Bas do minute aur!…Bas abhi chalti hoon! And this “do minute aur” turns into several minutes, if not hours, until you forget that you’ve totally missed eating your lunch. Your colleagues go and come back from their lunch break and still find you hammering away at your laptop. And then you end up eating lunch at your work desk. Kabhi bhi ho, kha toh rahi hoon…kafi hai na?! – you hear yourself make a lame excuse to your colleagues when they express surprise at seeing you eat at your work desk. Maybe this is fine once in a while when you are working on that oh-so-important presentation or making some last-minute preparation for a meeting that has come up at the last moment. But doing this regularly at the cost of your health is so not done.
At times, especially during this Stress Awareness Month (April), you need to remind yourself time and again that your health matters. You also need to realise that you have to #BeALittleMore (read work smart) than working while having lunch at your work desk.
Why Eating Lunch At The Work Desk Is A Strict No-No
1. Your Brain Deserves A Break
Brain ko break dena toh banta hai, boss. Science says that taking frequent breaks makes you more productive at work. This is because breaks give your brain much-needed time off from work, which it needs to replenish the lost mental energy. And break does not mean staying put at your work desk, even if you are just scrolling through social media or reading up just for leisure, or even chatting at your desk. A break strictly means a break from your work, a break from your work desk, and a break from everything that exerts pressure on your brain. In short, break away from stress and move away from the stressful environment.
What You Should Do?
Go over to the cafeteria or a separate space that your workplace must be having specifically for lunch breaks. If you’re working from home, have your lunch at your dining space or any space away from where you work. This will keep your mind away from work, thus, keeping stress and brain fog at bay.
2. Burnout Won’t Be far Away
Meeting deadlines constantly can cause stress and, hence, frequent intervals and especially a lunch break is of utmost importance.
By the word ‘burnout’, everyone is usually conditioned to think about physical burnout. But what about mental burnout? Meeting deadlines constantly can cause stress and, hence, frequent intervals and especially a lunch break is of utmost importance.
Take This Mental Health Quiz: Are You Suffering From Burnout At Work?
What You Should Do?
Prioritise work and lunch break, both. Make a to-do list of tasks you will complete before taking a break for lunch. Follow your list strictly and don’t make excuses.
3. You Will Perhaps End Up Overeating
Research has shown that you are more likely to overeat when you are not eating mindfully. Picture this. A study has shown that you are likely to consume 71% more cheese macaroni and 36% more pizza while watching television. What’s the connection between eating while watching TV and eating at the work desk, did you ask? The commonality is with you not eating while being conscious of the proportion of your food. Your mind is too diverted from eating to be conscious of what and how much is on your plate. Overeating will put the burden of extra kilos all over your body, and lead to various health disorders – both physical and mental.
What You Should Do?
Set aside everything at hand – whether it is work or entertainment – and instead focus on enjoying your food. Completely. This will not only help you eat just the right quantity required by your body but also enable you to feel satisfied.
Read 5 Vital Facts On How Your Diet Can Affect Your Mental Health, By Nutritionist Rasika
4. Multi-Tasking Is A Sham
You might be mastering it, or so you think! But, at the cost of what? Your mental health, right?
You’ve been made to believe for ages that a successful person can multitask like a pro. So, you bend over your laptop deep into your work, while juggling your lunch at the same time. You might be mastering it, or so you think! But, at the cost of what? Your mental health, right? It will be able to sustain this way only for a few days, till you won’t be able to prolong any further.
What You Should Do?
Focus on one task at a time. If you think you’re faster when you are doing it all at the same time, you cannot be further away from the truth. On the contrary, doing that brings down your speed. You would be able to get more done if you work with all your focus, take a break from your desk, and then get back to work again.
Read 5 Super Simple Everyday Activities To Improve Mental Health
5. Socialising Is Crucial For Your Wellbeing
Humans are social creatures, after all. So you need your daily dose of socialising while at the workplace to keep work out of your mind for sometime and recharge your batteries.
Humans are social creatures, after all. So you need your daily dose of socialising while at the workplace to keep work out of your mind for some time and recharge your batteries. It will prevent work from getting monotonous and enable you to focus back on work wholeheartedly. What’s more, socialising is necessary to keep you as fit as a punch mentally and keep you away from feeling isolated.
What You Should Do?
Make your way to lunch together with your colleagues – whether at the cafeteria or outside. Yes, outside too. Apart from nurturing healthy work-life relationships, it will give you a respite from the stress of work. In case you need some alone, don’t think twice about treating yourself to that. Spending some quality me-time can give you the mental peace required to carry on with work again after the break with all your gusto. If you are WFH, use the lunch break to connect with your friends over a call or through messages. You will experience a notable difference then, as opposed to incessantly working your way to glory while having lunch.
Is there any other way having lunch at the work desk can be harmful? Do share with us in the comment section below.
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