How just a 10-minute work break could improve your mental and physical health

(Isabelle Gallant/ CBC News) — aking a walk. Reading a book. Sitting outside. Simply standing up and stretching.  

These are all activities we could be doing on a break during our workday, according to experts. 

“There’s not one golden rule of what the best break is. We just want to make sure that we’re disconnecting from our work or from our study,” Katharine Coons, from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC’s The Dose.  

“Even if it’s for a five-minute walk around the block, that can increase and boost your mood,” said Coons, a national senior manager with the CMHA who oversees the organization’s workplace mental health programs. 

In a culture that can often prioritize productivity over mental well-being, it can sometimes be difficult for people to take breaks  — but experts say a break, if done right, is key to staying happy and healthy at work. (…)