Healthy living Staying healthy with regular breaks and active relaxation

Constant work and life stress without taking breaks can eventually cause a person to feel overwhelmed. When people are stressed or under physical and mental pressure, the body enters “fight or flight” mode. In this mode, cortisol and other stress hormones are released. If being on alert like this becomes the norm rather than the exception, it can, over time, cause both physical and mental illness.

However, taking regular and deliberate breaks interrupts this constant tension and gives relief to both body and mind. This helps us recover and recharge, regain our energy and become more resilient in the face of challenges.

Taking regular breaks and deliberately taking time out can counter stress. During times of rest and relaxation, muscle strain lessens, the heart beats more slowly, blood pressure decreases and breathing slows down. We gradually become calmer and more relaxed, finding inner peace again. That’s why taking regular, deliberate breaks helps to prevent stress-related illnesses and create a healthy balance between tension and relaxation.

Some people only need a little bit of downtime to achieve this – such as playing sport now and then, going for walks in nature or enjoying a quiet evening in on the sofa. However, for many people, this is not enough to switch off those niggling thoughts and take the pressure off a body that is constantly “on alert”. In this case, individual strategies focused on reducing stress can help people relax. These may range from simple rituals to regular exercises or specific courses that teach relaxation methods.

Many people have forgotten how to take breaks, both at work and in their leisure time. It may sound banal, but the first step toward relaxation is making time to slow down.

The following measures can help:

• Deliberately include breaks and enjoyable leisure activities in everyday life, and put them in your calendar as fixed appointments.
• Address family and work problems: this is the only way to deal with stress triggers. You can do this with the support of a coach or psychologist if necessary.
• Deliberately make more time for things that make life enjoyable, such as hobbies or activities with family and friends.
• Get moving: sport and physical activity help people to de-stress, while improving performance and stamina.
• Bringing awareness to your breath and practicing deep breathing can help you create a sense of inner peace.
• Get plenty of high-quality sleep to restore your mind and body.

One source of stress is the increasingly digitized world of work. It produces stress triggers, such as technical issues or constant interruptions from e-mails and social media contacts.

It is particularly important to take deliberate breaks when working digitally. You should also schedule regular breaks between online meetings when working from home. If necessary, set aside specific times for focused work that won’t be interrupted by notifications. If you spend a lot of time working at a desk, active breaks, movement exercises, standing up while working or holding meetings while taking a walk are all ways to incorporate more physical activity into your working day.

Working with a screen puts a strain on the eyes in particular. For this reason, you should take short breaks from your screen every so often to avoid eye strain. Specific relaxation exercises for the eyes can also be beneficial:

• Practice focusing on objects at various distances.
• Close your eyes for a few seconds every now and then.
• Gently cover your eyes with your hands and allow them to rest.
• Massage the upper edges of your eye sockets using your index fingers.

“Chilling out” comes easily to some people, but others have to learn how to relax properly. If stress levels are very high, tension may not completely disappear even during restful periods, e.g. when resting after work, going for a walk or even sleeping.

Regular exercises can help release the tension that comes with being constantly on alert and train the body to relax more quickly and easily. Suitable techniques include autogenic training, Jacobsen’s progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness training, yoga or meditation.

These relaxation techniques help people focus on specific areas of the body or on their breathing (meditation), consciously focus on the present moment (mindfulness training), or deliberately alternate between tensing and relaxing the muscles (progressive muscle relaxation). These methods help to facilitate, strengthen and internalize relaxation responses. They also help people to switch off from external stimuli, which in turn promotes a sense of inner peace.

More information about how to practice the various techniques, as well as their effectiveness and applications, is provided in the article on relaxation methods.

Relaxation exercises can help to relieve symptoms of existing illnesses. For example, these techniques may help cancer patients to cope better with their illness. Relaxation methods can also help relieve symptoms in people with depression, anxiety disorders or tinnitus.