After a couple years of being overwhelmed, over-capacity, and not feeling like myself, I left my job last September. The job wasn't the only reason I was burned out, but it played a major role. Add in two little girls (ages 3 and 5), the deaths of my brother-in-law and stepmother, and health issues with my mom and my husband (both are now okay!), I had quite the 2 years. I realized my career was no longer serving me and the life I really want to be living. I've been taking some steps to figure out who I am and how I want to live. As part of this, I decided to launch my own business as a perinatal behavioral health coach. I launched in February. Even if this isn't where I ultimately land, I know I made the right choice in stepping away from my career to give myself space to breathe and discover. It's a journey for sure and I've been learning a lot. Always top of mind is my why - I deserve more and my family deserves more.
As someone who left Google to “focus on my family,” I feel all of this. I agree with your premise and wish I had been more honest about just feeling burnt out and not wanting to be on the self-imposed treadmill of work / motherhood / life. While I didn’t take a month off (and now I really want to), being able to not answer to a sales leader or hit a monthly revenue goal has been liberating. There are elements I miss (the people, the prestige and honestly, the comp) but I felt this pull inside to pivot toward something else, and with 3 young-ish kids, I’m still figuring it out. As a first generation American myself, I recognize this tremendous privilege I have to have the financial stability to do this. But it also makes me want to rebel against a culture that tells mothers that being a woman - and a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend - isn’t enough.
I'm so glad you listened to the pull inside you to do what felt right, not what was expected of you. And I'm totally with you on rebelling against the culture that makes us feel unworthy, despite how many sacrifices we're making in each of those roles. I hope you're able to find some space, even if it's not a whole month off, to tune in more to what you need in the season!
This is so well said, especially the part about it taking work to be present with our families when you have the mental revolving wheel of to-dos running in the background. It’s inspiring to hear how the time to decompress made space to connect with family, even if the break wasn’t about that to begin with.
Being present takes a lot of work - it's what meditation teaches us, and why it's so hard to just sit still and do nothing. We're wired to be on the go (at least I am!) and especially as moms we have so much mental load always pulling us in different directions. I think being out of my normal environment gave me the opportunity to decompress, as you said, in a way that might not have been as natural at home.
Thank you for putting into words the exact journey I’ve been on since last fall.
Glad to hear this resonated! Where in your journey are you now?
After a couple years of being overwhelmed, over-capacity, and not feeling like myself, I left my job last September. The job wasn't the only reason I was burned out, but it played a major role. Add in two little girls (ages 3 and 5), the deaths of my brother-in-law and stepmother, and health issues with my mom and my husband (both are now okay!), I had quite the 2 years. I realized my career was no longer serving me and the life I really want to be living. I've been taking some steps to figure out who I am and how I want to live. As part of this, I decided to launch my own business as a perinatal behavioral health coach. I launched in February. Even if this isn't where I ultimately land, I know I made the right choice in stepping away from my career to give myself space to breathe and discover. It's a journey for sure and I've been learning a lot. Always top of mind is my why - I deserve more and my family deserves more.
As someone who left Google to “focus on my family,” I feel all of this. I agree with your premise and wish I had been more honest about just feeling burnt out and not wanting to be on the self-imposed treadmill of work / motherhood / life. While I didn’t take a month off (and now I really want to), being able to not answer to a sales leader or hit a monthly revenue goal has been liberating. There are elements I miss (the people, the prestige and honestly, the comp) but I felt this pull inside to pivot toward something else, and with 3 young-ish kids, I’m still figuring it out. As a first generation American myself, I recognize this tremendous privilege I have to have the financial stability to do this. But it also makes me want to rebel against a culture that tells mothers that being a woman - and a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend - isn’t enough.
I'm so glad you listened to the pull inside you to do what felt right, not what was expected of you. And I'm totally with you on rebelling against the culture that makes us feel unworthy, despite how many sacrifices we're making in each of those roles. I hope you're able to find some space, even if it's not a whole month off, to tune in more to what you need in the season!
This is so well said, especially the part about it taking work to be present with our families when you have the mental revolving wheel of to-dos running in the background. It’s inspiring to hear how the time to decompress made space to connect with family, even if the break wasn’t about that to begin with.
Being present takes a lot of work - it's what meditation teaches us, and why it's so hard to just sit still and do nothing. We're wired to be on the go (at least I am!) and especially as moms we have so much mental load always pulling us in different directions. I think being out of my normal environment gave me the opportunity to decompress, as you said, in a way that might not have been as natural at home.
I spent a “sabbatical” week off between switching jobs last week and had a similar realization!