Have you ever felt a little jealous of the person standing out behind the store or office building taking a smoke break? I used to work in a building where there was a lady who took smoke breaks once every hour or so, and while I was not jealous of her addiction- I was jealous of the permission she gave herself to take frequent breaks. She stood in the sunshine, stared at the clouds and the trees, sometimes alone or sometimes chatting with someone else, and she got a break many times a day!
Once I started working in schools, I was inside under fluorescent lights all day dealing with what felt like dreary chaos. We started the year at a sprint, instantly buried under emails, phone calls and lines of students. The stress started to take a real toll on me. Often when I left for the day, I would feel my body buzzing with anxiety and my mind couldn’t seem to get off overdrive. Being so disconnected from nature didn't help. My office had zero windows and there was zero natural light anywhere near me, and it felt like I was trapped in a depressing cave. I would leave for the day and realize it was a stunning fall day with amazing red and yellow colors at their peak, and I had been inside all day totally unaware of all that beauty, and missing my favorite time of year. It was hard not to feel resentful of my job.
Finally, out of desperation, I just started sneaking out for walks. At first they were quick, 5-10 minutes or so. I thought I would be reprimanded but after a while I realized that it was fine, and if I missed a student, I could follow up with them later. I started using my lunch break for longer walks- like 20 or 30 minutes. I found a trail that went back behind the school into an open space, and taking time to be out in nature, breathing the fresh air, moving my body, being able to hear my own thoughts or just zone out, was like coming up for air. Often I would take this time to call my sister and it was great to be able to turn stress into laughter.
When I walked back into the office, I felt refreshed. I could focus more easily, and could turn back on my empathy skills that are so critical when counseling students. As I realized how transformational this time was, it started to become a regular habit. Of course there were days that I couldn’t go, but more often than not, I could. And over the years, this habit helped me through new seasons of life in unexpected ways. After I had a baby, getting exercise was much harder, especially on winter days when I couldn’t push the stroller through snowy sidewalks. My lunch time walk was sometimes the only exercise I was able to get all day, and for a few years, this exercise was the main way I maintained a foundation of physical health.
As a former college athlete, walking has never seemed intense enough to be "real" exercise. But during a new, busier phase of life, it was important for me to accept that a walk could be enough, and some days, it was the best I could do. It almost always left me feeling better.
It's no surprise this had such a positive effect on me. Studies have shown that contact with nature can help with "improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation." And the physical and mental benefits of even the light exercise of walking are numerous, including, "reduced risk of many diseases, increased energy, better sleep, improved cognition, reduced anxiety and depression, reduced stress. " This healthy little "smoke break" really is a magic pill.
It’s funny now to think how wrong it felt to leave and take a walk when I first started this habit. I thought in order to be a good employee, I had to be always at my desk, constantly available for every need. I realized that taking a little time for myself actually made me a much better employee. I was more energetic, happier, kinder, healthier, and more focused, and able to deal with conflict and confusing situations with more flexibility and perspective. Taking that little bit of control helped me to deal with all those aspects of the job that were out of my control much more effectively.
And no one cared! I still got my work done. I was even protected by the union contract! In my district, all school staff are supposed to get a 30 minute work free lunch. I just needed to be brave enough to actually use it in a way that was restorative for me.
What is a self-care strategy that could make a difference for you in your daily life? Often in order to benefit from self-care, we have to first set a boundary to protect our time, which can be uncomfortable. If you would like to try something like this, here are some tips that may help:
Be clear on where you are going and why. I would openly announce, “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back in 20 minutes”, and I would sign out at the front desk. If my team was eating together but I wanted my walk, I would just say, “I’m heading out for my walk. Have a great lunch!” Be unapologetic. If you are friendly and open about it, people are less likely to question you. When I started putting on my coat, my team started joking that, “She’s going on a smoke break again”. I embraced the joke, and just kept going. I would openly share about how I felt so much better after my walk, and people got it.
Intentionally schedule this time for self-care around any meetings/obligations you have. Block off the time on your calendar so that meetings are less likely to be scheduled at that time. I would plan my walk after the time students had lunch, as that was a quieter time when they would be less likely to stop by. Think about what time during your day tends to be less busy, and when it would be less difficult to arrange.
Have a system for following up with those who need you during that self-care time. I had a white board on the outside of my office door where I would write, “Be back at __ o’clock”, and I had simple forms that a student could fill out and leave for me, to let me know they stopped by and what they needed help with. Having a system made it easier for me to leave without it being a burden for others.
Give yourself permission to take breaks and do the little things that make life a bit better. We can spend so much mental energy trying to change our thoughts or how we are feeling but sometimes small actions can make that shift much faster for us- a quick change in our environment, a calming space, a little movement.
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