We weren’t built for endless productivity. Despite what hustle culture tells us, the human body and mind need rest.
Real rest, not just a long weekend spent catching up on laundry and emails. And sometimes, a two-week holiday just won’t cut it. Sometimes, you need to press pause on work entirely – enter the sabbatical.
For a long time, sabbaticals were reserved for tenured professors or people having a full-blown midlife crisis. But in reality, they’re a powerful tool for resetting, re-evaluating, and, ironically, setting yourself up for a more sustainable and successful career.
So how do you know if it’s time to step away from work for a while? And more importantly – how do you actually do it?
1. You’re Burnt Out (And Not Just in a “Need a Holiday” Way)
Everyone gets tired. Everyone has days where they fantasize about quitting their job and moving to a quiet coastal town where they run a tiny bookshop and never have to answer another Slack message again. But burnout is different. Burnout is when exhaustion isn’t just a mood – it’s a constant state of being.
Signs you’re truly burnt out include:
Feeling emotionally numb or detached from your work
Constantly dreading the next workday – even after weekends or holidays
Physical symptoms like insomnia, headaches, or unexplained exhaustion
Apathy toward career goals you once cared about
One of my friends recently shared that she cried daily before taking a much-needed break. She told me she felt her life going “tick, tick, ticking the days past until I die”… and so she simply stopped the clock for a while, re-set, re-charged, ready to re-conquer her career.
2. You’re Stagnating (And It’s Making You Miserable)
Not all sabbaticals come from burnout. Sometimes, they come from boredom. If you’ve been in the same role or field for years and no longer feel challenged, a break can be the perfect way to reassess what you actually want.
Another friend of mine – she works in law – had been climbing the corporate ladder for years before she had an existential crisis about whether she was actually happy – or just following a path she thought she was supposed to be on. She took a year off to travel, came back, switched to working in-house, and has never been happier.
Stagnation is sneaky. It masquerades as comfort when in reality, it’s keeping you stuck. A sabbatical lets you step back, explore new interests, and return with a fresh perspective (or not return at all, if you decide something else is calling you).
3. You’ve Been Through A Major Life Change – And Haven’t Had Time to Process It
Big things happen in life: grief, motherhood, illness, personal awakenings. But in a world obsessed with girl bosses, hustle culture, and productivity, we rarely get the time to actually process these changes. Instead, we’re expected to power through.
A sabbatical can offer the breathing space to actually feel – to grieve, to heal, to redefine what matters to you. Life is too short to rush through every transition. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your future is give yourself time in the present.
Taking a break from work isn’t quitting. It isn’t failure. And it definitely isn’t laziness. It’s a radical act of self-preservation in a world that constantly demands more from us.
How to Actually Take a Sabbatical (Without Nuking Your Career)
Once you’ve realised you need a break, how do you go about getting it?
1. Check Your Company’s Policy
Some companies offer unpaid or even paid sabbaticals, especially after a certain number of years with the business.
2. Negotiate With Your Employer
If there’s no formal sabbatical policy, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask. Many companies would rather hold onto a great employee than lose them altogether. Frame your request as a strategic investment: you’ll return more focused, creative, and committed.
3. Prepare Financially
If your sabbatical is unpaid, start building savings now. Some people take on short-term freelance work or pick up side projects during their time off to stay financially stable, which can be a great way to explore other career options you didn’t know you had.
4. Have a Re-Entry Plan
Returning to work after a sabbatical can be jarring. Before you leave, set up a roadmap for how you’ll reintegrate. Whether it’s returning to your old job, switching careers, or starting your own thing, knowing your next step will help ease the transition.
Sabbaticals Aren’t a Luxury – They’re a Reset
Taking a break from work isn’t quitting. It isn’t failure. And it definitely isn’t laziness. It’s a radical act of self-preservation in a world that constantly demands more from us.
The women who have taken sabbaticals don’t regret it. They return with clarity, purpose, and a renewed sense of direction. And in some cases, they don’t return at all – because they find something better.
So if your gut is telling you it’s time to pause, listen to it. The work will be there when you get back. The real question is: who will you be when you return?
