Too exhausted to think, too overwhelmed to respond, too fast, too full, too much, not enough, it’s a lot. So, what is it that has us exhausted, depleted, un-inspired and desperate for the next best thing to make us feel better, more alive, more inspired? It is a deep rejection of rest. Read on!

Study after study indicates that short bursts of attention punctuated with equally deliberate breaks are the surest way to harness our full capacity to be productive. Just as small breaks improve concentration, long breaks replenish job performance. Vacation deprivation increases mistakes and resentment at co-workers. Click to read more.

Too many people limit their happiness and success by assuming that taking time off from work will send a negative message to their manager and slow their career advancement. But new research, says that the exact opposite is true. Taking a vacation can actually increase the likelihood of getting a raise or a promotion. Swim to the full article.

A new batch of so-called smart desks can monitor your movements, track your calories and even nudge you to stand up at various intervals throughout the day without interruption or loss of concentration. Sitting for more than three hours a day can shave our life expectancy by two years — even if we exercise regularly. Stand up to continue the story.

Anxiety has now surpassed depression as the most common mental health diagnosis among college students, though depression, too, is on the rise. More than half of students visiting campus clinics cite anxiety as a health concern. Get more facts on this topic.

Interesting studies examining men’s work habits. When men don’t work as much as colleagues and friends, they report being unhappy and shift their work schedule to match or better them. The one bright side? There appears to be limits. People don’t gain much from working substantially more than colleagues, and those extra hours have negative consequences on quality of life. Click for more info.

A perspective from England: “The average British worker spends 36 days a year answering work emails. London workers in particular receive close to 9,000 emails each year. As a result, work spills over into private time. One recent survey revealed that 80% of employers consider it perfectly acceptable to contact their employees outside business hours.” Get more insights.

Awesome post by Kare Anderson on how behaviors that build sustainable marriages could also help inclusive-style leaders to model such relationship-building behaviors and thus inspire colleagues to optimize their talents for each other and their organization. Continue reading.

Every manager should read this article. “The problem with this [traditional reprimand] approach is that it increases stress levels which – when they are high – can disrupt the culture of an organization. Moreover, we know from brain-imaging research that, under chronic and high stress, the ability to think clearly and reason is compromised.” Read more.

Emotionally intelligent leaders implement workplace strategies to identify and reduce stress among workers experiencing emotional problems due to personal and professional conflicts. This article talks about 4 of them.