It’s common for most employees in the healthcare industry to be bombarded with a pile of tasks that need to be accomplished each day. In fact, such responsibilities require the utmost focus and concentration if they are to get the job done well. However, when their cognitive function levels decrease below optimal, the brain can no longer take and process too much information. When confronted with this problem, the best course of action is for you to take a break.
A break is merely taking a brief halt from work, physical exertion, or mental activity. Your ultimate goal is to rest for a few minutes or even hours so that you are reenergized before getting back to work. For the most part, you might think of breaks as having your lunch, exercising, or even performing meditation. Yet, they can even be as simple as drinking coffee, walking, taking a nap, changing your environment, or even taking a few deep breaths.
In this article, we’ll share five reasons taking a break helps boost your cognitive function so that you can perform your tasks effectively:
1. It helps process memories and enhances learning
Some recent studies have shown evidence that resting in an awake state significantly improves memory. The findings suggest that the brain reviews and retains processed information during a resting period to consolidate memories and boost retention. For this reason, be sure to take your breaks at work to foster enhanced learning!
2. It stops you from having “decision fatigue”
It’s common for healthcare workers to make day-to-day decisions, such as whether you plan to carry out a certain task or create an order of priority. When done frequently, it becomes draining until the points that it impacts productivity and work rate. In fact, author S.J. Scott said that coming up with frequent decisions throughout your day wears down your willpower and reasoning ability. This is why taking regular breaks from your tasks, and decision-making quickly eliminates “decision fatigue.”
3. It promotes creativity, productivity, and overall efficiency
You may have heard of the phrase, “work smart, not hard,” yet this is not the case for many workers in the healthcare scene. The chances are that long, consecutive hours of working are a norm and this leads them to pure stress and exhaustion. Surprisingly enough, practicing this lifestyle hinders your creativity, affects your productivity and slows down your efficiency at work. Many fail to realize that working smartly makes all the difference, and one way to do so is to take a break every now and then. In fact, research suggests that your brain can function optimally when you take breaks.
4. It renews motivation for your long-term goals
Another study suggests that prolonged attention to a single task hinders performance. The chances are that this will demotivate you, where you’ll eventually lose sight of your goals in life. Whether you’re carrying out a task or even studying, it’s best to impose breaks to divert your attention for short periods. That way, you’ll reexamine your goals before getting back to work with a renewed sense of motivation to accomplish all your tasks.
5. It boosts your physical and emotional well-being
Working for long periods without a break can be detrimental to your health and emotional well-being in the long run. As a result, you may soon end up with health-related problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases. The same is true with your emotional well-being, where you’ll start experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. By taking breaks, you’ll save not only your cognitive function but also your physical and emotional well-being. With a refreshed mind and body, you’ll be more energetic when you work, and your patients will receive that energy as well!
Conclusion
At this point, you now have a better understanding of why you should take short breaks at work. As discussed above, taking a break helps enhance learning, prevents “decision fatigue,” fosters overall efficiency, rekindles your motivation, and boosts your physical and emotional well-being. With all these valuable benefits, be sure to take a brief hiatus from time to time and see how you’ll boost your cognitive function and take your job up a notch!
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