Is it necessary to relax/take breaks?

[AlphaAbundance]

Can someone work 16 hours a day without relaxing? What is the minimal amount of time that can be spent relaxing? What are some healthy break/relaxing activities?

 

I am trying to replace emotional eating and watching TV as relaxing after work/school and wondering if the need to "relax" is just a belief or actual necessity, real thing

[erik8lrl]

Relaxation is very important. Everyone is different tho, follow your intuition. 

[Forestluv]

@AlphaAbundance I’ve done some 80+ hour work weeks in my life and it took a physical and mental toll. As well, my productivity would decline. Fatigue would accumulate and there was physical and mental decline. For example, my error rate would increase and I’d have to spend time re-doing things. After several 80+ hr work weeks, I would only accomplishing about 60 hrs worth in 80 hrs. In general, I don’t think it’s very healthy. I’d say my maximum sustainable work week is 60 hrs per week, yet I rarely work that much because there are other things in life I want to do. 

[Stakres]

@AlphaAbundance  The organism of a human primate has to rest and recover. Of course relaxing is a real, necessary thing.

 

On 1/5/2020 at 4:06 AM, AlphaAbundance said:

Can someone work 16 hours a day without relaxing? What is the minimal amount of time that can be spent relaxing? What are some healthy break/relaxing activities?

Everyone is different. Only you can answer those questions for yourself. Try working for 16 hours a day and not relaxing and see how that goes. Reduce your relaxation times and see how that goes and how far you can reduce your relaxing time. That's how you find the true answers. The answers are within your world and not on this forum. See which break activities work for you.

 

 

[Leo Gura]

On 1/4/2020 at 7:06 PM, AlphaAbundance said:

wondering if the need to "relax" is just a belief or actual necessity, real thing

Well, people who don't sleep stop functioning after a few days.

Which tells you how crucial this function is.

By overworking you will end up ultimately doing less work, by burning yourself out.

Less is more.

[Corpus]

Sixteen hours a day has been done by some without too much trouble- Lt Colonel John Paul Vann (US army, Vietnam- deceased) had a regime of 8 hours work, 4 hours sleep and repeat (ie twice the normal standard productivity per 24 hours) which he sustained for years .

Back in the day as a junior doctor doing 100 hours a week and on occasion 56 hour shifts (9am Saturday to 5pm Monday) was not uncommon. This training can be useful but leaves a mark which lingers and leads to some degree of psychological dysfunctional adaptation in many. Hence the drinking culture which plagues the profession and can become a lifelong trait.

Enjoy your relaxation but as with all things, moderation.