeling gross and overwhelmed, just go take a bath. Mull things over and let the warm water destress you. Add some bath salts or bubble bath to really have a relaxing and transformative experience. Candles, glass of your favorite whatever, and some music is a nice touch as well. You can thank me later for this one. 😉
19. Take a nice walk
Another sneaky way to get in a little exercise, walking is a great distraction from whatever you’re working on. You can walk around your neighborhood, pace your house, hop on a treadmill, etc. The great thing about walking is that you can combine it with another Brain Break. Call someone in your family or listen to your favorite podcast/playlist. You can even munch on a snack you made.
Either way, when you take your walk, try to be mindful during it. You may be a little distracted by one of these other Brain Breaks, but you should pay attention and relish in the moment. Notice how quiet it is, or the people walking around. Do a body scan and take inventory of how your body feels while walking. It will amaze you, all the things you’ve never noticed before, but are surrounded by everyday.
20. Practice yoga or do some meditations
Last on this list, but certainly not least, do some yoga or a meditation. These are a couple of the most relaxing practices you can do. They keep your mind stimulated, while also have the power to relax you. Nothing is more renewing like returning to your work after a powerful meditation. Yoga can stretch you out, add a little bit of fitness to your life, and teach you to be very in tune with your body. If you’re like me and can’t even touch your toes, then yoga may not be the most enjoyable Brain Break, but nothing beats lying on a mat, closing your eyes, and just being. It’s my favorite exercise in the world, and my go-to Brain Break.
That’s all for this list. If you try any of these out, then please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. There are plenty of other Brain Breaks you can find on Pinterest and Google. This is pretty fun, but don’t limit yourself. If you have some more suggestions for me, add them below and I can’t wait to read them!
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