10 Minutes
It's incredible how accustomed we are to constant activity. In today's world, it is so easy to occupy every moment with something; heck, I won't even sit on the toilet without having my phone to scroll through (Sorry, TMI?). It’s not that I'm always turning to mindless social media; often I'm reading articles, the news, or a book. So, it's not that the content is bad, it's just that the content is always there.
Today, I arrived 10 minutes early to a friend's apartment. I knew he was likely still in a virtual meeting, so I sent him a text and sat down on the steps to wait. Before I had the chance to take anything out, I felt the warm sun on my face. I smiled and thought - when was the last time I just sat for 10 minutes?
No music. No audiobook. Just the sun and the front steps.
Our minds need time to reset, and it's amazing what just 5 or 10 minutes will do. Microsoft did a study last year about the impact virtual meetings have on our brains. Study participants attended back-to-back meetings while wearing an EEG cap to measure activity. They discovered that simple 10-minute meditation breaks between meetings allowed the brain to reset; whereas participants who did not get a break continued to accumulate beta wave activity - brain waves associated with stress - and see beta wave spikes during meeting transitions. Those that received breaks not only had less “stress” waves, but they also showed “positive levels of frontal alpha asymmetry, which correlates to higher engagement during the meeting.”
While this study was specifically about virtual meetings, I would not be surprised if we saw the same results in everyday life if we simply took more breaks. The next time you find yourself in a brief waiting period, maybe put away the phone or book or whatever and just be; close your eyes, enjoy the sun, and give your brain a chance to reset. You might be surprised to find that maybe you don’t need that nap or coffee to get through the afternoon; maybe your brain just needs a break.
