Movement break

1. Pick a break. Anywhere: Push and pull when you feel wound up, Shake it out for restless energy. At a desk: Eyes and screen, Typing hands, Neck and shoulders, quiet Desk reset moves nobody will notice, or Stand up and move after a long sit.
2. Press Start. Each step has its own timer; a soft chime moves you on.
3. Skip anything that hurts or doesn't suit you. Go gently.

Reviews of lab studies find that a single bout of exercise often lowers anxiety for a while, though in one 2023 review it worked in only about half the conditions tested, and longer sessions worked more reliably than short ones (Connor et al., 2023 (opens in a new tab)). In children and teens with ADHD, a 2025 meta-analysis found one exercise session gave a small, short-term boost to some thinking skills, with low-quality evidence; most sessions were 20 minutes or more (Zhao et al., 2025 (opens in a new tab)).

For desk days: a meta-analysis of short breaks (10 minutes or less) found a small lift in energy and a small drop in tiredness, though no clear overall gain in how well people worked (Albulescu et al., 2022 (opens in a new tab)). People blink less at screens, and eye doctors suggest blinking often and looking at something far away now and then (American Academy of Ophthalmology (opens in a new tab)).

"Heavy work" (pushing, pulling, carrying) is widely suggested for sensory regulation, but we found no good research testing it on its own; a 2025 review of sensory approaches didn't cover it (Piller et al., 2025 (opens in a new tab)). So these short breaks are a gentle reset, not a treatment. If one helps, a longer walk or game outside may help more.

• Between gaming sessions or study blocks.
• When a child (or you) is wound up, before things boil over.
• After a long time sitting at a desk or screen, or between meetings.
• When your eyes feel tired or your shoulders have crept up.