“For People Who Need A Break From The Real World”: 40 Memes From ‘Adult Coffee Break’

While many of us use social media as a way to escape from our real lives for a brief moment, sometimes, it’s just too hard to turn off the stress of working every day, having to pay rent, and needing to buy groceries that seem to get more expensive every single week. In this case, social media can be a great place to bond with others over the struggles of being an adult and vent about annoying colleagues.

That’s why the Adult Coffee Break Instagram page is so appealing. A whopping 60% of workers in the United States have to commute to an office every day, so plenty of people can relate to the struggles of working 40 hours a week and trying to muster up the energy to do anything enjoyable afterwards.

The Adult Coffee Break account has amassed nearly 30k followers since its creation in 2020 and has shared over 3,600 posts. From TikToks about working in the office to memes about what could make the workplace better, Adult Coffee Break is a wonderful place to spend your actual coffee break.

Taking 10 minutes to hang out in the kitchen, make a cup of joe and avoid your desk mate? Why not scroll through these memes while you’re at it? Unfortunately, 60% of employees report feeling emotionally detached while at work, and one fifth even admit that they’re miserable. So whatever you can find to help you make it through the workday is absolutely worth it! 

When it comes to taking coffee breaks at work, how much time away from your desk is too much? According to the International Labor Organization, “Most national legislation and EU regulations require a break when the workday is longer than six hours and after a maximum of six consecutive hours of work. In practice, coffee and tea breaks can be given for 10‐30 minutes and are organized in the middle of each half of the work shift.”

As far as how long it actually takes to make a cup of tea or coffee during the workday, The Law Support Group reports that employees spend about 24 minutes per day grabbing these drinks. And while employers might view these little breaks as a waste of precious time, it’s actually important for workers to get up, stretch their legs, socialize for a few minutes and let their minds rest every couple of hours.    

Short breaks during the workday are crucial to employees’ mental health. The Wellbeing Thesis reports that taking short breaks can actually increase workers’ energy and decrease their exhaustion. They can also help an employee reset their mood, if they’ve been working on a stressful project or have had to give 100% of their focus for the past couple of hours. And we all know decreasing stress can benefit all aspects of our lives, as it can help us have more energy, lower our risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and help us increase our quality of sleep.   

If you have a hard time stepping away from your computer when you’re deep in the flow at work, first of all, I understand. I am always determined to not get up until my bladder is about to explode. But I’ve learned that it helps to set little timers for myself during the day or to agree to take breaks at the same time as other colleagues. This way, I can’t force myself to stay seated for 3 hours at a time, which is not great for my health anyway, and I can allow my brain to get healthy amounts of rest during the day.  

Another reason it’s wise to take a healthy amount of coffee breaks throughout the day is because it’s an opportunity to bond with colleagues. You may only be at work because you need to pay the bills, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to enjoy the experience even a little bit. Find some friends in the office who you enjoy chatting with, and grabbing a coffee or tea with them might become the highlight of your day.   

Having friends in the workplace is an important retention factor that companies should consider as well. One study found that nearly two thirds of employees who had between 6 to 25 friends in their office reported that they love their companies. “We spend the bulk of our life, it seems sometimes, with our ‘work family,’ and though it may be somewhat strained at intervals, you have to have a few good friends to joke around with and align yourself with. It helps you enjoy your work more!” HR recruiter Julia Y. Manuel told the Society for Human Resource Management. 

We hope these memes are making you feel less alone, pandas, if you’re dedicated to hating your job and the experience of being an adult. Sadly, we can’t make the stress of paying for groceries or going to work every day any easier, but at least you can spend a few minutes here bonding with others who feel the same way. Keep upvoting the pics you find particularly relatable, and then if you’re interested in checking out even more memes from Bored Panda that address the pain of adulting, look no further than right here!