Take a break!

I can hear my parents now.  Telling me to come inside or stop playing video games.  Strangely, I was an “outdoorsy-gaming type” as a kid.  Things haven’t changed too much from my childhood.  I still love exercising and using technology (video games have sadly taken a backseat).  

My problem is that I don’t like stopping or resting.  Some examples are the infamous marathon from E-Impact 32 and the marathon MVP Baseball ’05 session my friend Scott and I had while on hold without knowing it.  

I could say that perseverance, dedication, and determination (one of the characteristics of a good teammate from E-Impact 53) have been very helpful in my life.  Yet, I know there are times that I have taken it too far.  I also know that there are times that YOU take it too far.

You are an impactmaker.  You have an intense desire to do good.  You’re a “type A” personality.  You’re a leader.  You’re a mentor.  It’s your natural inclination to push yourself (and others to the limits).  E-Impact 56 touched on these characteristics.

Looking Back

It seems as if I have had the traits of an impactmaker since I was young. This is not to say I am some forever altruistic angel.  In fact, I have mentioned before that sometimes those traits can lead to conflict.  Pushing the envelope comes with some dissenting forces.  

When I was younger, my determination often manifested itself in disobedience.  I never wanted to leave or give up on anything I was doing; especially, if it was fun.  My parents were always requesting that I finished things.  As it became habitual, they began to give me time limits and make me aware of the plans to leave in advance of something.  It was good for my youthful, yet scheduled, mind.

It took decades but I realized that my parents were not with strictly selfish desires in their actions.  I am sure there were some times that we were at a friends house late and it was just time to go.  However, I know they also were protecting me from burnout.  The body can only handle so much running around in the hot Florida sun and the mind can only take so much digital stimulation.  

This entry is about resting the mind and body.

I Need a Nap

One of my favorite comedian’s, Brian Regan, has a routine where he talks about being in school and needing a nap after his teacher asks him a challenging question.  It was hilarious when I first heard it over a decade ago and it still gets me now.  But it’s also a lesson more recently.  

Would a student beyond kindergarten just lay down and fall asleep in the middle of class?  I know; bad question.  High schoolers fall asleep in class all the time.  This is because they are tired (or sick).  

What students actually need is a break from intense brain activity.  The typical student finds this in between classes, at recess, and at lunch.  

Unfortunately, adults don’t have the same luxuries and we tend to ignore our minds need for a “nap”.  

Digital Naps

I interacted with a tweet about the importance of naps a week ago (@bdepa on Twitter).  I commented that I am just not good at naps. 

I can fall asleep one time a day.  It takes some time to get there and when I do, please don’t wake me up.  Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is glorious.  For evidence, see what the Sleep Foundation has to say about “Why We Need Sleep.”

I learned from my Twitter experience that a nap doesn’t necessarily have to be sleeping.

It’s really just a break; like my parents frequently requested.

In today’s digital world, we have an incredibly large amount stimulation from the devices we carry.  I touch on this in my book, “Personal Finance in a Public World”.  There needs to be better management of our time in “tech”.  We are truly “in” it when we interact with the super powerful algorithms.  

A great digital nap would be to read a real book, take a walk, or eat lunch and converse with a colleague.  You could even make a phone call.  Although, this still falls under the technology umbrella for me.

The Rest We Need

When I was training as a collegiate athlete, I remember being terribly sore most mornings.  Granted, I had dealt with major illness and played two sports (listen to Speaking of Impact episode 1).  But even after having recovered and being 100% healthy according to doctors, I still had times where my body was just exhausted.

At Hofstra University, we had effective training facilities and strength and conditioning coaches that would monitor our progress.  In all honestly, I didn’t gain that much strength and speed in college.  In some cases, I lost them.  I realize now that I was over training.  My muscles needed a nap (a real one and a figurative one).

I found this article about “The Importance of Sleep for Muscle Recovery”.  Napping may in fact have helped me when I was in college.  No wonder my teammates were always napping in the locker room!

