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How to take the study break your Brain needs
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Ideas for purposeful, energizing study breaks:
- Reconnect with nature (visit Cornell’s NatureRX website for ideas)
- Meditate (listen to an online guided meditation, or attend a 20-minute Let’s Meditate session by Zoom)
- Take a walk
- Take a 15- to 20-minute power nap
- Take a shower
- Practice deep breathing (see instructions above)
- Allow yourself to daydream
- Tidy up / organize your workspace
- Listen to music
- Stretch – chances are your body is tense from sitting in the same position for hours on end, so take some time to stretch your neck, your back, your arms, and wrist.
- Phone a friend
- Cook a healthy meal or have a healthy snack
- Laugh!
- Express yourself through creativity – draw, doodle, color, etc.
- Dance party!
5-minute stress busters:
- Deep breathing: Take slow, deep breaths through your nose – filling up your whole chest – and exhale slowly through your mouth. Try to make your exhale longer than your inhale.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: Starting with your toes and working your way up to your head, slowly tighten ... hold ... and then relax your muscle groups (feet, legs, buttocks, abdomen, shoulders, arms, hands, face). This type of body scan exercise is also great for helping you fall asleep.
- Mini-meditation: Even 2-5 minutes of meditation can calm your mind and help you feel more focused and relaxed.
- Visualization: Mentally rehearse a task you want to master. Imagine yourself acing the task (taking an exam, having an important conversation). Now, focus on how your success feels (excited, relieved, satisfied, smart). Re-visit this feeling often.
- Change of scenery: Get up and take a short walk.
- Let it out: Laugh with a friend. Do 20 jumping jacks. Put on your favorite song and sing or dance.
1) Schedule short breaks into your existing study schedule. Take one 15-minute break every 50 to 90 minutes to rest and recharge your mind. Your brain can only focus for a maximum of 90 minutes before it needs a break due to the ultradian rhythm -- a natural cycle of concentration humans experience off and on throughout the day.[1]
- Exact results can vary from person to person, with some people doing best if they break every 50 minutes and others being able to go for about 90 minutes before crashing. Experiment with amounts of time within this range to find what works best for you.
- The length of your break may also vary slightly from person to person, but 15 minutes is usually a good place to start. Avoid breaks that are less than 10 minutes long or longer than 25 minutes, and factor in the amount of time between breaks when determining how much time to take. For instance, a 25-minute break might be appropriate if you spend 90 minutes in between each one, but it would be more appropriate to take a 10-minute break if you only study for 50 minutes straight.
2) Stick to your break schedule. You may need to experiment at first to determine how often and how long your breaks should be, but once you set a break schedule for yourself, it’s important that you stick with it. Study only until you find a natural stopping point, then take your break, even if you aren’t completely done with the material yet.
- For instance, if you’re reading through a chapter of a textbook, stop once you reach the bottom of the page you’re on or the end of a sub-chapter (for more complex material), instead of waiting until you reach the end of the chapter or unit.
- Postponing the break may mean working past your brain’s ability to concentrate, or worse, inadvertently skipping it altogether.
3) Time every break using a timer. This prevents you from losing track of time during breaks so you can get back to studying as scheduled. For example, set an alarm on your phone when you step outside, or use a kitchen timer if you take a food break.
- On a similar note, it may even be beneficial to set an alarm on your phone to remind you when to start your break, as well. Setting alarms should make it easier to concentrate, whether you’re concentrating on your learning material or your break time activity.
4) Consider shifting gears after your break. While not a necessity, you might find it beneficial to change subjects or assignments after each break to further stimulate different brain pathways. Either plan out your study schedule to accommodate this in advance, or change gears as needed whenever your 15-minute break isn't enough to clear away the brain fog from your last assignment.
- For instance, if you were studying chemistry before your break, you might switch to language arts after your break.
1) Exercise outdoors. Fresh outdoor air helps clear your mind, while exercise promotes blood flow and makes you feel more energetic. Go for a brief walk, do sets of push-ups or jumping jacks, or engage in your favorite sport or physical activity.
- If you do exercise or play a sport, make sure you don’t feel too sweaty, tired, or uncomfortable afterward. It’s best to stick with a moderate energy activity instead of a vigorous one. For instance, you could shoot a few baskets, but it might not be a good idea to play an actual game of basketball.
- If the weather isn’t good or if you don’t want to exercise outside for another reason, consider including some indoor physical activity. Even marching or jogging in place for a few minutes should give you a quick energy boost.
2) Tidy and clean up your study area. Clutter such as loose papers, coffee mugs, and trash can be distracting, and prevent you from being able to fully focus and relax while studying. Take advantage of break time to throw away trash and remove items you don’t need from your desk.
- At the same time, keep in mind that this should be a break. If cleaning your study area seems like a long or demanding process--something to dread--it might be best to skip this activity during your break time and save it for after you finish this study session or before you start tomorrow’s session.
