1
ARTICLE
Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime
By Ferris Jabr — 2013
Research on naps, meditation, nature walks and the habits of exceptional artists and athletes reveals how mental breaks increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
CLEAR ALL
BY TOPIC
BY TEACHER
BY TYPE
FILTER
TOPIC
- Connection with Nature (69)
- Imagination and Creativity (66)
- BIPOC Well-Being (46)
- Focus (41)
- Productivity (39)
- Self-Care (38)
- Inspiration (35)
- Burnout (31)
- Well-Being (29)
- Brain Health (28)
- Kids and Sports (27)
- Stress Management (27)
- Depression (26)
- Anxiety (25)
- Mind-Body Connection (25)
- Performance Pressure (25)
- Black Well-Being (24)
- Disabled Well-Being (24)
- Neuroscience (24)
- Physical Health (23)
- Self-Reflection Practices (23)
- Work-Life Balance (23)
- Cancer (22)
- Self-Pressure (22)
- Peak Performance (21)
- Entrepreneurship (20)
- Leadership (20)
- Women’s Well-Being (20)
- Exercise (19)
- LGBTQIA Well-Being (19)
- Motivation (19)
- Self-Mastery (19)
- ADD/ADHD (18)
- Mindfulness Meditation (18)
- Parenting (18)
- Discrimination (17)
- Rest (17)
- Self-Development (17)
- Activism/Service (16)
- Growth Mindset (16)
- Mindfulness (16)
- Diet and Nutrition (15)
- Illness and Injury (15)
- Neurodiversity (15)
- Goal Setting (14)
- Resilience (14)
- Somatic Practices (14)
- Addiction (13)
- Collaboration (13)
- Emotional Labor (13)
- Performance Anxiety (13)
- Search for Purpose (13)
- Self-Discovery (13)
- Self-Esteem (13)
- Criticism and Rejection (12)
- Spiritual Practices (12)
- Stress (12)
- Authenticity (11)
- Buddhism (11)
- Chronic Pain (11)
- Empowerment (11)
- Environmental Justice (11)
- Indigenous Well-Being (11)
- Relationship with Time (11)
- Self-Worth (11)
- Young Adult Well-Being (11)
- Building Character (10)
- Digital Life (10)
- Eating Disorders (10)
- Gender Discrimination (10)
- Habits of Mind (10)
- Happiness (10)
- Mental Health Challenges (10)
- Trauma Healing (10)
- Aging (9)
- Climate Change (9)
- Confidence (9)
- Courage (9)
- Emotional Intelligence (EQ) (9)
- Empathy (9)
- Forest Bathing (9)
- Identity (9)
- Mindfulness Practices (9)
- Neuroplasticity (9)
- Pleasing Parents (9)
- Presence (9)
- Self-Acceptance (9)
- Self-Actualization (9)
- Self-Expression (9)
- Self-Limiting Beliefs (9)
- Sleep (9)
- Belonging (8)
- Betrayal (8)
- Fellowship and Community (8)
- Healthy Eating (8)
- Job Loss (8)
- Lovingkindness Meditation (8)
- Motherhood (8)
- Problem Solving (8)
- Setting Limits and Boundaries (8)
- Transgender Well-Being (8)
- Awareness (7)
- Body Image (7)
- Community Healing (7)
- Compassion (7)
- Fatigue (7)
- Female Empowerment (7)
- Finding Meaning (7)
- Gender Challenges (7)
- Grit (7)
- Honoring Emotion (7)
- Latinx Well-Being (7)
- Life-Altering Injury (7)
- Memory (7)
- Psychology (7)
- PTSD (7)
- Self-Healing (7)
- Social Responsibility (7)
- Yoga (7)
- AAPI Well-Being (6)
- Academic Struggles (6)
- Addiction Recovery (6)
- Anger Management (6)
- Breathwork (6)
- Building Culture (6)
- Clinical Depression (6)
- Coming Out (6)
- Dementia (6)
- Environmental Exploitation (6)
- Habit Formation (6)
- Human Potential (6)
- Letting Go (6)
- Movement Meditation (6)
- Negative Self-Talk (6)
- Passion (6)
- Plateauing (6)
- Play (6)
- Positive Thinking (6)
- Regret (6)
- Self-Love (6)
- Slumps (6)
- Social Justice (6)
- Suicide (6)
- Sustainability (6)
- Values (6)
- Awe (5)
- Chronic Anxiety (5)
- Communication Skills (5)
- Connection (5)
- Decision Making (5)
- Ecospirituality (5)
- Endurance (5)
- Family Dynamics (5)
- Fear (5)
- Gratitude (5)
- Grief (5)
- Homophobia (5)
- Inner Peace (5)
- Interdependence (5)
- Kindness (5)
- Loneliness (5)
- Lovingkindness (5)
- Mentoring (5)
- Offering Support to Others (5)
- Positive Self-Talk (5)
