Taking Outside Breaks

Episode 18 of the Young Leaders of Tomorrow is about taking that desperately needed break.

The Young Leaders of Tomorrow features the amazing tales of young entrepreneurs, innovators, and activists who are defying expectations and making a name for themselves. Hosted by Julia Zucchi and Theo Nguyen, this podcast interviews outstanding young people who are changing the game, taking risks, and breaking boundaries. Each episode, we highlight their achievements, the challenges they've faced, and the unconventional paths they've followed to reach their destinations. We'll also share some of our own experiences and insights on crushing school, staying motivated, and changing what you believe is possible. We make tomorrow’s leaders, today’s stories. A new episode comes every 2 weeks.

Our Website: https://www.the-young-leaders-of-tomorrow.com/

Transcript

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Hello and welcome back to The Young Leaders of Tomorrow, where we redefined what's possible. I'm The Owen, co-host of the podcast created with Julia Zucki, and today's episode is about getting outside and touching some grass. If you're striving for success, I bet you have a lot of commitments. Personally, I don't get home until 9 from extracurriculars, and right now I'm on spring break yet have robotics all days except Sunday. I'm told freshman year is the easiest, so you get the idea for what all of us overachievers are going through. Sometimes you don't even notice your mental health deteriorating. Maybe you just get so swept in in the workflow that nothing else matters. Regardless, getting some sun and going outside is really important. During long hours at a club trapped in a room with no windows, I truly felt my mood change throughout the day. So whenever I had a break, I would drag myself and a friend outside to run around, make some flower crowns, go on a walk, and just get out. Recently though, due to how busy we are, there hasn't been as many breaks. I work around that. I was scheduling a talk with my peers for our next plans and decided, why does it have to be at our workspace? We went for a long walk around the park and later I was told how nice it was and that we should do it again. Occasionally I'll ask if we can work on our computers outside. It's about doing what you can to change up the environment. Being outside improves your mental health, and although everyone's heard that before, especially when you're busy, it matters. It's more than finding a creative way to work. It's also about boosting morale. When we're being chewed out by an adult or feeling like the life has been sucked out of us, hanging outside does a lot. After a hard day, I went for a team lunch and walked around with everybody, and I swear, if they had seen themselves before and after, they would choose to go out more often. Without these kind of breaks, it really is all doom and gloom. Checking out the spring flowers, hearing birds chirping, and seeing squirrels running around does more than you'd expect. Plus, it's not only about the nature aspect, it's also just about the idea of getting out. Staying in one place for too long is guaranteed to drive anyone insane. I used to walk around school, which has six floors by the way, so it's a big space to roam, but after a while I start to just feel trapped in it. If not going outside, find a way to change the room. If you want to be a young leader, try not to get that trapped in an office feeling so early. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Young Leaders of Tomorrow. Please contact us if you have an initiative to be interviewed or know someone who'd be interested in that. Have a good day and go touch some grass.