11. Unplug from technology. This sounds simple, but it is remarkably difficult for some people to do. "Connecting with nature for your 60-minute lunch will reboot your brain. Try it and watch what happens," suggests John Dowd Jr., Cambridge, Massachusetts--based author of Heroes Mentors and Friends.
12. Make a game out of it. Flynn Zaiger, CEO of New Orleans--based digital marketing and advertising agency Online Optimism, suggests playing board games with co-workers (try Balderdash or Cranium) to spark creative juices.
Bob Bentz, president of Advanced Telecom Services in Wayne, Pennsylvania, says people in his office play basketball at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays in the spring and summer. "It's a great team-building event," he says. "It also does a great job of bonding the younger and older employees that don't normally hang out together."
13. Ramp it up. "My company has a five-story parking garage, and on my breaks, I will walk the garage, starting at the bottom, doing a complete circuit on each floor, and walking up and down the ramps. I do this on my morning and afternoon breaks, as well as lunch," says Clearwater, Florida--based paralegal Hope Rising.
14. Volunteer. "I've been spending my lunch breaks when I don't have meetings or prior engagements at the local soup kitchen, helping to serve food and hopefully brightening someone's day...So far, it's been very rewarding in that I've made some new friends, and it affords me the opportunity to help someone turn their life around," says Jacob Baldwin, search-engine-marketing manager for One Call Now in Troy, Ohio. He also plans to do some resumé coaching at the soup kitchen in coming weeks.
15. Hypnotize yourself. Wait, what? Seattle-based hypnotherapist Robert Schryvers says you can do it in 10 minutes. Here's how.
16. Juggle. "Juggling is a great way to reenergize during lunch, and I love that you can do it right in the office or outside on a nice day," says Heather Wolf, founder of JuggleFit in Brooklyn, New York. "Not only is it a light cardio exercise; it also clears your mind so you can come back to work tasks feeling refreshed and focused. And, of course, it's fun." Not sure you can pull it off? Here's a primer.
17. Go to a salon. A blowout--you know, a shampoo, blow dry, and style--will make any woman feel recharged. And both sexes can reap the relaxation that comes from a manicure or pedicure--usually they come with massages.
18. Read a book. Ideally, it would be something escapist, although driven types might feel better getting through nonfiction or self-improvement reads. Whatever you read, do it somewhere other than your desk, ideally near a window or outside in the sun.
19. Take a nap. The biggest challenge with this one is: where? If your office doesn't have a sofa somewhere private, you can always recline the passenger seat in your car and take a quick snooze there. Set your phone's alarm to wake you within a half-hour. Longer naps can actually make you feel worse.
20. Be a street musician. Josh Aguilar, a Web designer for TopSpot Internet Marketing in Houston, suggests taking a musical instrument to a nearby park. "Get away from the screen [and] take a container for your tips," he says.
21. Go home and connect with your kid (or dog or cat). Whatever creature is waiting for you at home will appreciate the attention, and you'll get recharged spending a few minutes with someone or something you love. Ashley Morris, CEO of Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, says he makes a habit of taking a full lunch break to go home and play with his infant son. Doing so helps him unwind and remember why he works hard every day.
22. Feast on art or books. Martha Bartlett Piland with MB Piland Advertising and Marketing in Topeka, Kansas, says you're likely to find her at the local art gallery or library over lunch, where she "drink[s] in the stillness."
23. Get in the moment. According to Amy Jo Martin, founder and CEO of the Las Vegas--based social-media consultancy Digital Royalty, people spend nearly half of their lives recalling the past and fretting about the future. What keeps people in the present is blocking out a few minutes a day for "Ready, Set, Pause," a concept the company came up with that encourages people to make time for a daily mental break. Ideas for this time-out from stress: Listen to good music, dance, pray, call someone to tell him or her you love him or her--whatever keeps you in the present and distracted from your worries.
24. Get a furry fix. "Go to a pet store and pet the animals or if you happen to be near a place that has animals; watch and enjoy and calm your mind," suggests marriage and family therapist Lisa Bahar, who's based in Dana Point, California.
