In this blog, I am taking the stories, aha moments, questions and more that I learn from my clients and sharing them in a hopefully useful and entertaining way. This week I’m sharing my experience taking an idea from a client*, building it out with research, and creating something special and transformative.

I had a client who was navigating a transitional period at work. Multiple projects were pulling at the client, and they were struggling with focus. The way I work is to process the deeper themes coming up in session and leave my clients with a few tactical ideas to grease the wheels of the deeper change. Last session I suggested taking a walk to mark the transition from one project to another, with the added benefit of physical activity and nervous system regulation from the outdoors¹. While we were recapping the changes from our previous session, the client excitedly told me how they had implemented the strategy calling it “adult recess.”

I was blown away by this analogy. It brought out a sense of play and excitement in my client as well as nostalgia for the good old days. Googling “adult recess” I found that it was not a novel concept. The term was mainly being used as a business name or marketing tool to sell fun kid activities to adults like kickball, relay races, ropes courses, etc. While fun kid activities are great and yes, I might have signed up for a few…I started wondering if there was more to the analogy.

Could recess research for kids help build the momentum for my client?

Is it more than just a walk or recreational business idea?

If we did try adult recess, what needed to be true to make the idea stick?

What is Recess?

Recess is defined as “regularly scheduled periods…for unstructured physical activity and play”² The objective of recess is for the participant to “rest, play, imagine, think, move, and socialize”³. Study after study argue the benefits of recess spanning physical health, emotional health, social skills, adaptability, attention spans, focus, leadership, communication, creativity, test scores, etc^2,3,4.

One of the most compelling facts I learned while researching recess is that it actually improves test scores for kids⁴. I couldn’t help but think about every client and let’s be honest myself, whose said to me they couldn’t take a break because they were worried about their productivity. In kids, schools that prioritized lessons over quality recess actually had lower test scores. This included schools who supplemented the loss of recess with physical education suggesting that the “unstructured play” of recess is key in reaping the benefits⁴.

Quality and Duration

The jury is out on how much time is necessary for each recess period. What we can say is that frequency matters⁶. One big break is less impactful than multiple short breaks throughout the day. To optimize impact, researchers have created a framework to measure recess quality⁵. A quality recess relies safety, engagement, and empowerment. Translated, a quality recess has clear boundaries or rules, safety in the space, activities/equipment/entertainment to interact with, transition rituals, socialization, physical activity, and choice.

Trying it Out

A few sessions later, the themes of our previous sessions reemerged. I shared with my client what they had inspired me to research recess and where that journey led. Together we brainstormed how to apply the learnings to create sustainable change.

The hardest hurdle for my client to truly embrace the adult recess concept was blocking out consistent daily chunks of time. My client had family obligations that created a hectic inconsistent schedule that was often out of their control. While a morning block of time would have been ideal, a 15-30 minute post lunch recess felt doable. They were already implementing a transition time between their corporate and freelance work in the afternoon, so we decided to build on that habit for their second recess. Chipping at the plan bit by bit here’s the summary of what we worked through:

• Block the time out on all calendars. My client put 15-30 minute blocked time on their work and personal calendars. They created phone alerts to remind them 10 minutes before recess to cue them to wrap up whatever they were doing.

• Intentional transition. My client heard transition and ritual then began coming up with ideas that were complicated! Asking how realistic it was to implement their ideas, we decided to scale back to something simple. The act of closing email and putting their phone on do not disturb was their transition ritual. Reversing it, became their ritual to get back to work. We discussed how ritualizing or habit stacking helps cue your brain/body to move into recess mode.

• Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries! Certain devices, people, and tasks were off limits during recess. We decided it was ok to think about work but it had to be organic, not planned.

• Have a few activities, equipment, or entertainment ready to interact with. Once we opened up the objective of adult recess to be more than a walk, the client felt overwhelmed with what to pick. We decided to create a list of podcasts, exercise equipment, games, meditation exercises, walk goals, art materials, etc ready. The client is currently working on letting go of the “best choice” and leaning into discovery.

• Making it social. My client decided to occasionally use the blocks of time to connect with friends and family, or invite a colleague to grab coffee or take a walk with them. They expressed to me that adult recess inspired them to call friends they had not talked to since before the pandemic. It was always on their to do list but it never felt like they had the time. With the time carved out, and the added benefit of different time zones, the client was able to rediscover these old and sweet friendships that reminded them of a carefree time in their life.

• Let it be flexible. It was really hard for my client to not create a recess agenda. Creating an agenda defeated the purpose of recess and feelings of shame would creep in when they didn’t meet the recess goals. For example, they would plan to take a walk and listen to a podcast during recess but then the time would come and they didn’t want to take a walk. Even though they still picked something else that was within the boundaries of adult recess, shame and failure would creep in. This is still a work in process and today we celebrate when my client changed their mind or restarted adult recess after it fell off the schedule because let’s face it…life happens!

Adult recess opened up possibilities for my client and has been a fun way for me to share the strategies with my other clients. It doesn’t always hit, and sure, I’ve heard “isn’t that just a creative name for” _____ [insert the blank]. Skepticism aside, my client taught me that there’s power in taking a few 15-30 minutes recess breaks throughout the day. We are never too old to learn from our younger selves.

*The client represented in this post is a fictional representation of my experiences with real clients.

References

1. Owens, M., & Bunce, H. L. I. (2022). The Potential for Outdoor Nature-Based Interventions in the Treatment and Prevention of Depression. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 740210. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.740210
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Promoting better health for young people through physical activity and sports; 2000. Appendix 7. Available at:  http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSDFS/physedapndc.pdf. Accessed September 13, 2011
3. COUNCIL ON SCHOOL HEALTH, Robert Murray, Catherine Ramstetter, Cynthia Devore, Mandy Allison, Richard Ancona, Stephen Barnett, Robert Gunther, Breena Welch Holmes, Jeffrey Lamont, Mark Minier, Jeffery Okamoto, Lani Wheeler, Thomas Young; The Crucial Role of Recess in School. Pediatrics January 2013; 131 (1): 183–188. 10.1542/peds.2012-2993
4. Hodges, V.C., Centeio, E.E. and Morgan, C.F. (2022), The Benefits of School Recess: A Systematic Review *. J School Health, 92: 959-967.  https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13230
5. Massey WV, Stellino MB, Mullen SP, Claassen J, Wilkison M. Development of the great recess framework – observational tool to measure contextual and behavioral components of elementary school recess. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18: 394.
6. Pellegrini, A. D., & Smith, P. K. (1993). School recess: implications for education and development. Review of Educational Research, 63(1) 51-67. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/1170559