The Power of Mental Breaks

Our brain's complex and sophisticated nature needs regular breaks to properly absorb and digest the information it receives daily. Cognitive health and the ability to efficiently process information depend on these mental breaks.

Our brain craves quality sleep and peace of mind to start fresh each day! But how does it work? why exactly does our brain need a pause?

At first, new information goes into a part of the brain that functions like a pre-storage facility. This is the last step before information is ready for long-term storage or additional processing. Our brain needs a special frame of mind to process and make sense of this flood. Experiencing this state is like being wide awake but completely absorbed in your thoughts and feelings as if you were not physically present. 

Our brain performs what amounts to "defragmentation" at these times, preparing information for storage in long-term memory. This state is distinct from both active learning and working.

Staring out of a car or train window, mindlessly observing mundane scenery go by, is a common example of this state. Long walks, meditation, or even just letting your mind wander might bring about this same state. At these junctures, understandings come together and novel notions are born.

These brief bursts of mental processing are crucial to our brain's overall health. They help with both the retention of information and its meaningful processing. This mental "recharge" time must be acknowledged and valued.