- Racial Discrimination (5)
- Racism (5)
- Speaking Your Truth (5)
- Talk Therapy (5)
- Time Management (5)
- Visualization (5)
- Work Relationships (5)
- Altered States (4)
- Caregiver Well-Being (4)
- Child’s Emotional Growth (4)
- Compassion Meditation (4)
- Competition (4)
- Conflict Resolution (4)
- Consciousness (4)
- Cross-Cultural Dynamics (4)
- Curiosity (4)
- Drug Addiction (4)
- Failure (4)
- Gender Identity (4)
- Guided Meditation (4)
- Indigenous Healing Approaches (4)
- Intention (4)
- Intuition (4)
- Life Challenges (4)
- Men’s Well-Being (4)
- Nonbinary Well-Being (4)
- Personal Development (4)
- Poetry (4)
- Race and Gender (4)
- Relationship Challenges (4)
- Retirement (4)
- Self-Discipline (4)
- Shame (4)
- Spiritual Life (4)
- The Feldenkrais Method (4)
- Transcendental Meditation (4)
- Trust (4)
- Unconscious Bias (4)
- Unfulfilled Career (4)
- Walking Meditation (4)
- Autism (3)
- Body Scan Meditation (3)
- Child’s ADD/ADHD (3)
- Chronic Health Conditions (3)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (3)
- Death or Loss of a Loved One (3)
- Disconnection (3)
- Embodiment (3)
- Energy Healing (3)
- Epigenetics (3)
- Generosity (3)
- Higher Calling (3)
- Imposter Syndrome (3)
- Indigenous Rights (3)
- Inner Life (3)
- Insomnia (3)
- Lifestyle Medicine (3)
- Living with Illness (3)
- Mantra Meditation (3)
- Perception (3)
- Philosophical Approaches (3)
- Psychedelic Research (3)
- Quitting Your Job (3)
- Racial Healing (3)
- Ritual (3)
- Science and Spirituality (3)
- Self-Control (3)
- Self-Realization (3)
- Self-Reliance (3)
- Soul Mission (3)
- Subconscious (3)
- Veteran Well-Being (3)
- Wake-Up Calls (3)
- Weight Concerns (3)
- Willpower (3)
- Work Ethic (3)
- Zen Meditation (3)
- Acceptance (2)
- Anger (2)
- Anorexia (2)
- Biohacking (2)
- Chakra Meditation (2)
- Chanting (2)
- Christianity (2)
- Cognition (2)
- Conscience (2)
- Conscious Evolution (2)
- Divorce and Breakup (2)
- Enlightenment (2)
- Faith (2)
- Financial Instability (2)
- Forgiveness (2)
- Gender Justice (2)
- Healing Approaches (2)
- Highly Sensitive People (2)
- Immigration and Assimilation (2)
- Insight (Vipassana) Meditation (2)
- Integrative Medicine (2)
- Integrity (2)
- Intergenerational Trauma (2)
- Journaling (2)
- Joy (2)
- Kirtan Music (2)
- Kundalini Yoga (2)
- Laughter Therapy (2)
- Learning Styles (2)
- Longevity (2)
- Managing Energy (2)
- Military to Civilian Re-entry (2)
- Neuropsychology (2)
- Patience (2)
- Plant-Based Medicine (2)
- Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (2)
- Quantum Physics (2)
- Racial Justice (2)
- Relationship with Money (2)
- Self-Compassion (2)
- Self-Employment (2)
- Self-Reckoning (2)
- Sexual Assault or Abuse (2)
- Sleep Disorders (2)
- Spiritual Growth (2)
- Spirituality and Health (2)
- Spirituality and Politics (2)
- Storytelling (2)
- The Unconscious (2)
- The Yips (2)
- Tibetan Buddhism (2)
- Transitions (2)
- Traumatic Grief (2)
- Unity (2)
- Abandonment (1)
- Access to Education (1)
- Acupressure (1)
- Adaptability (1)
- Affirmations (1)
- Alexander Technique (1)
- Asking for Help (1)
- Autoimmune Disease (1)
- Body Mapping (1)
- Body Positivity (1)
- Bodywork (1)
- Bulimia (1)
- Bullying (1)
- Calming Meditation (1)
- Cannabis/CBD (1)
- Challenges with Teens (1)
- Child’s Anxiety (1)
- Child’s Autism (1)
- Children’s Well-Being (1)
- Comparing Belief Traditions (1)
- Cross-Cultural Parenting (1)
- Death or Loss of a Parent (1)
- Dharma (1)
- Diamond Approach (1)
- Doubt (1)
- Drug Policy (1)
- Economic Justice (1)
- Fasting for Health (1)
- Female Friendship (1)
- Feminism (1)
- Flower Essences (1)
- Freedom (1)
- Friendship (1)
- Gender Transition (1)
- Generational Healing (1)
- Genetics (1)
- Hinduism (1)
- Holotropic Breathwork (1)