More than Tech and Fitness

We’ve established the benefits of napping on social media habits and exercise.  These are of great importance.  But, I think there is something that is even more critical.

The naps and breaks that we can take during our day are essential to living in harmony with one another.  Emotions are a necessary part of life but they occasionally do us wrong.

Impactmaking involves developing relationships and fighting for great causes.  There’s likely to be emotions involved.  With that being said, it’s vitally important for us to know when to take a break.

Have you ever felt so passionate about something that you couldn’t let anything get in the way?

Yes.  I know.  It’s your impact project.  It’s your cause.  

Not everyone has felt this kind of passion but everyone has had an extremely emotional moment.  

So, are we uniquely qualified to control our emotions?  Am I telling you that we shouldn’t actually use our “impactmaker status” as an excuse for our emotions?

Maybe.  But, what I think is more important to think about is that we should actually do a better job of identifying what’s an emotional moment and what’s true passion. 

You don’t need a break from something that is not sustainable because of isolated emotions (bad news, cutting cutoff on the highway, dropping your coffee, etc).  You’re bound to cool off and as much as I’d like to help you avoid the occasional outburst, I think it’s rather natural.

You DO, however, need a break from something that you’ve made a habit or to which you’ve dedicated large amounts of time.  You may not realize the affect this type of overwork has on you until it results in an unfortunate conflict or problem.

Don’t let your emotions get the best of you for a good cause.  It’s not worth the short-term conflict when you’re playing the long game.

How?

The simplest way to avoid needing a break or nap is take one!

This is a preventive exercise.  Remember how my parents began to make me aware of the schedule of our family outings?  They knew if I was told in advance the expectations, it would be much easier to get me to “break”.  This avoided conflict (a young Bobby temper tantrum, sorry Mom and Dad).

Emotional outbreaks come from unexpected things and disappointment.  You will not be able to avoid these in any area of life.  But, you can lessen their impact keeping your mind fresh.

A great athlete is able to avoid injury through excellent conditioning and coordination.  Bad things happen when their muscles are fatigued.  They don’t lose coordination.  They get tired and normal movements carry more risk. 

Think of yourself as a highly performing athlete.  Your sport is your cause and you are a star player.  Your team needs you to be healthy.  They need you to be able to handle stressful situations without painful consequences.  You are absolutely capable but not repeatedly in a short period of time.  

The solution is to take breaks consistently.  

The Craziest Race

I know some people who have run in Ragnar.  It seems they have multiple events.  The one I know of is a 200 mile run that takes place over a whole day.  Team members run all day and throughout the night.  In between legs you sleep inside your team’s van.  

I can’t imagine running in the middle of the night when sleep deprived.  The people I know that ran told me it wasn’t that bad because they prepare the order of runners and schedule their sleep times.  It’s likely not the best type of sleep but at least they get their breaks.  They are able to be as rested as possible to deal with rain, heat, rough terrain, and anything else they might run into (pun intended, a “run-pun” if you will).

The lesson from the race is that it doesn’t matter how unique the challenge is.  You can prepare yourself to handle unexpected extremes. 

Scheduling Naps

I said I’m a bad real napper.  But, I’m an expert fake napper!

I have learned to know my limits and although I cannot predict the unpredictable, I know the points at which I should avoid being in “work-mode”.  I have periods throughout my day that I take a moment to do something not work, impact, social media, exercise, or anything else that could possible cause stress related.  These periods are anywhere from a minute to a half hour.  

I suggest scheduling time outside of just your lunch break to take work break.  If you work in an office, try making the break room or the lobby a place to sit for a minute.  You could read or listen to something calming.  If you work from home like me, a ten minute neighborhood stroll is an excellent “nap”.

Rest is the Best

In conclusion, get your real seven to nine hours of sleep.  This will help your long-term health.  

It’s just as important to get your short breaks.  This may not help you completely avoid your problems but it will limit them and make you more effective at handling those you do encounter.  

Sleep Tight.