The Lunch Break That Changed My Nervous System—and My Business

Weird question?

You might be like, “Um, yeah… of course!”

But you also might be like, “Maybe. If I have time.” Or, “I snack.”

Let’s back this up a little.

I had the pleasure, and honor, of being a patient of Dr. John Douillard, my first Ayurvedic practitioner. I saw him while I was working in corporate America and as I was building my private practice.

In those early days of my practice, I pretty much saw whoever would come my way, whenever it worked for them. I was determined to make the money I had been making in my corporate job as quickly as possible.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know this didn’t happen overnight. Looking back, I can see that I was doing backbends and self-sacrifice to reach a goal that wasn’t quite ready to happen because I still had some serious things to learn about money.

But I digress… back to my doctor.

He asked me, “When do you eat lunch?”

My response was a blank stare.

I inhaled lunch if I had a minute, which usually meant eating a little bit of food between sessions… if I had time. IF I didn’t go over time with clients.

He then told me a story from his early days in business as a chiropractor. He worked his ass off all day without taking a lunch break. Eventually, his blood pressure was through the roof. He sought out an Ayurvedic doctor who gave him one simple instruction:

Take a lunch break.

He did...and his blood pressure returned to normal.

Blood pressure wasn’t my issue. I was probably seeing him for insomnia, anxiety, and digestive issues...all of which go hand-in-hand. In my Vata-imbalanced body, this is how stress shows up for me.

So he challenged me to do the same thing, to give my nervous system a break and schedule a lunch break.

This was literally the beginning of creating boundaries in my life around my needs and not allowing them to be overridden by making money.

A very new concept for someone who had a deeply instilled belief that you make money no matter the cost to your physical and emotional health.

I never thought I’d get business advice from my Ayurvedic doctor. But I was happy to receive it from someone who had built a huge following, an amazing business, and was inspiring multitudes to hop on the Ayurveda wagon.

So, I scheduled the lunch break.

Nine years later, lunch is still on my schedule.

I look forward to that time every day—to eat warm food and, often, to take a “do nothing” break or sneak in a Yoga Nidra. It truly changed my business.

So, What’s the Deal With the Lunch Break?

According to Ayurveda, lunch is meant to be your biggest meal of the day, eaten mid-day, when your ability to digest is at its peak.

But you’re not just digesting food.

You’re also digesting:

• emotions

• stress

• the news

• life in general

Taking time to eat lunch sends a message to your nervous system that it’s safe to stop.

Safe to take care of yourself even when the world around you feels like it’s on fire.

When you don’t take time to eat, and your body stays stuck in “go” mode, anxiety increases. Overwhelm increases. Racing thoughts increase. And your risk of insomnia goes up.

And that’s just in the short term.

Long-term, living like this keeps your body in a constant cascade of stress hormones, which are widely known to contribute to all sorts of disease.

But What About the Money?

Yes. I had to, and still have to, say no to money when people want to see me during my lunch hour.

(By the way, lunch doesn’t have to be at noon. In Ayurveda, the lunch window is roughly between 10 and 2, so there’s flexibility.)

And here’s the interesting thing:

When you make a stand for your physical, emotional, and mental health, the universe starts to organize itself around your boundaries.

And the money flows.

You find that you have everything you need—when you need it.

Taking a lunch break isn’t really about food.

It’s about teaching your nervous system that you’re allowed to stop. That your needs matter. That you don’t have to neglect yourself or overwork to be successful, valuable, or worthy.

This is the same nervous system work I teach inside Awakened Wealth—because when your body feels safe, money and life begin to flow differently.