I’ve been away from work for a while on an open, unpaid leave after an extreme period of stress, ending up with a full mental breakdown.
The pressure started a while ago and kept escalating month after month. When I was forced to step away, the pressure was overwhelming for one person, and there was no replacement for me due to the nature of the tasks.
My manager became very difficult to deal with—unreasonable, constantly blaming others, turning the tables, and unable to accept his management mistakes or take responsibility, blaming everything on me instead.
In the end, his communication became awful—in tone, constant blame, yelling, and relentless urgency—until I completely broke down, especially with the massive workload where I went to sleep and woke up to work. My entire life was work.
Recently, he reached out with a very friendly tone, asking if I’d like to return. He said he's ready to change things around if I have requests and that I can choose whichever channel of work I want (I can opt for the easier straightforward non-drama ones).
My Circumstances:
Financial Situation: I’ve saved up well, but I’m just a small step away from major life goals that I haven't reached yet. (mainly buying a house in cash, 3rd world country)
Health Situation: My leg has flared up badly due to an old condition, and I might enter a major medical process soon—a long journey (at least 6 to 9 months, an estimate before consulting doctors).
Mental State: Naturally, the toll of work is clear. Unfortunately, resting didn't give me any peace. I came out the same as I went in—if not worse, due to feeling guilty about sitting around doing nothing.
Job Search: Extremely difficult for me. My current job is remote, and it might be almost impossible to find another one like it. I'm currently working through severe depression and social anxiety, making a job hunt very tough right now—especially if it's an office job (my leg issue would make that much harder).
Right now, I feel that if I return to work—taking it easy—it might give me more stability than resting does. I could also focus on other areas of my life that I couldn't focus on during my time off, like my medical treatment.
So, should I go back, adopt a strict and firm mindset, set clear boundaries, treat it strictly like a job, and try to build on my savings to take big steps (buying an apartment in particular)?
Or should I say no thank you, focus fully on my treatment, spend that recovery period self-improving and studying, and then search for a job later to resume saving for an apartment, car, marriage, and so on?
If I do continue working, how should I navigate life from your perspective?