Career breaks may seem uncommon and they may even be looked down upon, but taking a break can be beneficial to your health and professional life.
No matter what stage of your career you’re in, you can experience burnout. Stress from work finds its way to creep into other areas of our life, disrupting our sleep, impacting our family time, and causing us to work long hours. If you feel like stress at work is leading you to be unhappy and is harmful to your health, it may be time to take a sabbatical.
There are many other reasons to take a break from working if you are contemplating a career change or want to pursue your own business, now is the perfect time to halt your routine. Between your new ventures, take time to yourself and discover your true passions. You may want to learn a new skill or language, travel a bit, or spend time volunteering. All of these opportunities open up when you remove yourself from your day-to-day schedule and you can learn valuable skills outside of the office.
Other reasons to take a career break may mean you want to prioritize starting a family or taking care of a loved one. Health and family should always come first. Quality time and unreplicable memories are very valid reasons to spend more time with the ones you love.
Career breaks aren’t career-ending either. If you do plan to return to work, whether it’s the same path or a different one, there are some key things you’ll want to follow. Update your resume with any new skills or experiences, reach out to your network, and ease back into things so you aren’t overwhelmed.
This infographic (created by Bestow) highlights some of the reasons people take career breaks and explains how to thrive when you return.
Please include attribution to https://hellobestow.com with this graphic.
