Lunch Breaks

I have been busier than normal these past few weeks.  In the midst of that busyness I have reflected on lunch breaks.  That’s right, food.  There have been days I actually take a half hour break and eat my meal.  Sometimes I do this in the lunch room or out at a restaurant.  However, there are many days I eat as I work or only take a 15 minute break.  For possibly the first time, the other week I took an hour lunch.  I set aside time where I stopped my work, put away anything work related and met up with a friend and talked about anything but work.  After that hour break I felt refreshed in a way I had not before.  I actually took a break from work, completely.  I even went somewhere were work would not come with me.

My question is this, do we actually take Lunch Breaks when we take lunch?  When I worked in retail we were required to take a lunch after so many hours.  It was nice because we got a break from the normal work routine, but often it was spent in a lunch room close to the floor and didn’t feel like a real break.  On the other hand, if you went out to get food, most of your break was spent driving to get the food unless you are in a mall and there is a place nearby.

On the other hand in the business world, often lunch breaks have been turned into business meetings.  While you are eating, your work is still surrounding you and you do not get an actual break from it.  There is also many people who do not take a lunch because they have so much to do or get in a rhythm.  There were a few days when I got into a rhythm and forgot to take a lunch, but it was not long before I had to stop.  My stomach soon became my reminder that I need to eat.

Looking at the different breaks mentioned I feel the best break was the hour lunch I took.  I felt more energized and more focused afterwards.  A quick 15 or eating on the go/as you work is better than not eating or not breaking at all but often do not feel refreshed.  30 minute lunch is probably the best compromise but when I have been confined to a break room where work is so close it does not seem like I am making an effort to actually get away from it.

How do you take a lunch break?  If you generally work through your lunch, do you have other ways to take a break?