Exhausted? Overstimulated? Expert reveals the signs you need to ‘give your brain a break’ - and exactly how to do it
If you’ve ever felt like your brain needs a break from the relentless demands and pace of modern life, you’re not alone. From work duties, to family worries and the internet at our fingertips there is a lot of information going in our heads in addition to our many thoughts.
This overload has an impact on creativity, memory and stress levels, but we can give our minds some relief and a bit more balance with one simple step.
Our brains are being overloaded with information and sensory input because we don’t get a chance to be bored any more thanks to our smartphones. Adobe Stock
Dr Nikki-Anne Wilson, Lecturer at the University of New South Wales School of Psychology, told nine.com.au that allowing our brains to have a break helps with both memory and creativity.
“Getting out of our heads is more technically referred to as mind wandering, and that occurs when our attention spontaneously shifts from what we're doing to our inner thoughts and often that can be something that is closely related to mind wandering called prospective memory.
Signs that we need to give our brains a break include feeling irritable and frustrated iStockphoto
“When people's mind wanders, they'll find that they're thinking of, ‘Oh, I'll have to remember to get milk on the way home’, or, ‘I have to remember to reply to that email next week’... so sometimes our mind wandering can actually be helpful in future planning.
“But it can also be good just to deactivate from that constant information overload. So we know that mind wandering can be associated with higher creativity. So if our minds are wandering, and we’re not highly engaged in the task at hand, there’s evidence to suggest that we can make broader leaps in our connections.”
Signs that we need to give our brains a break include feeling irritable and frustrated, but even if you don’t obviously feel like your mind is ready for a rest Wilson recommends giving it some time out daily.
Of course sleep is hugely important for our brains to function their best, but during waking hours the easiest and most effective way to get out of your head is to “get back to nature”.
“We often think of chilling out on the couch as good rest, but often it's not. We need to get outside and experience what they call perceptual decoupling to actually give our brains a break from the sensory overload that we experience when we're constantly on 24 hours a day. That can be good for our brains,” she said.
Being in nature and tuning in to the sights, sounds and smells can help give our brain some time away from tasks, learning and screens. iStockphoto
Getting back to nature can mean sitting on your balcony enjoying your potted plants, the trees around you and the sound of birds flying by, or it can involve going to a park or beach and strolling for a while.
Wilson’s favourite way to give her own brain a break is to go for a walk in her neighbourhood and take time admiring the gardens she passes.
“That's a brilliant way of disconnecting 'cause you're looking for what's around you. Instead of thinking about all those things that you've got to do, you're thinking, ‘Oh, pretty azalea’, or, ‘That's a pretty rose’,” she said.
When you do your brain break in nature just leave the headphones at home or keep them off for a little while so that your brain isn’t getting extra stimulation.
“We’re more likely to engage in that mindful practice of noticing where we are, hearing the sounds around us and directing our attention outside ourselves when we’re not experiencing simultaneous music or other input,” she said.
“I think giving ourselves that space to process our thoughts is something of a privilege these days in many ways. When we stop processing external stimuli, then our brains have more chance to mind wander,” Wilson says.
