Working from home has radically changed my relationship with lunch. Through college and my first few newsroom jobs, I didn't make it a priority to take time out of the middle of my day to eat. I was "too busy," a statement which I wore like a badge of honor while downing my third iced coffee of the day (but in retrospect was steeped in ill-conceived Girl Boss aspirations and the vestiges of an eating disorder). The caffeine sometimes kept me from dragging, but by the late afternoon, I would inevitably hit a wall and have to scrounge around the office for dusty purse candy or a stale granola bar.
If the past few years of living through a pandemic has taught me anything, however, it's that taking a little extra time for the benefit of your body is invaluable. Of course, this looks different for different people. It could mean going on — as Vogue put it in 2021 — a "silly little walk" for your mental health. It could mean taking a glorious afternoon nap, silencing the voices telling you that you should be up doing something "productive" instead.
