As I sit at a stop light on my way out of the park after a nice run, I look up at the street light and see a large bird perched up on the top of the light post.  A smaller bird then swoops down at it, over and over until the larger bird chases it.  They continued to swoop and take turns chasing each other playing with one another.   I’ve seen birds do this before, but have never really paid much attention.  I found it quite funny!  As I drove around the corner back to the house, I then noticed two squirrels chasing each other around the neighbor’s yard and up and down trees.  This too amused me.  It also made me think.  Wild animals spend their lives searching for food, finding mates, taking care of young all while avoiding predators and death that lurks around every corner.  Yet they still take time out of their day to play and enjoy life.  While it may be that they are just simply playing, I assume the “playing” actually helps them sharpen their skills in a non-stressful way that will help them in survival in the long run, much like the tiger cub that wrestles with its siblings.

While most of us take vacations or live it up on the weekends I find very few of us take breaks in appropriate ways.  Take fitness for instance.  For those that actually turn fitness into a lifestyle, they tend to forget to take breaks.  It’s important to take a break from weight training on occasion.  A couple weeks break every couple of months is not only helpful, but will allow the body to rest and give it a boost when you get back into it.  The same is true with martial arts training.  We work incredibly hard day in and day out attempting to improve our skills.  As an instructor, I make this break mandatory.  Every two months we hold a rank testing which can be quite stressful for students.  The week following that testing is always fun week.  A week we take off from the normal routine of needing to improve and just go off the page and not care how well we do and try new things.  This break in training is needed to help clear the mind and reset your thinking by taking a step back, or to the side.  How many times have you stared at a problem for hours trying to figure it out, whether it be for work or studies, but you just can’t figure it out.  So you give up and go to bed.  The next day you wake up, look at the problem briefly, and suddenly, there is the answer!  The brain, just like the body, can get in a rut.  A break away from the norm can and will do a lot of good.

These breaks don’t just happen once a year, once a month or even once a week, but every day.  Taking the time to step away from the norm is important to refocus our thoughts, boost energy and challenge the mind/body in new ways.  When I say break, I don’t mean sitting mindlessly on the couch watching tv, sorry!  The body and mind are fully capable of physical and mental stress of action.  As long as we have an adequate amount of sleep, we are good to go.  So during these breaks it is important to continue to challenge the mind and body.  Much like our breaks in martial arts, we don’t go easier, we just do things differently.  Essentially, throwing a curve ball at the mind and body.  This change can develop our mind and body in new ways which can help boost and energize us while working towards are main goals.  In the middle of a tough project?  Take a break, pick up a musical instrument and learn how to play it.  Or maybe start learning a new language.  Or write an article on the benefits of taking a break!

So take a page from the birds and the squirrels, take a break from worrying about seemingly life or death situations and chase a sibling up a tree or take a swing at a giant stranger….or maybe just read a book.