I have worked full time my whole adult life. I’m a single parent to one DD (10). I have suffered from intense and debilitating head pain for the past two months, no known cause as yet but I do have a cyst (neurosurgeon has said this will not be causing the pain). I have been off work but know I will need to get back soon.
My job is well paid but intense and I travel for it. I cannot see myself sustaining a full time work pattern with my current symptoms. If I was to go to 0.7 for example I would get a full week off every 3 weeks approximately. I think this would give me the recovery and catch up time I’m likely to need. The job means we have to work a full week, there is no option to work 3 days a week for example. Any fractional contracts work on a set number of weeks worked per year.
I can afford the salary drop but it would mean some adjustments. I’m not sure exactly what I’m struggling with in deciding, there is part of me that feels that I should work full time as I always have, I’m frustrated that my current health woes have changed this. I’m very much a ‘mind over matter’ type of person but am beginning to accept that I may no longer be able to manage as I have done in the past.
Would you go part time for health reasons? Am I unreasonable to consider this?