Sometimes, the key to getting work done efficiently and learning the more is by taking a well-deserved break. You want to keep busy and plug away at your studies, but after a while your brain might begin to feel exhausted from all of the information you're digesting. Research over the years has shown that breaks may be essential components of your study habits, allowing you to stay on schedule while letting you take a step away from textbooks.1Because of this, you should know how make your breaks useful to your success as a student. Here are some ways to improve the quality of your study breaks.
Make it social.
Some students like to step away from their work and spend time alone to reflect. While this may be relaxing to some, you might be better off finding friends to sit and talk with for 15-20 minutes, according to the Huffington Post.2 Rather than dwell in your own thoughts, where you may drift back to thinking about your workload, distract yourself with social activities. Once you sit back down to finish your work, you may feel refreshed and ready to tackle more studying.
Get on the move.
Spending long hours sitting in front of a laptop or reading through a textbook without any physical activity isn't good for your body. According to QWERTY Education Services, exercise might help improve your brain function, even if it's merely a short walk outside.3 Any kind of cardiovascular movement will do, such as walking up and down your stairs or cleaning your room for a few minutes at a time.
Become more “zen.”
Studying might put your brain into overdrive as you flood it with information that you hope to retain for a long period of time. This could result in you feeling scatterbrained, as your thoughts are pulled into a number of different directions. Zen Habits suggested that meditating during your 15 minute breaks and focusing on your breathing might facilitate your learning.4 It could help clear your mind of any recurring thoughts and allow you to refocus yourself once you return to studying.
Eat healthy snacks.
Inc magazine explained that it's better to ditch the sweetened chips and sugary drinks for healthier snack alternatives.5 Instead of pouring yourself another mug of coffee, you could opt for green tea, which is loaded with antioxidants that are good for your body. Additionally, you could replace candy bars with nuts, blueberries or avocados – each may help recharge your batteries for more studying once your break is over.
Take a nap.
Although it might seem like a strange choice, putting aside time to nap for 20 minutes might help you regain energy you lost during your study sessions, according to Inc.6 Napping could help your mind settle and rest after studying for a few hours as well as give your body a break from sitting up in a chair for most of the day. Give yourself a chance to fully recover before diving back into your textbooks.
Everyone's studying habits are different, whether they're in healthcare IT or learning how to become a nurse, and no one method is the correct way to go about it. These tips may be used separately or in combination with one another to achieve the optimum success with your study breaks. At the end of the day, you know yourself better than anyone – once you begin to struggle with studying, take a break and come back feeling refreshed.
2http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/19/youve-been-taking-breaks-_n_4453448.html
3http://www.qwertyed.com/blog/right-way-take-study-break/
4http://zenhabits.net/take-lots-of-breaks-to-get-more-done/
5http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/6-ways-to-make-your-breaks-truly-refreshing.html
6http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/6-ways-to-make-your-breaks-truly-refreshing.html