Welcome back. It's savvy psychologist. I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson and as always I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Everybody needs a break, and two great inventions that speak to that need are the weekend

and the vacation, both of which have a distinct beginning and end.

But a break in the middle of the work day is a more elusive challenge,

because deadlines, demanding bosses, guilt, and sheer workload often make us power through.

We eat lunch while catching up on email and consider a walk to the bathroom a luxury.

On the other hand, even if we value and prioritize breaks, sometimes they go off the rails,

unintentionally shape shifting into a momentum killing to our rabbit hole of online shopping, one more round of Snake versus Block or Buzzfeed

quizzes. Anyone for a round of we can guess your eye color based on the trip you plan to Michigan?

Anyone? Either way, stopping to stare out the window or wander the halls at

work may seem lazy, guilt-inducing, willpower taxing, or logistically impossible. However, done right, breaks can boost focus, recharge your batteries,

and make you more productive, not to mention happier. So should we meditate, knock out some

burpees, watch the latest

SNL cold open, stare out the window, pester our cub mate, or none of the above.

How to do it right? Well this week here are seven ways to make those few minutes really count.

Tip number one is the basics. Any break is better than no break.

So for anyone who's so over-scheduled that lunch consists of

wolfing down a protein bar in a bathroom stall, let's make it clear that taking a break,

any break, is better than powering through.

A study in applied cognitive psychology

ran a head-to-head comparison of five different kinds of breaks.

Everyone was asked to focus on a task that required sustained attention for 45 minutes.

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