I have encountered many people across the globe who engage in the “working lunch” and it is a practice that I am against. The lunch hour is an essential part of your day. It is the opportunity to reset and prepare yourself to go again. Taking at least 1 hour in your workday to do something other than work helps to improve productivity. In a study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International the “results showed a positive impact on employees’ health, performance and reduced stress at work if the favorable one-hour lunch break is practiced.” (Harkoo et al, 2021)
Workplace stress has risen significantly over the years with the increase in the pace of the workplace. People experience high levels of anxiety and panic attacks because of the pressure of the workplace. I believe that taking that 1 hour for lunch is essential for reducing this, especially if you take some of that time to engage in an exercise that destresses you. Some of my favourite suggested practices during the lunch hour are: breathing exercises, playing suduku, crossword puzzles or online games, reading, walking outdoors or outside of the office place, meditating/praying, cracking jokes with co-workers and most importantly: eating. Sometimes people forget to eat during the day and the lunch hour gives you the opportunity to do just that, hence the reason it is called the lunch hour.
Ensure that you take your lunch hour for yourself. Spend it doing something other than work. I often take my lunch hour in a different environment, away from my workspace, and I have found that this works wonders for productivity. A change in environment can help you to change your perspective, so switch it up. If you are reading this and it is time for lunch; take your lunch hour!
Darrion M. Narine was born in Trinidad and Tobago but considers himself to be a global citizen. He is a social development specialist and a performing artiste. He is currently the programme manager of the Archdiocese’s Ministry for Migrants, working alongside UN agencies and grassroots organizations in Trinidad and Tobago to cater towards the educational, psychosocial, health and physiological needs of over 30,000 migrants and refugees.
Darrion was also the chair of the CHOGM CYF taskforce responsible for executing the Commonwealth Youth Forum in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2022. He managed a 21-member taskforce made up of people from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The taskforce was responsible for the planning, programme development and execution of the CHOGM CYF 2022 which hosted over 500 delegate from across the globe. His work in these fields have allowed him to develop his resource mobilization skills since he has been able to raise additional money for the support of several projects. which he manages.
Additionally, Darrion was the former Vice Chairperson for Inclusion and Engagement on the Commonwealth Youth Council, which serves 1.2 billion youth across the globe. His work focused on youth development, global socio-economic development and global social policy development. During his tenure he was able to launch and co-partner on several programmes. He co-founded the RACE campaign which allowed for healthy conversations around race and race relations. He was also a key founding director of the Youth Voice Matters campaign which promoted the increase in youth political participation. He holds a BSc in Psychology (Special) with a minor in Theatre Arts and a MA in Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies (U.W.I). He is the former President of the U.W.I Guild of Students 2018/19, where he represented the students at all major university meetings and external advocacy movements and is a National Youth Award recipient for Leadership from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to this, he was a board member on the Global Coalition for Youth Employment (under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and National Service) and has served as a board member on the Chancellor’s Commission on Governance for the University of the West Indies reviewing the University’s governance structures and making recommendations for overall improvement of its systems and operations.
Darrion is also a cultural advocate, poet , writer and performer. He has taught techniques in performance, public speaking drama and networking to hundreds of young people across Trinidad and Tobago. He has also done skills development training at various schools across the country and region. Furthermore, he is an actor with DCShell Theatre, a singer, a poet and a writer. He has a collection of music and poetry and has performed across the globe. He believes strongly that education is liberation, and the key to a progressive population.
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