Sort of sabbatical?

[Cottagepieandpeas]

I think I am burned out.
I am exhausted (getting more sleep doesn’t make any difference), I’m tearful (been off work for a week and the thought of going back creates high anxiety and a tearful reaction) and I don’t really care about the work - although it also makes me anxious.

I will have been there two years in June. I think I need a break from working. I realised the other day that I’ve worked since I was 17 (now 53) (not always full time) I had a year without work when my daughter was born and then a few months unemployed when she was about 10. At university I worked all the way through except a few months in my final year.

I just want a few months where I can recharge and think about what I want to do with the last 15 years of my working life.

Has anyone done this? I don’t expect to get paid. I don’t think I want to stay in the job really but leaving without something else would be such a risk.

I’m concerned that my physical and mental health is being affected by the stress and I’d really like a chance to get away from that.

I’m feeling a bit all over the place (you can probably tell!).

You certainly sound as though you need a break! How old is your daughter, if under 18 you are entitled to up to 18 weeks unpaid leave per child per year, it's a statutory right so your employer can't say no although they can make you delay for up to 6 months if they have a good business reason to do so. Technically the leave is meant to be to look after or support Nupur children in some way but you don't have to prove it - I would probably start by exploring this with your employer. If that doesn't work then it sounds maybe as though you need to get signed off if you are exhausted and tearful? Obviously it's not a long term solution but a few weeks off sick and maybe a couple of weeks holiday might give you the break you need?

I hope you don’t mind me asking but are you in peri menopause? The reason for asking is that you are the right age and it is amazing how many women find the impact of peri menopause on their work. I was badly affected but didn’t stop to recognise this, the result was I kept working at a significant cost to my health(physical and mental) and ended up with a complete breakdown.

Make an appointment with your GP to talk through all your symptoms and look at options both medical and none medical. Your GP may sign you off, don’t feel guilty use the time to work out what is right for you.

I can totally relate to this. I have felt the same recently. I ended up leaving a job voluntarily and taking a couple of months off, hoping that it would recharge my batteries and / or that i would somehow find the solution to how I was feeling. I enjoyed the time off but then ended taking a job in exactly the same field and so am back feeling how I was before. I wish I had taken longer off. I too feel exhausted and also sick of the pressures of working whilst being a parent. But have started to wonder if I blame pressures of working when actually I just need to sort my head out ?! I wish I could find some sort of calling in life and start to do that instead! I do think that looking at other jobs adverts and at least updating your cv can help in the short term just to feel like there is life beyond your current job. Interested to know any advice out there for you x