Work can be all encompassing. After all, many of spend at least forty hours a week physically in an office, not to mention time outside our workplace fielding early morning emails, traveling to off-site conferences and burning the midnight oil. Given Americans are basically obsessed with working – we’re second only to the Koreans in number of hours logged and take far less vacation time than our European counterparts – it can be hard to be the boundary-setting outlier. But difficult as it may seem, creating boundaries is incredibly important not simply for your mental health, but for your professional success, too. After all, no one does her best work when she is overextended, overtired and simply overwhelmed.

Ahead, we’re sharing some of our favorite ways to set these all-important office boundaries. Read on.

Create and respect routines, rituals and schedules.

We’re firm believers of creating healthy routines here at BHH and this concept is certainly applicable to your professional life. The first and most important office-related ritual is establishing a regular arrival and departure time. Of course, there will be instances where this schedule needs to be flexible – allowing for unexpected projects or last-minute late nights, but generally speaking you should be adhering to an established arrival and departure time about 70-80% of the time. Doing so will not only firmly establish healthy limits, it will enable you to schedule regular wellness-promoting rituals in other areas of your life, such as a standing 7pm yoga class post-work or a morning run. 

Learn to say “no.”

One of the most important things I’ve learned in my professional life is that saying “no” can sometimes help your career. That’s because if you truly cannot assume an assignment or task, you shouldn’t set yourself up for failure by agreeing to take it on. Furthermore, when you are overburdened at work, you can start to feel a little bitter. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, and we all know when we’ve bitten off more than we can chew and truly pay the (stressful) consequences as a result. So, instead of always being a “yes” man or woman, seek to be candid and honest with your colleagues about your ability to manage your workload. If something is too much, let them know and proactively suggest alternative solutions. Trust me: Everyone will be more appreciative in the long run.

Be vocal.

Along those lines, being communicative at work is incredibly important if you are seeking to set boundaries. For example, if you have a very important dinner approaching in a week, tell your team ahead of time that you need to leave the office by 5pm. Continually communicate your schedule and you’ll find that those “last-minute” projects won’t be hitting your plate just as you’re trying to get out the door.

Power down.

I have a friend who works as an Investment Banker and she is the most plugged-in person I know. Even at dinners she is shooting off emails and responding to work-related texts, all while profusely apologizing. While I can sympathize with her hectic schedule, I know that some of the problem is truly of her own making: She doesn’t know how to power down. Resultantly, her teammates have come to expect her as “always on” – a vicious cycle if you’re trying to escape work for a bit. With that said, creating boundaries is important when it comes to work – turn off your phone at dinner, avoid logging into email late at night and generally try and create space between your office and your out-of-office life. While it might seem hard at first, your non-responses will let people know that it’s better to reach you not at 10pm.

Know when professional stops and personal begins.

This one is really tricky. Let me caveat that I firmly believe you can create lifelong, best friendships at work. Those are a whole separate entity. What I’m talking about, here, are those colleagues with whom you are friendly. With those individuals, it’s really important to know the limits of regular friendship versus work friendship. Always ensure you are acting with a level of appropriateness and understand that sharing deeply personal information is usually not a wise choice. Furthermore, creating social plans with colleagues after work can be a really great team-building exercise, but ensure you’re making time to see your real friends, too. After all, gossiping about your boss might be cathartic, but it doesn’t compare to a real heart-to-heart with your BFF.

If the New York City lunch scene has taught us anything, it’s that fast food doesn’t need to be unhealthy. In fact, some of the Big Apple’s best on-the-go lunch spots have a healthy slant – which is great news for us busy but wellness-oriented New Yorkers. Here are our favorites – hopefully some are in your city, too!

Sweetgreen

The days of the “sad desk salad” are over thanks to the inventive and downright delicious creations of Sweetgreen. Indeed, if the idea of lettuce for lunch makes you feel bored and blue, Sweetgreen’s fresh, vibrant and seasonally-inspired salads will change your mind altogether. We’re also huge fans of their warm bowls, which feature protein-packed grains like quinoa and farro as their base.

Locations in: California, D.C., Illinois, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia

By Chloe

There is so much to love about By Chloe – a fast food restaurant gone veggie-based – that we hardly know where to start. For one, their salads transcend basic, incorporating clever ingredients like almond Parmesan cheese, apricot-glazed tempeh and chorizo-inspired seitan. But the real stars here, in our opinion, are the veggie burgers: We’re partial to the guac burger, a black bean-quinoa-sweet potato burg topped with the requisite guacamole and crunchy tortilla strips. Pair it with some air-baked French fries and a bottle of HealthAde kombucha (yes, they sell it here) and you’ve basically got yourself a dream lunch.

