We are the generation of Zoom for work and Reels for play. Our lives literally are on our screens. And despite what most of our parents believe, we can no longer not be online. Online college gives us little break, so it’s up to us to take our own breaks with something a bit more tangible and meaningful – even get a screen break (before my eyes fall out LOL).
Taking breaks from study/work is something we all do, but it’s time our breaks become more than Netflix & chill or that real long nap. Try doing something that involves your hands, and make a habit of it. It could be as simple as watering your house plants or dressing up your pet, and as intensive as baking a cake or making a painting for your wall. We may be the tech generation, but evolutionarily we are not very different from our ancestors in the stone age. Typing isn’t what our hands were made to do, organically. They gotta get out there, and do their thing.
My ninth-grade teacher once told us that gardeners are always happy, because the soil has some microorganisms that go in through under their nails and increase the release of endorphins. I do not know how far that is true, but I do get the sense that working our hands is good for our mental health.
It helps take one’s mind off of things. A small going off-schedule can do wonders. The intellectual side of the brain doesn’t have to constantly process things on a screen. Creative expression can find a new channel. And one gets a touch of nature again. Also, who knows- you might develop a new hobby!