Sabbatical as a Mindset - What It Feels Like to Live Intentionally

Psychology
Written By Simone Smerilli
“Until we make the unconscious conscious, we will be dictated by it and call it fate.”
— Carl Jung

It feels far too complex—unimaginable sometimes—to let go. Let go of the workism status quo and the constant tension between the need to rest and the tension of missing out on important events or becoming useless and unappreciated by your career-focused self who places industriousness above everything else, even when you are burnt out and just need some rest.

It feels cowardly to rest, unplug from the hyperactive hive-mind nature of daily routine, and merely exist in presence and mindfulness and a gentle, calibrated carelessness. It feels idealistic. Something a poet may rhyme about or a philosopher hypothesizes. Yet you find yourself resonating with those concepts, at a deep level, which you have been repressing for some time for the sake of climbing the hierarchy—whatever its nature and scope.

You need to end up in unfamiliar territory to internalize the concept of taking time off, breathing through life, and being present. Unfamiliar territory may be burnout; the sensation you have reached a point of no return; the feeling that you cannot sustain what you are doing any longer. You are done. Sometimes you need to experience what it feels like to be at the bottom in order to climb back up with your hands and feet, or remain there—but decide consciously.

Change feels tough. It does not necessarily have to be. You need to let go of a part of you right now in order to experience a better you in the future. Jerry Colonna—coach of many high-ranking CEOs and leaders—posits that we can all benefit from a “sabbatical mindset” (Colonna, 2022). You may consider this concept, but for change to happen, that is not enough. Internalization is required for change to take place.

A sabbatical mindset is now. It has nothing to do with hedonic adaptation and the expectation gap. Sabbath—the root of the word “sabbatical”—means complete rest. Unapologetic rest. When you employ the sabbatical mindset, you consciously decide to embark on a journey of “radical self-inquiry” (Colonna, 2022). You check in with yourself regularly and without expectations. You are in touch with your authentic self. And when it is the time—or when you plan to do so—you unplug, take time off, and drop your egoic expectations of more work.

The internalization journey of a sabbatical mindset needs to start small, especially if you are a very conscientious person. You may begin with one weekend off—truly off. A sabbatical—however short it be—means disconnecting completely (while keeping in touch with reality based on the true circumstances of your life position). A sabbatical may correspond to the think week popularized by Bill Gates, or taking a day off from the constant mind chatter you partake in to make space for your favorite activity—like rock climbing or going for a long bike ride.

Often, there is comfort in the familiar territory of constant work and no sabbaticals. The kind of comfort one experiences in complaining without taking action. It is hedonic, unproductive comfort. In your sabbatical, you want to engage in an activity that generates cold boredom (Colonna, 2022). Cold boredom is when there is no drama in your mind, and you are ok with it. Steering the oatmeal in the morning. Folding your clean clothes. Meditating. And whatever activity produces a sensation of presence and tranquility in you.

“The forest knows where you are. You must let it find you.”
— David Wagoner

RESOURCES AND FURTHER READINGS

Simone Smerilli
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