So I decided to take some kind of “mini-sabbatical” this year — basically time when I wasn’t looking for the next job after my previous job ended. My body helped me take this break because I couldn’t force myself to keep going on. I needed the time and space to recover, to examine the path I’ve been on, to detangle my relationship with work, worth and so much more. It’s been a time for leaning into uncertainty, trying to turn lemons into lemonade.
During this time off, I’ve been learning a lot from the work of people like
, , , and I’m grateful for how much of their own experiences they’ve shared freely.I’ve listened and re-listened to Paul, Michelle & Cécile On Sabbaticals while reading The Pathless Path by Paul. As I started exploring my motivations, awareness & intentions, I also found my way to Michael’s work and his teachings on the Alexander Technique. As I explored truly resting, I found comfort in the words and mantras of Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance. They’ve all given me much guidance and comfort through the discomforts and uncertainties that come with deciding to take a break from work.
This morning, I felt an urge to note and share the *big* themes that have come up over the past few months, it’s been a lot of sitting with myself and processing these themes. Most of them have probably been unfolding since the year or 2 before. Last year I decided to join the Life not work course with
where I got to explore some of them in a safe space with other people.I’m surprised by how much my internal experiences overlap with those of others who have also taken extended time off work. We all seem to reckon with similar areas of our lives in some way. Some weeks ago, I had the pleasure of connecting with Anita for a somatic well-being practice. This felt like an important checkpoint for me as I re-entered the job search process, and I was trying to move through some tough feelings. I left our session feeling more self-love, and with more tools to help ground and connect with myself through my body and my breath.
I always wanted some extended time off work to truly rest and explore my curiosities, I finally got to experience it in some way this year and I believe even more deeply that a sabbatical is something to take more of and to plan towards, especially if you suspect that you need it.
Here are some themes I’ve explored during my time off work:
Agency
Relationship with ambition & achievement
Desires
Value & self-worth
Work & meaning
Identity
Abundance vs Scarcity
Time, money & energy
Relationship with time
Attention & intention
Fear
Shame
Rest
Presence
Capacity for connection
The connection between mind, body & breath
Things are still unfolding for me, and this list is still evolving internally. This is also a year when I’ve journaled the most, and it’s been a big way for me to work through some of these themes. I intend to gradually synthesize them and share more here over time 🌿
If you’ve had similar experiences, if any of these themes resonate or if you want to chat about learning from sabbaticals — I’d love to hear from you! 👋🏾
One cool thing — I’ve been enjoying using the Substack app! It’s been a thoughtful and non-overwhelming space to hang out online. The Notes space has been nice for connecting with others who are writing and reading on Substack, notes are only posted to the app, and I’d recommend checking it out if you haven’t already ☁️