A few words, in our regular mental health spot, on the concept of a ‘paper break’, and why it can be really rather useful for your head.
Hello, friends. How are you?
Last week I found my brain becoming a little overwhelmed, and when that happens it has a tendency to sit on the floor, legs crossed, arms folded, and refusing to do anything, like a petulant child.
Part of the problem was that life was becoming just a little bit too real, and it felt like the drama, bad news, and frustrations were never ending. So, I took a break. I didn’t do any writing, I didn’t book any appointments, and I didn’t really go anywhere. Instead, I sat down at my work desk and I crafted. Journaling, crocheting, painting, colouring, sorting my stickers out. And I watched The 100, as I missed the final season when it was aired.
Sure, my noggin is still a little grumpy and not entirely thrilled at being asked to function again, but that short time out did appease just enough that it has agreed to do a little bit more thinking. Because sometimes that is all we need; we need a break.
This can take many forms, and it can last from a matter of minutes to perhaps even months. It could be as small as grabbing your morning coffee from a different coffee house, one day. Or maybe take a long overdue holiday to the Bahamas.
While at university, a few years ago, one of our tutors suddenly vanished for a couple of weeks. We’ll call him Tom. Upon returning, Tom explained that life had become so monotonous and stressful that he had needed to step away in order to prevent a significant breakdown. He called it a Paper Break. This, he explained, was his own personal way of compartmentalising and also reminding himself of his ability to relax and be himself.
Imagine it; each standard and repetitive daily task is a piece of blank paper that is placed in front of you. Many sheets are added over time, and in cases of more significant events an entire crate of Dunder Mifflin’s finest is added to the pile.
A Paper Break, Tom told us, was a period of time where you realise the pile is likely to fall and bury you, so you simply take a break to use the paper however you want; it is blank, after all. Maybe you want to do a drawing, one day. Maybe another day is about writing a story. You could write a letter, or learn to spell that one word that always trips you up, play Naughts And Crosses (Tic Tac Toe, for our friends across the pond), origami, book making… the possibilities are endless. Or your break can just be used to neaten the pile, organise it, and otherwise prepare it for its original use but in smaller manageable ways. While the paper will still be there, you’re taking a step back and regaining control.
However long the break is, or however you choose to use it, it just allows your brain the chance to exhale and rest. Granted, it might just be enough of a rest to manage another few hours, but it still moves you forward.
Sometimes it is enough of a break to allow someone to remember and share the concept of a Paper Break while simultaneously forgetting Tom’s actual name.
The point is that paper can be boring and overwhelming when it is constantly building up in front of you, but if you take a time out and explore the countless possibilities, you could be throwing paper planes in no time while your brain relaxes just enough to function a little longer.
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