It’s very easy to get caught up in what you’re doing when you’re being creative. You kind of trance out and get into the zone and don’t even realize how much time has passed! Why would anyone want to take a break from that – it’s what we strive for, right? But, if you do this often enough, your hands and your eyes will eventually pay the price for it with fatigue or, even worse, repetitive motion injury.
So, taking a break now prevents a longer, possibly forced, break later. What to do to keep beading for hours and hours? Plan your breaks and create incentives to do it!
If you’re beading in a certain room in your house, set a timer in another room every forty-five minutes or so that makes you get up and turn it off. Use this time to give yourself at least a ten minute break. Relax and shake out your hands. Roll your neck and shoulders. Close your eyes and let them go unfocused. Take some deep breaths, or do a couple of yoga poses to get blood flowing to your brain and keep that creativity going.
Having a hot cup of tea or a mug of coffee or hot chocolate nearby is good for your hands, too! The warmth is good for the muscles in your hands, and just the presence of something yummy to drink might inspire you to take mini-breaks anyway. 🙂
– Michelle
