As we head into the fall season and transition back into work or school routines, you might feel that your restful summer is behind you. Whether you are a leader, employee, or student, it is crucial to incorporate daily recovery experiences, rest, and effective breaks. They are a seasonal must to help you prevent chronic stress which could lead to burnout and other chronic diseases. Healthy work and school stress is good for us. The sweet spot of performance occurs when we are motivated and energized. The key is to learn how you can manage and make stress our ally vs our enemy.
A Fresh Approach to Understanding Recovery from Stress
The DRAMMA model was introduced by Sabine Sonnentag and Charlotte Fritz in their research on recovery from work stress. It highlights six key dimensions of recovery that you can integrate into your daily life to boost your emotional and physical well-being.
DRAMMA stands for Detachment, Relaxation, Autonomy, Mastery, Meaning, and Affiliation. These dimensions represent different types of recovery experiences during breaks that help mediate the impact of job and school demands on an individual’s emotional state. When heading into the fall season after returning from summer break it is crucial to take breaks and ensure they incorporate these dimensions to promote one’s recovery.
- Detachment: The process of mentally and physically disengaging from work-related tasks and stressors during a break. This separation helps individuals to clear their minds, reduce cognitive load, and create a mental distance from job demands, allowing them to return to work refreshed.
- Relaxation: Engaging in activities that reduce psychological and physiological stress. These practices help lower their stress levels and promote a state of relaxation, making it easier to handle remaining work tasks.
- Autonomy: The intentional action of putting oneself first and choosing to do something without regard for another person. This freedom to decide how to use break time enhances one’s sense of control and improves their overall mood.
- Mastery: Engaging in activities during a break that enhance feelings of competence and achievement. These activities produce low levels of psychological distress and high levels of vigor. Mastery experiences are off-job activities such as educational pursuits, skill building hobbies, or creative projects that provide challenges and opportunities for learning. It is an active process that can help reinforce one’s sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy, positively impacting motivation and mood.
- Meaning: Participating in leisure activities that help individuals connect with personal values or provide a sense of purpose. These activities often involve reflecting on personal goals, contributing to a greater sense of fulfillment, and enhancing overall emotional resilience.
- Affiliation: Social interactions and connections that increase feelings of relatedness with other people which is also considered an innate psychological need. This social interaction fosters a sense of support, enhancing one’s emotional well-being and reducing feelings of isolation.
Each type of break addresses different aspects of recovery, helping to create a balanced and resilient approach to managing work and school demands.
DRAMMA's dramatic Role in Recovery and Why Breaks Matters
Breaks Matter. Period!
Breaks facilitate recovery from job demands, reduce stress, improve mood, prevent burnout, enhance job performance, promote work-life balance, and support social connections. While most of us rely on the hour long lunch breaks or wait to unwind by watching Netflix late at night, micro-breaks in particular, during work or school are critical for replenishing resources. The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory highlights that taking breaks helps conserve and replenish our limited resources, preventing depletion and enhancing our ability to manage ongoing job demands effectively. If you do not build recovery in your routine, your need for recovery (NFR) increases, meaning you will require more time to recharge your batteries and recover from accumulated stress.
This is why integrating effective break practices based on the DRAMMA model can significantly combat burnout especially when heading into the fall season as we return to work and school. Here’s how to incorporate each element of DRAMMA into your daily routine. Each type of break plays a crucial role in mediating the impact of work and school demands to combat burnout and increase one’s resilience and motivation By integrating these diverse recovery experiences into daily routines, individuals can ensure their recovery needs are being met both during and after the work/school day.
How to Implement DRAMMA in Your Life
Leaders: Amid busy schedules, carve out a strategic pause: engage in quick physical activities, quiet reflection, or non-work chats.
Employees: Your strategic pause can be to call a friend or do a “show and tell” with desk items before your next team meeting.
Students: Experience a change of scenery for your strategic pause: explore different campus locations or try new spots for breaks.
- Wellness Shot: Try the 7 types of rest
Leaders: Back-to-back meetings can take a toll on your mental health. Manage your stress by scheduling 50-55 minute meetings with 5-10 minute breaks. Create a relaxing space in your office with calming elements.
Employees: A weekend of self-care is not the answer! Manage your stress by closing stress loops during workdays. Integrate activities like chair yoga, doodling, or mindful snacking into your schedule
Students: Instead of doom-scrolling on social media, manage your stress by engaging in group mindfulness or meditation after class. This collective practice is good for your well-being. A power nap to recharge works wonders
- Wellness Shot: Try the Balance app free for 365 days.