3) Have a conversation with someone. Talking with someone in person or over the phone helps break up the monotony of quiet studying, and distracts you from your studies when you need a break.
- Just make sure you’re able to stop talking once your time is up. Choose someone who will be understanding and willing to end the conversation early--a parent, for instance, or another friend who can coordinate their study schedule with yours. Briefly explain that you’re on a time limit, set your timer as usual, and avoid heavy conversations that are likely to extend past your break time.
4) Snack on healthy foods. Healthy snacks such as nuts, fruits, and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that give your brain and body the nourishment it needs to refuel so you can get back to studying.
- Consider snacking on a handful of nut or seeds for some energizing vitamin E, or biting into a bar of dark chocolate (which also contains antioxidants and a small dose of caffeine). Since these foods tend to be high in calories and fat, however, you should stick to only an ounce a day.
- Other options might include whole grain popcorn, crackers, or chips, avocados, and blueberries.
5) Practice meditation and deep breathing. These exercises naturally help you feel calm and relaxed, and are effective at refreshing your brain so it can absorb more information.[3]
- After setting your timer, sit somewhere quiet and comfortable, with your eyes closed or fixed on a blank space (like an undecorated wall). Take deep breaths--inhaling over five seconds, holding for five seconds, and exhaling for five seconds--and focus on the way it feels to have your lungs fill with and release the air.
- There are other forms of meditation you can also dabble with. For example, you might try mantra meditation, in which you’ll repeat a short, calming word or sound--like “om”--to help clear your mind and release tension.
6) Read something relaxing. Read an enjoyable book, magazine, or other content unrelated to your studies. This helps refocus your brain on another topic so you can return to your studies later on with a fresh perspective.[4]
- Like any other break activity, you should make sure that you choose reading material you can break away from easily when your timer goes off. This is not the time to pick up that captivating, page-turning novel you’ve been dying to read. Instead, consider something like an anthology of short stories or a magazine.
7) Listen to your favorite music. Research shows that listening to your favorite tunes encourages the release of feel-good chemical dopamine, which can make you feel rewarded after intense study sessions.[5]
- If you’re the dancing type, consider dancing around or singing as you listen to your music, too. Doing so could also provide some physical activity, which gets your blood flowing in a way that energizes the mind.
8) Take a shower. Showering refreshes and invigorates your body and mind, and helps you feel more calm and relaxed. If you feel frustrated or tired, take a quick shower to reset your brain.
- Depending on how long your normal “beauty routine” is, you might want to save this for a break time happening later in the night, when you can skip the routine without worrying about leaving the house and being seen with your hair still unstyled and your clothes looking wrinkled.
9) At school stick to low-key break activities. When you're studying at school or a place like a library, it isn't exactly easy or appropriate to go outside for a walk or get up and dance, so find things you can do that won't disrupt others. You might do some stretching, rest your eyes, get up to sharpen a pencil or ask your teacher to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. You might take some time to do a little doodling or organize your backpack or study materials.
- Use your best judgment for what is ok to do on a break and ask your teacher if you're not sure about something. If your teacher doesn't seem to understand, try to explain that you learn better if you are able to take some study breaks.
Avoiding Negative Study Break Activities
1) Stay away from unhealthy junk foods while studying. Foods that lack nutrition such as fast-food meals, and vending-machine snacks may be convenient, but can zap your brain and body of energy while studying. Fried foods and foods high in processed sugars are especially bad. Stick to eating healthy snacks and meals to stay energetic and alert.
- Limit caffeine intake, too. Caffeine offers temporary effects as a stimulant, and can cause you to feel more tired after its effects wear off. Limit yourself to just one or two cups of coffee or tea, and rely on healthy food, exercise, and quick power naps for a burst of energy.[6]
2) Avoid taking naps that last more than 20 minutes. Short power naps can help you refresh, but naps that last longer than 20 minutes can make you feel more tired, sluggish, and unmotivated. Set an alarm at all times when taking naps to ensure you don’t go over the limit.
- For prolonged study sessions requiring more than one break (e.g., a four-hour study session in which you’ll take three breaks), limit the napping to one break only and try to balance it out by exercising for a few minutes during one of your other breaks.
3) Skip digital distractions. Avoid spending time on your computer, mobile device, or television during breaks. Browsing social media, playing video games, and watching television may seem like activities that can help you relax; however, these activities can hinder your productivity and make you feel tired. Stick to doing activities that don’t require you to look at screens on your break.
- Staring at the artificially lit screen can wear out your eyes, making them feel tired and tiring out your brain as an eventual result. If you need to socialize during your break, skip the texting and opt for a phone call, instead.
4) Stop thinking about your studies. No matter what you do during your study break, remember: this is supposed to be a break! You won’t be able to effectively rest and recharge your mind if you’re still fixated on the material you were studying, so make sure that the activities you choose to do over your breaks are engaging enough to distract you, and avoid mulling over the material you just finished or the material you’re about to start on.
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