Time off work doesn’t make sense, right?

[Umbrellala]

I enjoy my job on the whole. I love giving it my all and I’m a bit of a perfectionist over it sometimes. For a long time it’s been my number one focus and where I’ve directed all my energies.

I’m in the second trimester of my pregnancy. We are overjoyed to be expecting and can’t wait to meet baby, who has been very long awaited and is our rainbow baby.
It’s been a really anxious time though due to previous loss so my MH isn’t the best right now.

Small everyday things stress me out and sometimes I can’t move past them, which is enough to distract me for a whole afternoon or day. My output at work is pretty poor lately as a result. I’m just very, very distracted. Absolutely no performance-related concerns have been mentioned to me and my manager seems happy as always but they are quite hands-off and trust me to be getting on with it, and I’m not particularly and have been letting some tasks slip.

I have a lovely supportive husband, family and friends. I’m speaking to the midwife. I have had advice to consider time off for a couple of weeks or more, but don’t want to just ‘stew’ or ruminate. Work isn’t the problem. I’m not giving it my all which is an issue in itself though, but perhaps one I can manage in another way?

What would you do?

Why do you think your starting to get more easily stressed out? Could you take some annual leave? It could be the start of something more serious but hard to tell from your description.

As a manager I expect productivity to lessen slightly (or a lot) in pregnancy, whether it's morning sickness or just being extra exhausted, it's not always possible to give above and beyond as before.

I've recently gone back to work after a bereavement. I can barely concentrate on what is happening at work. I spoke to my manager and she said that it's absolutely fine if I just coast for a while, given what is going on in my personal life. But she also made it clear that it would be acceptable if I needed to take time off to focus on grief.

I don't want to take time off as it'll give me too much time to wallow in my sadness, but if I feel like work is affecting my mental health I'll take a break from it.

Could you try and take a similar approach? Feel ok that you are coasting for a while? And if work stresses you out, take a break?