Take a five-minute walk outside.

“On the best days, I got familiar with the dog walkers and strollers around the neighborhood. There were more of them than I expected! I listened to the chirping of cardinals and house finches, and breathed in the smell of spring flowers and freshly laid mulch. I imagined I felt the mental benefits some study participants described. Maybe I could even keep this up beyond a week, I thought, and tried to picture how that might work.”

“It turns out, five minutes is super short. A few blocks from the house, my timer was already winding down. I resolved to chart a shorter course for the next break, which came soon enough — because holy moly, 30 minutes isn’t very long either. It was already time to pull on my shoes again. My neighbors were going to think I’d lost it.”

“It started on a hectic Tuesday. I’d been staring at my computer for hours, wrestling with a report that refused to come together. My neck ached, my eyes burned, and I was one email away from losing it. Instead of pushing through, I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside. The air was crisp, the sun peeked through the clouds, and I walked—no phone, no agenda, just my feet on the pavement. Five minutes later, I was back at my desk, but something had shifted.”