You step away for lunch, but a stream of small questions follows you. Each feels easy to answer. Together they use the time you meant to spend eating and resting, and you return without much of a break.
If the work setting allows it, tell the relevant people when you are away and when you will be available again. Use the team's normal status or calendar rather than creating another channel everyone must remember to check.
Arrange the essential coverage
Some roles require continuous cover. In those settings, agree on who handles urgent needs during the break and how the handover works. A boundary cannot replace a coverage arrangement that the job actually requires.
After returning, answer the questions that waited in an ordinary order. If breaks keep disappearing, bring a few recent examples to a discussion about workload or staffing. Explain what prevented the pause and ask for a workable arrangement. Keep the request about the time and cover needed rather than assuming every interruption was deliberate.
