Welcome to Boost Your Brainpower: Effective Study Breaks! This is a three-part repeating series with an accompanying office hours session (Take a Break!).
Learn from neuroscience how study breaks can boost your brainpower through improved mental performance, emotional regulation, and physical health.
If you've ever said, "I can't afford to take a break," this workshop is for you!
This week we'll learn all about the neuroscience of rest. We'll go in depth on the benefits of brain breaks and how they impact mental performance. We'll also learn some break-taking basics, like the best way to plan and schedule your breaks, when not to take a break, and what makes a break effective versus ineffective.
Use the image below to learn the 3-3-3 technique:
- Name 3 things you can see
- Name 3 things you can hear
- Move 3 different body parts
Use the image below to learn the Rose, Bud, and Thorn exercise:
- Rose: Something good that's happened recently
- Bud: Something you're looking forward to
- Thorn: Something challenging you
Use the image below to help you with the Brain Break Menu Activity in the workshop:
- Build a "3-course meal" from the brain break menu for this week
- Use an "appetizer" when you need a quick break during the week
- Use a "main course" when you need a longer break, or at the end of the day
- Choose a "dessert" break when you need to recharge or to prepare for a task you know will take extra energy
For more information on the concepts from today's workshop, check out these links:
Article: Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime by Ferris Jabr
Study: Taking Short Breaks May Help Our Brains Learn New Skills with Leonardo G. Cohen, MD
This week's part of the series is all about taking breaks to improve emotional regulation and mental health. We'll learn about how these things improve our brain function and make us better learners. We'll start by discussing the emotional and mental benefits of taking breaks, then we'll learn how to take effective breaks that improve our regulation and mental health.
Use the image below for more breathing exercise ideas:
For more information on the concepts from today's workshop, check out these links:
Article: How do Work Breaks Help Your Brain?
Article: Decision Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis
Article: How High Performers Overcome Decision Fatigue by Marlynn Wei, MD, JD
This week we'll learn all about how breaks improve physical health and the connection between physical health and brain health. We'll discover how movement improves brain function and learn how to take effective physical breaks.
For more information on the concepts from today's workshop, check out these other Academic Resource Center links:
Do you want to try some of the break ideas we shared in today’s workshop? Learn how to do these and more in the brain break room! You can come as often as you’d like to take a guided break that will help you recharge from studying and whatever else you have going on. Come connect with other students and give your brain a boost!
Additional Tips:
Are you struggling with feelings of burnout, overwhelm, or fear for your physical and/or emotional well-being? All SNHU students in need of support have access to Wellness Resources via Mantra Health. Visit the Mantra Health Portal.
Need More Help?
Visit our platform to schedule a 1:1 with a coach or sign up for a workshop. *If this link does not bring you directly to our home page, please use our direct link to "Academic Support" from any Brightspace course at the top of the navigation bar.