Why you should never eat lunch at your desk again

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If you work in an office, do you ever catch yourself finishing up projects, scheduling meetings or answering emails during your lunch break?

That doesn’t sound like much of a break at all – and it could be affecting your health.

Read more: The resume booster that only 30% of people use

Here’s why you should take some ‘me’ time 

University of Florida and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga researchers say you need to detach from work during your lunch break.

No meetings. No assignments. No work emails. 

The study, which focused on early-career doctors, found that even just 30 minutes a day of “me” time can reduce burnout. And tell your boss the study says a lunch break can increase energy and boost productivity.

Email anxiety 

This study comes as researchers from Lehigh University, Virginia Tech and Colorado State University found after-hours email expectations are hurting employees.

You may recall that earlier this year France banned checking work emails on weekends.

According to the new findings, the expectation of having to answer after-hours work email can lead to exhaustion, throwing off the work-family balance completely. 

What you can do

If this article reminds you of your work situation, there are a few things that you can do to prevent burnout:

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  • Eat lunch away from your desk
  • Set boundaries for overtime
  • Exercise and eat right
  • Find a hobby outside of work

If the problem is your workload, you may want to schedule a meeting with your manager to express your concerns, because your boss might not even know there’s an issue.

Read more: Time for a change? Here are the 30 least stressful jobs

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