14 tips to help you relax during your lunch break

Miscellaneous / by admin / January 17, 2022

Forget about work matters, but not about food.

1. Plan ahead for a break

Few people think in advance what they will do for lunch. Just because it's "free time". Meanwhile, time is a non-renewable resource, and it’s a little reckless to waste it just like that. It makes sense to decide what exactly you will do.

Perhaps you will have lunch with colleagues and discuss a future corporate party. Or grab a quick bite and take a stroll in a nearby park to stretch and clear your head. Or finally get in touch with an old friend. Make a plan. This will help you feel more confident.

In addition, it is worth considering what you will do immediately after lunch.

Lynn Taylor

Workspace organization expert.

This is important for productivity. For example, a meeting scheduled after a break will make you nervous during lunch. Because of this, you will not be able to have a good rest, and the second half of the day will be crumpled.

2. Write instructions for your absence

And convey it to colleagues and superiors. State what time you leave the workplace, when you will return, and how you can be contacted in an emergency.

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This will calm other team members and get rid of the obsessive desire to check instant messengers and email during lunch.

3. Use lunch to regroup

This is what football players do, for example: they use the break between halves to exhale and decide how to proceed. Take a few minutes to evaluate what you've done this morning and prioritize the rest of the day based on that.

4. Make the break real

It is not enough to quickly swallow the lunch brought from home and not even move away from the desktop. In this mode, you will not be able to get distracted. The brain will not rest and will not have time to digest the information received in the morning. His reserves will be depleted, and it will be more difficult further.

Therefore, make sure that the break is not related to work. Don't check your mail, don't take papers with you to lunch, and do not speak about working with colleagues.

5. Relax

You've probably been on the run all morning, finishing your tails and rushing to a deadline. You need to get rid of the accumulated tension in order to truly relax. Therefore, the first thing to do when the break begins is to take a deep breath, close your eyes and try to relax.

6. Leave your workplace

At all. First, it will help you take your mind off work. Second, sit for a long time harmful for health. So take a break to take a walk. At least to the dining room and back.

7. Eat

Food is rejuvenating. If you spend your lunch break inappropriately - for example, decide to finish some task instead of having a snack, then ruin your working day.

Lynn Taylor

Workspace organization expert.

For refusing food, you will pay later - when by 16:00 you find a loss of concentration or get a headache. If you gain a little time, you will lose it by the end of the day.

8. Enjoy your food

The lighter and happier you feel during lunch, the better for overall productivity throughout the day. If you have a favorite (albeit not the healthiest) dish or cafe, please yourself with an order or a visit at least once a week.

9. Get rid of any screens

Office work in most cases requires you to keep looking at the screen. Only during a break can your eyes rest. Don't deprive them of this opportunity.

10. Do things that help you rejuvenate

It can be a walk in the fresh air, a short workout or just a delicious coffee on the open veranda of your favorite cafe.

Michael Woodworth

PhD, psychologist.

A dose of sunlight and fresh air is the perfect elixir for the midday blues.

11. Use the break to get to know colleagues

This is especially true for those who work in large companies and most of the employees see only a glimpse.

When you don't really know the people you talk to about work issues, it's easy to start seeing them as just functions. Meanwhile, the interaction will be more productive and enjoyable if you see a living person in a colleague.

Lunch in the common dining room is a good time to get to know colleagues better. At least discover, what are their names.

12. Spend time with old friends

Taking a break is also a good way to strengthen existing friendships. The balance between personal life and work also plays an important role in productivity: communicating with loved ones, you reduce stress and feel more confident.

Try to have lunch with old friends from time to time. Or at least call them during a break to see how they are doing.

13. Follow the office context

As a rule, a break assumes that you have 60 minutes of free time. You can use this entire hour, and it's really worth doing at least once or twice a week.

But if the company you work for has a habit of taking shorter breaks, like going out for lunch for half an hour and also take 15 free minutes twice during the day, it makes sense to follow this unspoken rule.

Alexandra Levit

Writer and business consultant.

Don't take too long or too frequent breaks or your colleagues and bosses will start to notice. And do not force employees to adjust to your personal schedule. After all, you go to the office to work as a team, so it's important to follow the general rules of the game.

14. Don't focus on the familiar

Perhaps you have lunch with the same colleague. Or go to the same cafe. Many of us are people of habit. But from time to time it is worth changing the routine to shake things up and clear your head.