Healthy break activities

Healthy break activities are no- to low-cost and are designed to encourage employees to take regular breaks even during the busiest workdays. The activities fall into one of three categories – calming, energizing or relaxing.

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Most people get break time in their regular workday to help them unwind and refocus. What you do during that time could have impact your workplace mental health.

You may not wish to do every activity, so choose those that are a good fit for you in your workplace. You may be amazed at the positive results that can be achieved by investing just a few minutes each day.

You can adapt all the activity ideas to accommodate different abilities. People from across the country with an interest in health and wellness developed the activities. Many of these activities can be done individually or as a group.

Calming break activities

This category of activities helps calm the mind of those who feel pressure, overwhelm, or anxiety at work. They can help you refocus your thoughts through journaling, meditating and other activities. See Calming break activities to learn more.

Energizing break activities

These activities are for those who have repetitive or sedentary work. They can help energize both mind and body to help you refresh through activities like moving, playing and social connection. See Energizing break activities to learn more.

Relaxing break activities

This set of activities is ideal for those with physically demanding work. They help you to relax through stretching, arts or breathing. It helps to prepare you to resume physical activity in a healthy way. See Relaxing break activities to learn more.

Break takers share their stories

"Taking some time for a break to recharge, using these activities, helps me relax and re-focus."

"Wonderful resources. I feel my body relax during the 15-minute break while laughing with colleagues."

"In our client-focused jobs, it's easy to become immersed within the work and the problems and forget to take a moment to take a break and refocus. Having the short work break exercises was a fun way to structure 'being made to' take a break."

"It has been a great stress reliever and team building exercise which has allowed us to refocus and remain productive even during times of high demand."

"It has given us a nice work/life balance to the 8:30–4:30 workday."

Workshop materials

Learning to recharge workshop

This workshop introduces different approaches to wellness breaks at work. These ideas can help energize, calm the mind and relax the body. Engaging your team in all of the activities allows each individual to choose the ones that best support them on any given day.