Mini-Break, Take Me Away!

Calgon bath products used to have a commercial featuring a woman experiencing a very bad day. Each picture shows her becoming more and more agitated until she obviously can’t take it anymore and cries the famous line, “Calgon, take me away!” After this, we see her in a bath obviously calm and relaxed.

For too many of us, our work days and even our family lives have become so hectic that our bodies constantly ache with tension and our children think we morphed into Oscar the Grouch. At these times, like the woman in the commercial, we too want to cry, “Calgon, take me away!”

While most of us can’t take a bath in the middle of day, we can allow our bodies and minds relax by incorporating mini-breaks into our day. These breaks don’t have to be long; even a few minutes can make all the difference. So, what can you do during a mini-break? Here are some ideas:

Take a 5-10 minute exercise break.

You don’t need a treadmill or some other machine to do this. Instead, stand up and stretch, walk around your office or take a walk outside. Be creative. For example, if you have the space, try skipping for a little while or get a hula hoop and start it spinning. Both of these activities are lots of fun and can bring out the kid in you. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do. Just getting your body moving can help your mind relax.

Don’t eat lunch with your computer, phone, or laptop!

While not officially a mini-break, lunchtime deserves mention because it’s usually the biggest break during the workday. Therefore, use it to relax your mind and your body! Go someplace you enjoy; a park, a quiet room, or share your lunch break with friends. Just don’t share it by continuing to work.

Play a game, even if for only a few minutes.

Now here’s where your computer can be used for relaxation. Find a quick computer game that you enjoy and play it for a few minutes; just don’t get addicted or forget that you’re taking a MINI break. One site that has some unique games can be found at:
www.tbs.com/stories/story/0,,49845,00.html.

Mind you, I only tried the “At Work” games. My favorite was Office Hoops. And the nice thing about this game is that you can play it for real, just in case your place of work monitors your computer for the websites you visit.

Doodle something.

Regardless of your artistic abilities, drawing circles, squiggly lines or a picture of a flower can relax you. If you really don’t like to draw, here’s a web site that helps you doodle: http://www.stressbusting.co.uk/relaxation/movies/cat_interactive/doodle.asp. Try the various “interactive” activities, listed on the left. See what you think!

Mini-Break, take me away.

You can probably come up with your own ideas for mini-breaks. The important thing is to allow yourself to take them and make them a regular part of your day. Then, like the woman in the Calgon commercial, you can let your mini-breaks take you away to a more relaxed state of mind.

Tagged as: alleviating stress, bad day, Calgon, lunch break, mini-break, oscar the grouch, relaxation, stress, tension