Locations in: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Providence, RI (coming soon!)

Hu Kitchen

You could call Hu a Paleo-leaning restaurant, but really it’s all about eating whole, nutrient-dense ingredients that are prepared honestly. This “real food” philosophy makes it a grab-and-go spot that’s pretty much a staple for us morning, noon and night. Come lunchtime, you can find us holed upstairs in their Union Square location, chowing on one of their signature warm bowls. We’re also partial to their beautiful chicken and beef dishes, which are always grass-feed and organic. And don’t forget to grab one of their organic, fair-trade, and unrefined sugar-free chocolate bars on your way out!

Locations in: Union Square (5^th Avenue & 14^th Street), Upper East Side (3^rd Avenue and 86^th Street)

Peacefood Café

Peacefood is a solid standby for both uptown and downtowners alike. Its Vegan-oriented menu is not nearly as severe as one might assume, incorporating yumminess like buckwheat pizzas and drop-dead delicious chickpea fries. Come lunchtime, you’ll find us ordering their roasted Japanese pumpkin sandwich, an unexpectedly delicious combination of savory-sweet pumpkin paired with nutty cashew cheese and walnuts. And although we’ve never had one, BHH’s Amina recently let us know that their cookies are pretty epic, too.

Locations in: Uptown (Amsterdam & 82^nd), Downtown (University & 11^th)

Souen

Consider Souen the OG of healthy NYC lunch spots, a tried-and-true stalwart that has been on the scene long before green juices and avocado toasts were en vogue. Billing itself as a “organic macrobiotic restaurant,” Souen is all about quality grains, legumes, veggies and fish. On the latter, it’s our secret go-to place when we’re itching for some lunchtime salmon sushi. Sushi fix aside, we’re big proponents of their squash tofu curry and always order a side of their homemade, gluten-free corn bread with miso tahini spread. Truly a must for any health nut.

Locations in: Soho (Sixth and Prince), East Village (6^th Sreet & 1^st Avenue)

Juice Press

You’d be remiss to consider Juice Press just a juice and smoothie shop. In fact, 90% of the time we’re there, we’re buying some of their organic, plant-based grab-and-go food. For lunchtime, we’re all about their roasted vegetable salad or the little-known but totally delicious selection of soups: Their butternut squash and quinoa soup is a hearty, spicy treat. For those of you who are truly on the go, try one of their smoothies – we’re all about the Harvey Wallbanger, made from cold-brewed coffee, nut milk, cacao and banana. Mmmmm.

Locations in: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut

When I first started my career, I was just like everybody else:  I kept my head down and worked hard.  I'd only sparingly use my vacation days, or hoard them to splurge on a long week away in Southeast Asia or Europe.  But the months, and sometimes years, in between vacations took their toll and work-related stress, deadlines and adulthood became a sure bet for anxiety and burnout.  And as much as I longed for a day at home under the covers to mentally reassemble myself, mental health days weren't something that were supported nor widely talked about. I just kept on trucking... until I could truck no more.    

Over a decade later, I'm no longer shy about the "M" word -- mental health -- and I take breaks often and with pride. Burnout is a very real scenario in our always-on culture and executives are now acknowledging that it is negatively impacting their business’ bottom line in a variety of ways.

At a high level, it increases health costs and impairs productivity—which can have significant implications for our overall economy. According to the Harvard Business School, unmanaged workplace stress accounts for 120,000 deaths annually (!) and 8% of national healthcare spending.  Couple that with the fact that 18.2% of the US adult population suffers from mental illness such as depression, and we have a real issue that needs addressing at the corporate level.  

Despite all of this, many corporations fail to recognize the importance of mental health and its link to performance.  In fact, a recent survey from a UK healthcare company found that 70% of employers didn't believe that stress or anxiety was a valid excuse for time off -- even though 25% of those surveyed had suffered some the same symptoms themselves. Mind-blowing.   

Which begs the question: What can we do to meaningfully address the issues of stress and burnout that result from our “always-on” culture? 

1. Negotiate: If you're starting a new job or getting promoted within in an existing organization, use your negotiating power to ask for more PTO. If your company doesn't offer mental health days, ask for more vacation days or sick days.  The best time to ask for what you want is when you have leverage.  

2. Make work your happy place: Decorate your workspace to reflect the best of your life.  Display pictures of your friends and loved ones.  Put up your vision board.  Bring in an aromatherapy candle.  Do whatever you need (within reason) to make your desk and your space feel like a happy place. 

