Many people find it extremely difficult to take a lunch break, and many employers have perfected the art of guilting employees into not taking a break in the middle of the day. What many employers do not realize is that encouraging employees to take a lunch break has enormous productivity and health benefits.
Stress
Everyone knows how harmful stress can be to our physical and mental wellbeing. Dangerous stress levels can affect your mental abilities and lower your immune system which will, in time, lead to all kinds of problems.
Work pressures are one of the major stressors in our lives, so stepping out of your work stress for a while will do you a big favor. Take a snack and wander about in a park, sit on a bench, breathe deeply and shake out the tightness in your arms and legs and try to empty your mind of work. This time out will lower your blood pressure and allow you to refresh yourself for the afternoon.
Improve your circulation
Sitting behind a desk constricts your blood flow as many people sit in conditions that are ergonomically deficient. Take your lunch break to get those muscles working. Walkabout, stretch and allow your blood to circulate without restrictions. Good blood circulation leads to healthy cells which leads to healthy bodies and far fewer days off work.
Vitamin D and feeling good
It is true that you can get sufficient vitamin D from your diet (providing you eat a balanced diet!) but nothing is better than getting out from under fluorescent lights and into the sunlight.
Take your lunch break to lift your face to the sun and allow your skin to manufacture the vitamin D that you need. At the same time, the sunshine on your face will make you feel good and lift your spirits. Lack of vitamin D results in lethargy and a feeling of tiredness, neither of which is conducive to a busy working day.
Concentration ability
Remaining at your desk all day does not make for a productive day. Taking breaks in between larger tasks will allow you to refocus your mind on the critical jobs when you start them. You cannot concentrate on all of the eight hours a day that you work, it is just not possible.
Merely marching from one big job to the next will lead to sluggish thinking processes. Take your lunch break and allow yourself the time to refocus yourself and then set about the task with renewed energy and concentration.
Taking a break, at lunchtime is not the slacking of an uninterested person. It is the act of an intelligent person that recognizes the value of a break as it will allow them to concentrate on the task at hand during the afternoon and accomplish all the tasks outstanding for the day. Be a progressive employer and encourage your staff to take a break, it will be reflected in the quality and quantity of tasks completed in the afternoon.
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