Ditch the guilt – reclaiming your lunch hour is an act of self-care
Boosted wellbeing
Staying at your desk during your lunch break keeps stress hormones like cortisol elevated. Stepping away allows you to mentally reset, reducing stress and preventing burnout. It can stop you feeling overwhelmed and help your body to regulate your stress levels, so that you approach your tasks with a clearer mind when you return.
Improved physical health
Research has shown that sitting for prolonged periods of time is linked to a variety of health problems – from cardiovascular disease to musculoskeletal conditions – and has even been said to be as harmful as smoking. Taking a proper lunch break and giving your body a chance to move and stretch can help combat these effects, by reducing stiffness and improving circulation.
Better balance
A lunch break gives you a chance to disconnect from work, even if it's only for an hour. Walking away from your desk helps you to reinforce boundaries between personal needs and professional demands. Without these boundaries, it can be easy for work to spill into personal time - not only at lunch time, but before and after work too.
Sounder sleep
Skipping your breaks can also have a big impact on your sleep quality. Without giving your mind a break, you risk not being able to ‘switch off’ when you try and go to sleep, and then you’ll often find yourself relying on stimulants like caffeine the next day, continuing the vicious cycle.
• From Rob Phelps at AI Jobs