I remember working in the corporate world when lunch could easily turn into a 2-hour event when the team would go out together to discuss strategies in a project or challenges that needed a solution or just for team building at the end of a long week. Yes, there were those times
and I am dating myself.
According to a survey conducted by Right Management, a talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, only 1 in 5 people take a lunch break! Then there is the group of 39% who do take lunch … at their desk. This was published in 2012 and it still applies today.
Now some of you are thinking … I’m an entrepreneur working from home, I am not working at all, I am a stay at home parent … why is this important to me? I don’t work in the corporate world.
Let’s look at what this is really doing to you …
Not taking a lunch means that you are not important enough to take care of you. In other words, you are creating more stress in your life by not taking time to “lunch”. Here are 3 things that eating at your desk, in the car, standing up at the counter … any way that is not fully focused on that one thing of eating peacefully and enjoying lunch … will happen in your life.
- You eat more – not focusing in on the process of eating is causing you to gain weight which adds more stress to your life. You have absolutely no idea how much you have put into your body until you have overeaten.
- You eat more fattening foods – fast food or frozen foods with lots of preservatives … all of these cause you to eat more fattening foods throughout the day and not just at lunch.
- You become less creative – moving around and getting away from your desk or counter space and out of your car allows for more creative thinking. You have changed your perspective, your routine … Bingo! You are now a more creative thinker and become more productive in everything that you do.
You don’t have the time ….
You feel as if you don’t have the time to stop to eat or take a lunch. You have to work while eating as that is the only way you will get everything done that you need to do. The opposite is really true. When you take that “pause” moment, that “break”, you manage your time better. Having the physical movement that usually happens when you break away from your desk/counter/car gives your brain a much needed break – the time to reboot – allowing a more refreshed mind to tackle all that you need to do in a timelier manner. It can also help you become healthier.
Self-care tip: Step away from the desk! Take a lunch break!
Denise Hansard is a former corporate pricing expert turned motivational speaker & life coach with a Masters in counseling who has coached hundreds of women to make 6 figures, find the love of their life and get super healthy. Author of the book Suffering in Comfort, she is an expert in transformation.