Do you know stein-holding competitions? The Hong Kong Octoberfest has just finished after many successful weeks. One of the games they play on stage is to ask some people to compete in who is able to hold a full liter of beer on a stretched arm for the longest. These competitions typically only last a few minutes, because human muscles will wear out and get tired quickly and the contestants will start to feel more discomfort or even pain until they set the weight down. What feels like one kilogram in the very beginning quickly changes in your perception and after a few minutes feels overwhelmingly heavy and like a weight you are no longer able to handle. If you put down the glass for just a few seconds and release your arm, you are able to hold the glass again for a while.
Frequent short breaks are necessary to refresh and recharge.
Imagine your MIND being a muscle that handles stress, attention, memory and concentration. If you never give it a chance to “stretch”, rest and refresh, the same thing will happen to your mind as it will to your arm in a stein holding competition: it fatigues. All the little things you need to remember, problems you need to find solutions for and relationships you need to manage will add up in your mind and after a while feel unbearable and hence more stressful. More stress in turn affects your well-being, mood, interaction with people and ability to care for yourself.