3. Find quiet space: Offices can be full of ringing telephones, clacking keyboards and heated conversations; if you're sensitive to distractions, it can make your day even more stressful.  If you don't have your own office, book out a conference room from time to time to allow yourself space and time to breathe, meditate and have some alone time.  If work overall feels too hectic, work with your manager on defining your work from home policy.  

4. Take breaks: Productivity experts generally recommend the 90/10 rule—that is a ten minute break for every ninety minutes of focused activity.  In those ten minutes, go for a walk, clear your head or eat some brain-boosting foods to support your wellbeing and output.   

5. Take vacations: Over 50% of the US workforce finishes the year with unused vacation days.  However, all the data suggests that time away from work is beneficial for your mind and for your work productivity.  A recent study of 481 US adults found that those who used their vacation days performed better, were more productive, and more satisfied with their jobs—not to mention happier.  

6. Enlist the support of HR: Many corporations support employee wellness programs these days.  However, if your workplace isn't one of them, talk to your HR manager about the ways you'd like to be supported in your office.  That could be anything from workshops, group fitness classes to an overall policy reform.  You never know what can change can occur until you ask.  

It's finally springtime here on the East Coast -- a season that we've always had mixed feelings about. On one hand, it ushers in vitality, energy, and newness in the form of blindingly colorful flowers and greenery; on the other, that seasonal spectacle doesn't come about unless there's a lot of rain. Like, a whole lot. 

For those low-key, rainy moments in early spring, we've created a truly chill-inducing playlist; it spans everything from classic Sam Cooke and Louis Armstrong to reggaeton-inspired Drake. For you yogis out there, it's actually great for listening to while you practice. But mostly, we love listening to it while watching the raindrops accumulate on our window, daydreaming about sunny days ahead.

You can listen through the embedded playlist below or through this link. Enjoy! 

When it comes to our health, where do we stand on alcohol, really? The broad consensus is that, generally speaking, cutting back on (or altogether cutting out) alcohol can have positive impacts for our health. After all, excessive alcohol consumption can do everything from shrink our brain tissue to enhance the risk of cardiovascular disease to increase our propensity to develop cancers of the liver, colon, breast, esophagus, and mouth. Phew. That’s enough to scare even the most fervent partier away from the bar for at least one night.

But then there are studies like this one that point to red wine’s antioxidant effects, which include helping our body increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. In fact, research has shown that moderate red wine consumption – a glass of wine per night for women, up to two for men – can also help lower our risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And health benefits aside, let’s not forget that for some of us, a casual glass of wine at dinner, a cold beer on the beach, or a fun cocktail out with friends is a source of pleasure. Must we sacrifice that in order to preserve our brain tissue?

The simple answer is no. But the more complex is answer is… it’s complicated.

“JUST ONE” CAN BE HARD

Since alcohol is an addictive substance, it can be hard to display restraint when consuming it: Even the most prudent of us will admit to letting one glass of wine slide to three on occasion. At that point, unfortunately, most of its beneficial effects are lost. Add in the fact that some of us our genetically predisposed to have issues practicing restraint (alcoholism is a disease). This creates a situation wherein alcohol simply isn't a healthy choice for everyone. 

ALCOHOL IS PERSONAL

Along those lines, alcohol is a depressant – at least, when you over-consume. That’s to say, many people enjoy alcohol for its stimulating effects: It makes them laugh harder, dance more easily, and generally feel “loosened up.” But when that casual drink turns to shots at the bar, alcohol’s depressant effects take hold – which can be seriously destructive if you are already depressed or suffering emotionally. This is why it’s incredibly important to be mindful of your mental and emotional health when consuming booze.

NOT ALL ALCOHOLS ARE EQUAL

Moreover, the type of alcohol you are drinking is important. Even though you may love your mojito, it is loaded with sugar and empty calories that immediately get stored as fat. This is why it’s important to choose wisely: We recommend sticking with heart-healthy red wine or high-quality tequila paired with seltzer and a wedge of citrus. Take your time to really enjoy these drinks, ideally sipping on them with food. And, yes, of course you can have your mojito once in a while! 

IT’S ABOUT INTENT

Alcohol isn’t the devil. But it should be consumed in moderation and, in our opinion, in settings that bring you joy. I grew up in a very healthy, active family and my parents drank a glass of red wine every night at dinner – mostly because my dad is a bit of an oenophile and it really enhanced the food. It’s a ritual that I think is healthy, enriching, and has been practiced in societies like France and Italy for years. But if you are drinking simply to get drunk, you are drinking for the wrong reasons – period. So, always ask yourself: Why am I drinking? The answer may be sobering.