What makes a healthy break?

How to take a break that's good for your brain

Kendall Berry

Someone in black pants and white sneakers walking away along a wooden boardwalk beside the water.
Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash

We know that taking breaks from work and study is good for our mental well-being and energy1, our health2, and our learning3. But if you’re like me, you’ve probably also taken breaks that didn’t actually help all that much.

Taking a break but still thinking about work, doom scrolling, social media rabbit holes… These kinds of breaks don’t actually leave you feeling better. You might even feel worse.

So how do you take a break that is actually good for your brain? Here are 4 key characteristics of a healthy break.

Four characteristics of a healthy break

1. Psychological Detachment

This means taking your mind off of what you were working on4. Your break should be engaging enough to get some distance from your work/study. Mindfulness can also help you learn to direct your attention intentionally, so that getting this mental space becomes a skill you can call on5.

2. Enjoyment

This one is fairly obvious, but choosing something you enjoy is related to how effective the break is6. Dr. Wu, a professor who studies work breaks, says “As long as it brings you joy, then you will come back [to work] with a better mood and positive emotions.”7

3. Timing: Earlier Than You Think

The same study found that taking the break earlier in the work shift led to better outcomes all around6. It’s like drinking water while hiking or doing vigorous exercise: If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Try to take a break before you think you need it.

4. Avoid Overstimulation

Hopefully you’ve heard by now how detrimental prolonged multi-tasking can be8. Social media might not seem like multi-tasking, but when you scroll from one thing to the next, your attention is shifting rapidly. If you want a break that helps you feel better, avoid social media9.

So what are some examples of healthy breaks?

1. Positive social interaction

If you work at home, say hi to your partner, kid, or pet1.

2. Move your body!

The additional health benefits of this are well-documented. Some ideas:

How do you like to move?

Generally, finding an enjoyable way to move your body is one of the most impactful things you can do for your well-being.

3. Meditation

You can train your attention and take a healthy break at the same time11. Pretty awesome. And there are more kinds of meditation and mindfulness than you think. More about this another time!

4. Breathing Exercises

Box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, cyclic sighing… There are a lot of examples. Generally speaking, a longer exhale than inhale tends to reduce psychological stress12.

5. Experiment!

It would be nice if there was a clear “Do this, it works for literally every person who tried it.” But some exploration is necessary. Journal, doodle, juggle, knit, play guitar, there are a lot of possibilities.

Conclusion

You’ll be able to tell when it was a helpful break. Your head feels clearer, your mood is brighter, you feel less stuck, you have more energy at the end of the day, etc.

So try different things, take note of what helps you feel better, and enjoy it!

References

  1. Albulescu et al. (2022). “Give me a break!” A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLoS One. ↩ ↩2

  2. Fang et al. (2026). Micro-exercise breaks every hour: a feasible strategy to improve metabolic health in sedentary office workers. BMC Public Health. ↩

  3. Sharpe et al. (2025). Sustaining student concentration: the effectiveness of micro-breaks in a classroom setting. Frontiers in Psychology. ↩

  4. Sagherian et al. (2023). Nurses’ rest breaks and fatigue: the roles of psychological detachment and workload. Western Journal of Nursing Research. ↩

  5. Wolkin (2015). Cultivating multiple aspects of attention through mindfulness meditation accounts for psychological well-being through decreased rumination. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. ↩

  6. Hunter & Wu (2016). Give me a better break: choosing workday break activities to maximize resource recovery. Journal of Applied Psychology. ↩ ↩2

  7. Baylor University (2025). Busting the myths about workday breaks. ↩

  8. Hasan (2024). Digital multitasking and hyperactivity: unveiling the hidden costs to brain health. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. ↩

  9. Satani et al. (2025). Modern day high: the neurocognitive impact of social media usage. Cureus. ↩

  10. Diaz et al. (2026). Evaluating movement breaks as a public health strategy to mitigate the harms of prolonged sitting: a large-scale pragmatic intervention. British Journal of Sports Medicine. ↩

  11. Norris et al. (2018). Brief mindfulness meditation improves attention in novices: evidence from ERPs and moderation by neuroticism. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. ↩

  12. Birdee et al. (2023). Slow breathing for reducing stress: the effect of extending exhale. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. ↩