It’s hard to believe that I’m already three months into this year I carved out for myself — a year I stepped into with equal parts courage, exhaustion, and hope. When I retired at the end of 2025, I knew I needed something different. Not a vacation. Not a productivity sprint. Something deeper. Something quieter. Something that would let me finally exhale after years of holding everything together.
This sabbatical is my promise to myself: to heal, to rest, to rebuild, and to remember who I am when I’m not rushing, performing, or surviving.
🌱What These First Three Months Have Really Looked Like
They’ve been gentler than I expected — and harder than I expected.
Some days feel spacious and nourishing, like I’m finally living at the rhythm my body has been begging for. Other days feel messy, emotional, or strangely surreal, as if I’m relearning how to inhabit my own life without the structure of work or the constant pressure to be “on.”
I find that I’m way busier (in a good way) than I anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, my mornings are deliciously slow, but then I usually get rolling after a few cups of well savored coffee. Some days I am very productive. And on the hard days, I allow myself to just “be” as long as I need to.
But even in the unevenness, I can feel something shifting. Slowly. Quietly. Honestly. I’m starting to breathe.
💛What I’m Learning So Far
- Rest is not passive. It’s an active choice I have to recommit to every day.
- Slowing down brings things to the surface. Grief, old patterns, old stories — all asking to be witnessed.
- My body has a lot to say. And I’m finally listening.
- Healing doesn’t follow a timeline. It unfolds in its own way, in its own time.
- I’m allowed to take up space. Even when I’m not producing anything.
🌤️What I’m Letting Go Of
I’m releasing the idea that I need to “earn” rest. I’m releasing the pressure to have a perfect plan for this year. I’m releasing the guilt that creeps in when I choose myself. I go to bed when I’m tired and I wake up when I’m ready.
🪻What I’ve Been Doing
I’ve been showing up for myself in BIG ways! I go to Pilates twice a week. I journal. I go to Stretch Lab. I get acupuncture monthly. I devour books. I started physical therapy for my knee. I take long walks. I recently went to Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah and hiked some amazingly difficult trails. And mostly, I cherish my time with family and friends. I will never take that for granted again.
🌸What I’m Leaning Into Next
These are the practices I want to nurture as I move into the next season of my self-care sabbatical:
- Continue to spend time in nature
- Daily rituals that ground me
- Creative expression without expectation
- Moments of joy that feel small but meaningful
- Honoring my emotional landscape instead of overriding it
- Being present with my daughter and with myself
🌻A Gentle Reminder (for You and for Me)
If you’re reading this and feeling the tug to slow down — even just a little — consider this your permission slip. You don’t need a full sabbatical to begin tending to yourself. You can start with one breath, one boundary, one moment of honesty.
I’m learning that healing isn’t a destination. It’s a relationship — one I’m finally giving the time and tenderness it deserves.
Photo Gallery
Here are some of the moments that shaped this season of my sabbatical — the trails, the light, the quiet, and the joy.
