I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I always always make a point to leave the hospital on my lunch break.
Me + grassy area + yummy food = mid-shift mental vacation
On weekend shifts especially, the village is slow and things feel mellow (regardless of the chaos that’s going down on the unit), so it’s nice to sit in the sun and Vitamin D it up.
Do you eat at your office? Work cafeteria? Desk? Or do you break away from the job for meals?
I eat lunch (and breakfast) at my desk while working only so I can use the lunch time to go for a walk when the weather is nice. Being in Michigan makes it hard, but it’s SO worth the 30 minutes of walking and fresh air when it works! Otherwise I eat at my desk so I can leave earlier. It works for me, as the less time I have to spend there, the better 😉
We don’t actually get a lunch break at the restaurant.. so I have to stand up on the side in-between checking on tables and delivering food. Most of the time I just bring a smoothie or I’ll just wait to get home.. It’s pretty lame- but I think if I had the choice I would definitely go out on the grass!
as a carpenter we eat outside on whatever pile of lumber makes a good seat. a few weeks ago i relished soaking up the sun on break for extra warmth, now it’s all about the shade for relief. today looks like gum boots and rain slicks.
I couldn’t agree with your post more. You have to leave to office during the day to refocus. I like to workout during part of my lunch hour at our gym nearby and then, if it’s a gorgeous day, I like to picnic for the second half of my lunch hour. It gets me focused for the rest of the day and I can, for the most part, avoid the afternoon slump. Thanks for sharing.
Wishing you the best. katie
I always try to eat outside when the temperatures aren’t to frigid and it’s not raining out! Otherwise, there’s a chair in the poly sci building on campus that I just discovered this year (I’m a bio major and thus never ventured in there before!) that is next to a window that gets lots of sun and is surrounded by plants. It’s *almost* as good as being outdoors.
I’ve recently been making sure to leave the office and go eat at a nearby park. such a nice change of pace and mid day break
My office is awesome and provides us with meals, but the downside is that you working through all mealtimes, just munching at your desk. Luckily we have a gym downstairs so while I don’t leave for lunch, I can change and go for a run along the Embarcadero (downtown SF) or get in a quick weights session. I think as long as I get away from my desk for 20-30 minutes a day I’m ok, even if I eat at my stand-up desk.
I wish I could leave the unit on my lunch break. I feel like I always have to be locked down to my charting or watching my fetal heart tones on the strip while eating lunch. Being on orientation doesn’t really help either considering I usually just end up doing whatever my preceptor does. Getting outside for lunch would be so fantastic but it just doesn’t seem very realistic. 🙁
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ive never been to mi, but i imagine the weather is similar to the east coast (?). so i would probably do the eat through lunch and leave early thing too if that were an option. id way rather get home earlier than eat dinner at 9 pm. fresh air is nice though.
no lunch break!? boo. how long are you shifts?
yikes. im sending you lots of mellow weathered, sunny but breezy thoughts 🙂
whoa! you are one productive lunch break-er. 🙂
i used to explore unchartered areas of campus too – whats familiar and boring for the art & history people was a nice change up from the sterile science lab buildings.
i dont think i realized you were in sf. or maybe i did know that. cant remember…either way, i love the embarcadero. that would be an awesome area to take a lunch break.
i think youll eventually get the hang of it and find a way to escape for a bit. shouldnt your coworkers (or at least your preceptor while youre orienting) cover you to eat? seems illegal to not offer a true break. that said, ive come back early to get caught up on charting many times.
Shifts are usually around 6 hours- so it’s not awful. But since we don’t get breaks, most of the people smoke and take breaks that way! I’m not going to pick that up so I can eat a meal, haha!
I’m out by 3pm most days. Yee-ha!
probably a good call 😉
Hopefully! 🙂 And yes, on a perfect day usually my preceptor and I will trade off and cover each other while we get to take a “break” but I just don’t ever feel like it is a break considering there is a big flat screen tv that has the heart tones on it in the lounge. lol.
yeah…that would be a bit distracting…