- Household Labor (1)
- Ibogaine (1)
- Inflammation (1)
- Inner Child (1)
- Inner Strengths (1)
- Jewish Renewal (1)
- Judaism (1)
- Kabbalah (1)
- Ketamine (1)
- Kundalini (1)
- LGBTQIA Sexuality (1)
- Life Force Energy (1)
- Loss of Partner/Spouse (1)
- Manifestation (1)
- Masculine/Feminine Dynamics (1)
- MDMA (1)
- Neoshamanism (1)
- Non-Duality (1)
- Obsessions/Compulsions (1)
- Optimism (1)
- Panic Attacks (1)
- Personality Disorders (1)
- Personality Typing (1)
- Plant Spirit Medicine (1)
- Poverty/Economic Inequality (1)
- Psychedelic Journey (1)
- Psychoanalysis (1)
- Racial Identity (1)
- Rolfing (1)
- Shadow (1)
- Shamanic Healing (1)
- Social Anxiety (1)
- Social Presence (1)
- Social Psychology (1)
- Sound Bath Meditation (1)
- Spiritual Awakening (1)
- Spiritual Healing (1)
- Spiritual Quest (1)
- Suicide Loss Survivor (1)
- Synesthesia (1)
- T’ai Chi (1)
- Tarot (1)
- The Divine (1)
- Transcendent Experience (1)
- Transformation (1)
- Vulnerability (1)
- Women’s Rights (1)
- Yoga Nidra (1)
- Yoga Therapy (1)
- Zen Buddhism (1)
FILTER
TEACHER
- Kelly McGonigal (4)
- Light Watkins (4)
- Lorin Roche (4)
- Maria Popova (4)
- Michael Phelps (4)
- Mona Polacca (4)
- Deepak Chopra (3)
- don Jose Ruiz (3)
- Eric Maisel (3)
- Lisa Feldman Barrett (3)
- Naomi Osaka (3)
- Rachel Carson (3)
- Richard Davidson (3)
- SARK (3)
- Simone Biles (3)
- Yoni Freedhoff (3)
- Adam Grant (2)
- David Perlmutter (2)
- Diane Ackerman (2)
- Ervin László (2)
- Jacqueline Carter (2)
- Jay Shetty (2)
- Jessica Dore (2)
- Joan Borysenko (2)
- Joanne Cacciatore (2)
- Judith Orloff (2)
- Judson Brewer (2)
- Julia Cameron (2)
- Karla McLaren (2)
- Kenny Ausubel (2)
- Krishna Das (2)
- Mark Manson (2)
- Martha Beck (2)
- Michael Pollan (2)
- Moshé Feldenkrais (2)
- Oprah Winfrey (2)
- Parker J. Palmer (2)
- Rich Fernandez (2)
- Rick Hanson (2)
- Sally Kempton (2)
- Sandra Ingerman (2)
- Stephen Covey (2)
- Tara Brach (2)
- Thich Nhat Hanh (2)
- A. H. Almaas (1)
- Abraham Maslow (1)
- adrienne maree brown (1)
- Amishi Jha (1)
- Amy Morin (1)
- Angela Duckworth (1)
- Arianna Huffington (1)
- Arielle Schwartz (1)
- Brendon Burchard (1)
- Brian Tracy (1)
- Bruce Lipton (1)
- Byron Katie (1)
- Caroline Myss (1)
- Chalene Johnson (1)
- Chan Khong (1)
- Chelsey Luger (1)
- Chögyam Trungpa (1)
- Connie Zweig (1)
- Damien Echols (1)
- Dan Harris (1)
- David J. Wolpe (1)
- Deena Metzger (1)
- Don Hanlon Johnson (1)
- don Miguel Ruiz Jr. (1)
- Edward Hoffman (1)
- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel (1)
- Elizabeth Stanley (1)
- Emiliana Simon-Thomas (1)
- Ethan Nichtern (1)
- Francoise Bourzat (1)
- Gabor Maté (1)
- Gabrielle Bernstein (1)
- Grandmother Flordemayo (1)
- Herbert Benson (1)
- Hyla Cass (1)
- Jack Canfield (1)
- Jacqui Lewis (1)
- Joanna Macy (1)
- Julieta Casimiro (1)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1)
- Karlfried Graf Dürckheim (1)
- Kishshana Palmer (1)
- Lama Tsultrim Allione (1)
- Lucille Clifton (1)
- Maria Nemeth (1)
- Mel Robbins (1)
- Mona Lisa Schulz (1)
- Monnica Williams (1)
- Nancy Mellon (1)
- Natalie Goldberg (1)
- Nataly Kogan (1)
- Nicole Cardoza (1)
- Norman Fischer (1)
- Oshoke Pamela Abalu (1)
- Pema Chödrön (1)
- Pema Khandro (1)
- Philip Goldberg (1)
- Phillip Moffitt (1)
- Ralph De La Rosa (1)
- Rami Shapiro (1)
- Resmaa Menakem (1)
- Riane Eisler (1)
- Rupi Kaur (1)
- Saeed Jones (1)
- Sanjay Gupta (1)
- Scott Shute (1)
- Sharon Salzberg (1)
- Shinzen Young (1)
- Stephanie Rose Bird (1)
- Stephen Harrod Buhner (1)
- Stephen Levine (1)
- Steven Johnson (1)
- Sue Morter (1)
- Ta-Nehisi Coates (1)
- Tara Mohr (1)
- Temple Grandin (1)
- Tony Robbins (1)
- Tracey Shors (1)
- Vandana Shiva (1)
- William Bloom (1)
- Wim Hof (1)
- Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (1)
