Why Bother To Rest At Work

There used to be no breaks. My outpatient schedule used to be filled with patients from 8 am to 4 pm. There was no lunch break. I did not set the schedule and I thought that was fine, maximizing my time to see patients. Lunch break was a waste of my time. I was having a bite here and there, in between patients.

The second half of the day was usually tough. Having worked hard in the morning, I was getting exhausted more mentally than physically. As much as I enjoy interacting with patients, after fifteen patient encounters in the morning is draining. By 12:30 pm or so, I used to slow down – not by choice. Keep going, I would tell myself. Finish the day. As much as I tried to be positive, as much as I was cheering myself on, I was getting tired. I was slowing down. I was not as efficient as I was in the morning.

Then our schedule changed. It was meant for the staff to have a dedicated break for lunch. It was decided that 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm would be lunch time. No patients to be scheduled at that time. I used to believe that I would rather go home thirty minutes earlier than to have a thirty-minute lunch time. It did not work out that way. As I was getting exhausted in the afternoon, I was working slower. It took me longer to make decisions. I was doubting myself more if I made the right call.

It turned out that the mid-day break was more than just a half hour break from work. I got to slow down. I had a chance to let my mind rest and recharge. I felt calmer and was able to regroup and gather myself for the second half of the day.

With a break in the middle of the day to rest, even just for ten to fifteen minutes, my mental state is better. Rest is a time to recharge your battery to refill your mental energy. When your mind gets the rest it needs, it can better regulate your emotions. When you are mentally exhausted, it is easy for you to feel annoyed or frustrated. Your mind is trying to tell you that you need to stop and take a break.

Rest allows your body and mind the time to refresh and recharge. With that lunch break, I am filled with more mental capacity to work in the second half of the day. More confidence, more ability to focus and concentrate, more decisive. My memory is better and I get to allow my curiosity and creativity to surface. I ended up seeing the same number of patients compared to when I had no lunch break. My schedulers somehow find ways to fit the patients in. I still go home with all my work completed by 5 pm.

Rest is not a reward for your hard work. Rest is essential. It is time for you to pause from the physical and mental demands of your work. It is a time for you to recharge. After a break, you can think better, concentrate better and feel better.

Allow yourself to rest. Besides having adequate sleep, taking breaks at work can maintain your efficiency. Prioritize with breaks included. Set boundaries to ensure that your rest time is protected without interruption.