JumpyPretzel
JumpyPretzel

Do you feel better after sabbaticals?

Ppl that have taken 3+ months of sabbaticals for burn out have you felt better after that ? I have to take a decision btw sabbatical for 3 months or quitting. While I like my current work place and manager I am not sure if by taking a sabbatical I am forcing myself to feel better in 3 months. This is a troubling attitude I have towards sickness mental or physical where I put a future end date to it and then feel worse off if I don't meet it.

10mo ago
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DancingUnicorn
DancingUnicorn

As someone 4+ months into one can say this:

You need to have a specific goal/plan on what you will do largely in the unstructured time. For me it started with working on physical health, and it really helped to stay sane on track. Could be traveling, retreats etc. You can't force yourself to reflect and come out with clarity in a specific timeframe. You just meander through things, activities you would love to do, be mindful, talk to friends, colleagues etc and somewhere things will hit you. Returning to work with me job could be a whole hit or miss drama that will take time and patience, so ensure you have more runway than just the period you think of. Also inflation is real and depending on festive/sale month etc, your monthly expense may have been more than you planned for, so adjust your calculations runway accordingly. Lastly a possibility is that you just need a break and time off, so try asking for an unpaid leave for 1-2 months and use it to travel, spend more time with family etc. A lot of your views on your current role, manager, company etc will get clearer and it's possible there only few small things to address for you to be back working contently.

P.s. I took a break that I pondered for almost an year, to address rock bottom fitness, energy levels and get clarity on my career wants for the long term (20+ years).

JumpyPretzel
JumpyPretzel

Thanks this really helps. I already have the option of an unpaid leave for 3 months. My only concern is what if I come back and keep feeling shitty. But ya we don't know what we don't know

CosmicRaccoon
CosmicRaccoon

I was forced into taking sabbatical but it was blessing in disguise. I have a toddler and we were facing issues with nannies. Changed 6 of them. During the sabbatical, I got plenty of time to connect with my parents and my son. Had a lot of bonding, and all those worries kind of faded away.
I got time to work on myself, plan ahead.

Looking back, it was really great to take that break and it re-energised me. It was a year of sabbatical. Now, my son prefers to be with me rather than his mother 🙂

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