Why I choose to eat lunch alone at work (a.k.a. anti-social lunch club)
For the majority of people, lunch is a great break in the middle of the day to stop, eat some yummy food, socialize with coworkers, and to catch a breather from hours of solitary and often silent focused work.

Not for me.

As a technical program manager, I’m hardly at my desk throughout the day and am constantly walking, talking, and listening to people, clients, coworkers, contacts, all in the effort of managing projects and syncing with team members!

It’s a lot of fun, it’s a particular kind of work, and in reality, it can be emotionally draining, especially for someone introverted (ambiverted at times) like myself.

When lunch time rolls around — aka whenever I have a free gap in my schedule in-between meetings— the last thing I want to do is smile, chit chat, talk, listen attentively, and ask questions. It’s not that I don’t like doing these things, it’s just that I do these things all day long regardless!

So if you’re feeling weird about wanting to eat lunch alone, remember, it’s up to you to choose how you want to spend your break times or meal times. If you need a recharge, or want to spend lunch time eating and glazing over mindless (or maybe educational) YouTube videos, you are more than welcome to!

The pressure of needing to eat lunch with coworkers is not easy to manage. But when you listen to your body and your mood, you’re doing yourself a favor by restoring your physical and mental energy in whichever way suits you. Whether it’s eating lunch alone, going to yoga, going for a walk or run, or sitting and reading a book for 30 minutes (one of my favorites), you choose!

If you still enjoy socializing with coworkers but don’t enjoy group lunches, consider inviting coworkers to have a 1:1 lunch together. Not only will this satiate your social desire, it will also give you a chance to anticipate the subject of conversation and to bond with your coworkers more deeply as you’ll be speaking 1:1.

If none of these options sound appealing to you, don’t worry.

Anti-social lunch club is always a good option :)

How do you spend your lunch times?
['Laura Gouillon']
['Social', 'Introvert', 'Lifestyle', 'Work', 'Creative']