I wish I could stay home for a year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People here act like it's all or nothing--work 80 hour weeks or be a 100% SAHM.

Depending on your field, you may be able to find something that is flexible or something that lets you ease back in to work. Op, if you tell us your field and/or your skills/experience, we may be able to come up with such a solution.

This is one thing that I love about millennials. They are shifting the paradigm on work flexibility. Too many of us Gen X-ers think we need to put in a certain amount of (in person) time at the office to be considered a ‘good employee.’

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you been evaluated for depression? If this is what you are experiencing, you might want to consider therapy and medication first to stabilize before you make a decision about your career that may have lasting repercussions.

OP here. I have seen a therapist in the past. I may have some depression, I'm not sure. I actually have a lot of pretty happy days, I just cannot seem to find the motivation and energy to get up at 430AM to work out. If I could swing that, life would be a lot better because I would be addressing my health issues.

There is nothing wrong with NOT feeling motivated to get up at OMG 4:30am to work out! and, for those who do that, kuddos to you. But while you may have depression, you can't assume you are depressed because you lack the motivation to get up at 4:30am (when you probably aren't getting 10 hours of sleep because, kids) to do anything. Flames would need to be licking at my behind to get me up regularly at 4:30am to work out! FLAMES!

Can you just take 1 week off to yourself, keep the children in childcare (you can pick them up 1 hour earlier and make your evenings go more smoothly if you want) and take the time to just breathe, sleep, and see if you really want to take 1 or 2 years off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you should take the year off. But, re: exercise: You don't need to do an hour a day!! You really really don't. Plenty of fit people you see and know don't exercise that much. And you DON'T need to wake up at 4:30 am to exercise!! Missing sleep is probably worse for your health. You can be perfectly fit and healthy with only 15 minutes of reasonably intense exercise a day, which you can fit in at lots of different times, instead of at 5 am. You could also do something like set a goal for yourself of 3 sets of push ups and 3 sets of 50 jumping jacks everyday and just do them as you can fit them in throughout the day. Don't set yourself up for failure by thinking you need an hour in the gym!

Agreed with this. Almost no one, except a very rare person, will be able to keep up 4:30am workouts. Look into joyful movement OP, there are some blog posts about it. I realize there are some health things you are concerned about but truly the pressure that you need to be at the gym an hour a day gets most of us no where fast and moving our body less in the end. Intuitive eating and joyful movement made such a difference in my stress level with these things (and I was dealing with health and weight things too so I relate). Emily Fonnesbeck is the nutritionist I worked with if you look into it and it at all sounds like a fit. You can find her on Instagram (but she’s legit I swear). Also if I were you I’d take a year off but still wouldn’t work out an hour a day!!!

[Anonymous]

I think there are some good points expressed here, and do what your gut tells you to do OP. It may not hurt to ask if you can go to part-time status at work. I negotiated fewer hours in my work week, and it really helped! However it was temporary so I am going to leave this position because I am lucky enough that I am in a field that offers flexibility. I agree it isn't all or nothing. I think people who think you need to "suck it up" are missing the point that it is your life to determine what you value. Maybe there are consequences that there it "stalls "you professionally, but you get to decide if you are okay with that. I also think it is a fair point to think about where it puts you financially in the long run. Can you work part-time, in a different field or position to bring in sone income to make sure your family has a safety net? My experience with 30-35 hour work weeks allowed me to experience which balance is right for me. I can still make a significant financial contribution to the family at that rate. Leaving this position will be risky, but is exciting. Wish me luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You absolutely should. Sometimes I think we over exaggerate the difficulty to get back into the workforce after a short (1-2 year) break. I myself wish I had taken a break during the early years.

I totally agree with this. The really good workers/employees are always valued and can re-enter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some good points expressed here, and do what your gut tells you to do OP. It may not hurt to ask if you can go to part-time status at work. I negotiated fewer hours in my work week, and it really helped! However it was temporary so I am going to leave this position because I am lucky enough that I am in a field that offers flexibility. I agree it isn't all or nothing. I think people who think you need to "suck it up" are missing the point that it is your life to determine what you value. Maybe there are consequences that there it "stalls "you professionally, but you get to decide if you are okay with that. I also think it is a fair point to think about where it puts you financially in the long run. Can you work part-time, in a different field or position to bring in sone income to make sure your family has a safety net? My experience with 30-35 hour work weeks allowed me to experience which balance is right for me. I can still make a significant financial contribution to the family at that rate. Leaving this position will be risky, but is exciting. Wish me luck!

Not op, but good luck.