Isabella Batkovic talks about the importance of taking a break for the sake of your health.

With uni, work, health requirements, social commitments, and sleep (or lack thereof) to consider, it seems the modern-day person doesn’t have that much downtime to relax. However, this is a habit that could be doing way more harm than good to the body and the mind. Yes, being productive and busy all day, every day is what a lot of people do and thrive off doing, but it’s still really important to take a step back, breathe and reflect.

Taking a day off will improve the state of one’s body and mind

In an article featured on National Post, Dr. Jacqueline Brunshaw said:

“When we feel more tired than usual, our immune system is at greater risk of becoming compromised, making us more susceptible to catching those flus, colds and other physical illnesses. A mental health day — taking a day off as needed, over and above the typical two-day weekend — would let us recharge our immune systems before we get physically sick.”

Human beings are constantly on the go but incorporating some “me time” is beneficial to the physical and mental health of all the little, busy worker bees. In the wise words of University of Newcastle Bachelor of Environmental Engineering student Joshua Tarjanyi, “having a day off is important just so you have the chance to catch up on any activities (like video games) that you don’t have time to do during the normal working week”.

Sleep is most definitely not for the weak

Most busy people will admit to their love of sleep, and being in dire need of a day to hibernate and recuperate from their busy schedules. Without it, the human body cannot function at full capacity. According to University of Newcastle student Jono Momsen, this is not always achievable, but it is definitely the desired outcome.

“A day off?? Hahaha. Good one. 22-year-old on a slave wage, I don’t get days off.

But when I do, I catch up on sleep,” Mr Momsen joked.

Coffee is not a sustainable functioning method in the long term, and sooner or later, the human body will need to rest.

Opportunities for reflection

University of Newcastle graduate Melissa Wilson believes taking time off has many benefits.

“It’s important to recharge your batteries and get some rest away from work. Self reflection is important and it’s hard to do that when you’re always working,” Miss Wilson said.

Additionally, Author of the popular Becoming Minimalist blog Joshua Becker wrote some inspiring truths as a guest poster for zenhabits.net:

“Sometimes it is hard to see the forest through the trees. It is even more difficult to see the forest when we are running through the trees. Concentrated rest allows us to take a step back, to evaluate our lives, to identify our values, and determine if our life is being lived for them,” Mr Becker said.

With this in mind, it is important to remember to step back and evaluate, as well as question one’s life.

Student story- Tori Druwitt (University of Newcastle)

Bachelor of Communication student Tori Druwitt believes in the power of having a day off.

“I think days off are important to recuperate, relax and catch up on your life. I know when I was working at Coles, I only had one day off a week, usually after six days straight. I was always exhausted, leaving me too tired to see friends and do uni work. If I had a day off in between those six days, I would’ve been able to juggle my life a bit better. No one feels like doing things after a long day of work so days off help you to get back on track whether it be by catching up on uni work or your social life, or just getting some much needed relaxation,” Miss Druwitt said.

It’s important, especially for students and full-time workers, parents, etc, to take some time for themselves. As Joshua Becker says, taking a day off “will give you life and identity outside of your Monday-Friday occupation. Rather than defining your life by what you do, you can begin to define it by who you are.”

These are wise words to live by and practise, especially for the sake of one’s health.

Image: amanda tipton, flickr, no changes made.