Leaders: As a leader, while you are in control of a lot of work responsibilities, you also need to be in control of yourself, have freedom, independence and self-direction for your wellness and your team’s wellness. Choose your break by setting boundaries and prioritizing your wellness. Use gratitude practices, like writing appreciation notes, to enhance self-direction and team well-being. Deliver a hand written gratitude note to your team
Employees: Your 9-5 can have its highs and lows, especially in a dynamic, high-stress environment that demands constant adaptation. Do not skip your breaks or let your breaks accumulate! Choose your breaks actively to manage energy and avoid burnout. Communicate with your boss if you need to adjust break times due to tight deadlines. Stay proactive in taking breaks to reset.
Students: While you are in school, your schedule is packed with classes, study breaks, social events, and extracurricular activities. Given this rigid structure, choose your break activities that align with your personal needs, such as a walk, yoga, or creative pursuits. Tailor your breaks to help you recharge and stay focused on your studies.
- Wellness Shot:Use your signature line to share why wellness is important to you.
Leaders: While leaders are generally pushed to do more leadership training, use short breaks to enhance skills outside of leadership. For example, improve public speaking, explore interior design (create a Pinterest board), or understand key financial concepts. These activities can refresh your work routine and inspire creativity.
Employees: You often face challenges like repetitive tasks, extended screen time, and fast deadlines, which can lead to burnout and reduced job satisfaction. To counteract this, dedicate brief periods during your workday to enhance your skills in areas unrelated to your job. For instance, learn a new language (Babbel), try creative writing, or explore hobbies like photography. These activities provide a mental break and boost creativity.
Students: Students often struggle with time management, leading to stress and burnout. Manage stress and improve time management by micro-learning during social media breaks. Enhance your skills by exploring topics like AI, politics, or climate change through educational content from thought leaders or educational influencers. This approach helps you stay engaged and learn for fun.
- Wellness Shot: Learn more about recovering from stress using mastery.
Leaders: Leaders often find themselves caught up in the daily grind, losing sight of the bigger picture. To connect to your values and reflect on your leadership impact use the free values test. Engage in meaningful activities, like team-building initiatives or community service projects. Spend 10-15 minutes daily reflecting on experiences using the good, bad and neutral framework.
- Good: What went well today, and how did it positively impact my team or work?
- Bad: What challenges or setbacks did I encounter, and what can I learn from them?
- Neutral: What routine tasks or interactions felt neutral, and how might I add more value or meaning to these moments?
Employees: When work lacks meaning, it becomes challenging to stay motivated and energized, leading to burnout, lack of energy and reduced job satisfaction. A great way to rest and rejuvenate is to connect to your values through meaningful activities for example, community projects or wellness initiatives, such as organizing a charity fundraiser or joining a wellness committee. These activities add meaning to your work and enhance fulfillment.
Students: While in school you can connect to your values and aspirations. Find purpose in academic routines by volunteering for campus organizations that align with your interests or using an audio journal app to reflect on your goals and progress. This helps you stay connected to your values and provides a fresh perspective.
- Wellness Shot: EQ buffers stress and burnout. Learn how to flex your EQ.
Leaders: Leaders often struggle with relationship-building due to time constraints and remote work. To address this, lean into social connections by scheduling informal interactions, like coffee breaks or casual conversations with team members. This fosters open communication and a sense of belonging, enhancing team cohesion and workplace culture.
Employees: Employees who feel a strong sense of belonging are five times more likely to be engaged and three times more likely to feel connected to their company’s purpose. Lean into social connections at work to reduce stress during your breaks. Enhance your sense of community by participating in team-building activities, lunch groups, or informal office clubs . Follow hashtags like #BookClubAtWork , #CorporateBookClub, #OprahsBookClub, #ReesesBookClub or head over to Adam Grant’s Reading List, Simon Sinek’s Book Recommendations, Sheryl Sandberg’s Book Club Picks.
Students: Students often experience superficial connections and may struggle with genuine friendships. Plan a meaningful interaction and lean into your social connections. Strengthen peer relationships by arranging one-on-one or small group meetings with High Quality Connections (HQCs) for meaningful interactions, like coffee chats or focused study sessions.
- Wellness Shot: Learn the 5 Types of Social Support
Final Thoughts on How You Can Fall into DRAMMA
This September, do not let the busyness of the season sideline your well-being. Start incorporating DRAMMA into your daily breaks to transform your work or study routine. To combat burnout, stress, and fatigue in your life it is crucial to take breaks when needed and fully recover to ensure your emotional and physical needs are met. By embracing these DRAMMA elements, you can transform your approach to recovery, enhance your well-being, and make the most out of the fall season. Whether you are a leader, employee, or student, we are all busy with work, school, and life commitments. Recognize if you are feeling burnt out, stressed, or exhausted and find one aspect of DRAMMA that speaks to you to implement into your break schedule. Integrate these strategies today to stay motivated, balanced, and energized throughout the year!
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Who is Using DRAMMA at work and school
Written By: Sumana Jeddy and Allison Giammona
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