The plus side of taking a year off


Do you ever feel yourself drifting off from the hustle and bustle of the office, dreaming of another life? A life where you are free from tedious responsibilities, and no longer tied down by an uninspiring workload. A life where you feel like you again, a new version of you who is liberated, motivated, invigorated, and most importantly, happy and positive.
Well, if you are finding yourself more often than not switching off and dreaming about where, who and what you could have been, then there’s a good chance career-gapping is not just what you want, but also what you need.
Here are some advantages of taking a ‘grown-up gap year’, and finally living the reality you only ever fantasised about.

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Learn to value yourself as an individual

If you feel as though you are in a rut, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate who you are, what you’re doing, and where you’re going. It can be easy to feel as though you’ve lost your way, or that you are underappreciated by the company you work for, so taking some time for yourself will allow you to find your way again. If you take a year out to work on yourself, you will learn to value yourself again, you may even find out some new skills you never knew you had, or revisit some interests and hobbies you lost along the way.

Some things are more important than work

We know it’s a cliche, but it’s true – you only live once! We only get one chance to live the life we want to lead and accomplish all that we want to achieve. If you feel as though your career has hit a dead end, perhaps it’s time to focus on other things instead. There are plenty of things in life which should take priority over focussing on your career – perhaps you want to have a baby, spend time with lost family, or even nurture a passion you neglected for a while.

Time to reflect

Life in your career can be fast-paced. Blink and somehow you’ve spent a decade in a job that was only supposed to be a temporary fix. It’s common to feel as though you’re merely just another cog in the machine. There is no time like the present, and taking a year off from the whirlwind of work can give you the time to reflect and slow down for a while. Instead of putting all of your energy into your job, perhaps it is time put energy into your own mental space, regain some control, wield some power, and feel as though you are in charge of yourself again.

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Your health will improve

Not only will it bring significant improvements to your psychological health and wellbeing, but taking a break from work can give you the well-needed time to focus on your physical health too. This means devising a long-term plan for you to finally reach your health goals and enjoy the fitness journey along the way too. Having more hours to your day will allow you to look after yourself and care for those aspects of your life and wellbeing that were put on hold.
It is important you don’t take this decision lightly. Taking a career-break is a big step to take, and a step only certain people are ready for. So spend some time weighing up your options to ponder on all the things you may be forced to abandon, the people you will leave behind, and the career objectives you may have to suspend.

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