Do you get ‘hangry’ when you skip your lunch break?

HAVE you encountered the term “hangry”? In a nutshell: it’s a word used to describe someone who gets angry when they’re hungry.

While the ideal is not to allow food to rule my emotions – or to allow myself to go without food for so long that I become blinded by my hunger – I admit that “hangry” is certainly a word that can be used to describe my state of mind when I’ve skipped a meal.

So, I was surprised that research released this week revealed only 29% of those surveyed for “The Cost of A Lunch Break” report felt unhappy if they skipped lunch while at work.

Also interesting was while 55% of the 3 000 respondents were entitled to a 60-minute lunch break, only 35% of them used their whole break, with as many as 31% using half of it.

A staggering 73% of those who skipped lunch did so because they felt they had too much work to do, and of those who did take a lunch break, more than two-thirds ate their lunch at their desks. This is problematic. Not only is taking a break from your desk and work physically beneficial to your body, it’s also essential for your mental well-being and ability to manage your stress levels.

You’re also likely to eat more than you usually would because when you’re at your desk, working and eating, this multitasking prevents you from properly paying attention to enjoying your food and how your body is feeling and responding to what you’re eating.

So, you may very well miss a cue from your body that it’s had enough to eat. Of course, I do understand the reality of modern-day workplaces and the necessity to sometimes make up some work time during what should be your lunch break.

I work in a newsroom, after all, where we are always chasing deadlines, and taking a lunch break sometimes feels like a luxury.

However, I believe that if your breaks are well planned, you can take them without negatively impacting on office operations or making yourself feel guilty.

When I decided it was time for me to get my health on track, some of the strategies I implemented were little things that resulted in big change. Among these was to pack my own lunch for work, to find time during the day to turn my attention away from work while I eat, and whenever possible, eat my lunch away from my desk. I also made it a priority to go outside the office at least once a day.

You’d be surprised how many people step into the office in the morning and do not leave until the end of their work day.

According to “The Cost of a Lunch Break” report, as many as 34% of those interviewed for the research said they didn’t leave the office at all until it was time to go home.

Research undertaken and released earlier this year by the American workplace hygiene company, Tork, revealed nearly 20% of North American workers feared their bosses would think they were slackers if they took a break.

Quite the opposite is true, however. It has been shown that taking a break increases productivity by helping you regain focus and boost your energy levels.

Taking breaks also boosts your creativity, helps reduce stress and creates time for healthy habits such as eating a healthy lunch, taking a walk or meditating.

Do you take a lunch break? And what are your thoughts on taking breaks? I’d love to hear from you.

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