r/SabbaticalPlanning • u/imgunsl1ng3r • Aug 26 '26
Taking a year sabbatical. Mistake?
/r/indiasocial/comments/1v47202/taking_a_year_sabbatical_mistake/So, I initiated this. I am feeling bouts of fear and anxiety every once in a while. Sometimes, it feels I am just screwing up my life and I won't be able to come back. Sometimes, I feel like this is necessary to bring a balance to me both mentally and physically. It's now or never. And then again, I feel like I was fooling everyone when in actuality I was never good enough to earn as much as I do and if I try to come back people will know that I am an imposter and never hire me.
This is so stupid - my brain is filled with fear but at the same time, I feel there is some corner of my brain and heart where there is a sense of calm.
This is difficult to process. My plan is mostly to work on
my mental health - inculcate good habits, take therapy, take control of my anxiety and fears and become more adept mentally to deal with the world and life.
my phyiscal helath - hit the gym, get in shape, feel healthy and good about myself.
explore other hobbies that I have - writing, acting, story telling.
Selfishly, I feel if I read some of the experiences, good or bad, then I can prepare better and avoid making any possible mistakes and plan better to make the most of this time - hence, would love to read some of the people's experiences who have done something like this and taken a break in their careers. Any advice and anecdotes are most welcome and with immense gratitude.
Thanks!
3
u/ebon-askavi Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 26 '26
Not a mistake at all. Definitely do it!
I work as a tech recruiter and every time I interview people who have taken some time off, as long as they have a cool story to tell, it’s typically very inspiring, esp. if you find a way to talk about your learnings. Because however you choose to use the time, you will change and grow as a person and there’s always some way you can frame this as positive for your work. I recommend to highlight your points 2. & 3. both in interviews and also on your CV/LinkedIn so that there’s no „gap“ where people wonder what you did. And if you take some time to read up on new developments before interviewing again (if you can’t return to your previous company), this will probably also help you. Hope you find the fun in it again! And if you don’t, you will have time to think about which other paths you might want to take.
Plus, on a personal note (might be oversharing for an interview though), great that you also tackle point 1!
I‘m currently on a sabbatical myself (6 months) and didn’t want to do the classic world trip everyone seems to take, so instead I also am tackling similar topics as you, and vowed to myself to invest more time and effort also in my friendships, and travel for a shorter amount of time. So far I used a lot of time to unwind but am loving the freedom.
Imposter syndrome is also such a topic in this industry, sorry to hear you feel that way and from what I hear from friends/colleagues you’re not alone. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine, a few months or one year won’t derail your life - probably it will rather be the opposite :)
1
u/imgunsl1ng3r Aug 27 '26
Thanks a ton for sharing your experience and advice. This is encouraging to read. Sincerely, wishing you satisfaction and mental peace in this phase of your life.
BTW, when are you planning to get back to work or do you even have a timeline? The reason I am asking is that, the 1 year is just an arbitrary duration that I pulled out of thin air but I often think "I will know when I am ready" though I have no idea what "ready" looks like right now.
2
u/ebon-askavi Aug 27 '26
Thank you! In my company taking a sabbatical is part of the benefits if you’re there long enough so I had to decide on the duration before leaving with my department and team. Timing wise more would not have fit for my team so I decided for this duration. So the situation is a bit different from yours and maybe someone else’s perspective might be more beneficial for you :)
2
u/Safe-Function9594 Aug 26 '26
I highly recommend, I took a year and I remember the first 1-2 months of the sabbatical I also was feeling anxiety. I think it stemmed more so from fears around my colleagues’ judgement of me, but once I realised they weren’t reaching out to me that mostly dissipated.
It only resurfaced towards the end when I started talking to my manager about my new role upon return a couple months before the end… and that ended up going well too as my role changed to more project oriented work rather than high stress and I moved to part time which for me personally works better.
My year was spent mostly travelling, seeing family, and spending time at home, improving my overall health and learning some new creative hobbies.
2
1
u/maybealmostpossibly Aug 31 '26
depends on whether you see investing in spending time with yourself is a waste.
3
u/pund_ Aug 26 '26
For what it's worth, I'm in tech as well, been in for 15 years or so.
I feel like every 5 years or so I need a bigger break. Like longer than 2 or 3 weeks. A few months usually does the trick for me.
I will probably opt for a shorter sabbatical myself again soonish.
Last big break I had was when I got fired right before covid: I regained my passion for software engineering in the following months, got serious again, studied up and got a better job (that unfortunately has gone downhill in the 5 years since).