Is your lunch break a quick sandwich at your desk in front of your computer? Maybe you grab lunch on the run between meetings or racing around after toddlers? Maybe it’s a case of “who has time for lunch?” and you just get by on coffee and diet coke (like me a lot of the time – eek)? If any of these sound familiar, do you also feel tired, fatigued or stressed at the end of the day? If the answer is yes, there is actually something relatively easy we can do – take time out of the day to have a lunch break.

It’s tempting to think we are accomplishing more or that we’re showing more commitment to our work by not taking a break, but surveys and studies are starting to reveal that productivity, concentration and motivation actually improve when we take time out of the office and away from our commitments to rest and regenerate. Taking time for a break is also a possible way of alleviating stress, which improves our immunity and general wellbeing.

Sometimes we are genuinely overloaded in our jobs so that a break is very difficult; for a Mum who is swept off her feet looking after small children, it may also be very difficult to carve out down time. But even a pause of five minutes has been shown to benefit wellbeing and effectiveness.

If it is something you could try, why not leave your work setting and walk to a local cafe to enjoy a coffee and the paper, or the Bible? If it’s sunny, maybe a walk would be fun – even with your little one in a stroller? It would be so great if as we take a little time out each day, we start to notice more energy, more concentration and more wellbeing.