[PragmaticPulp]

> because I'm extremely extremely burnt out

How often do you take real vacations?

Your scenario comes up a lot in FIRE forums: People lead unsustainably stressful work lives and think the only antidote is to quit. Then they decide they're not ready to quit, so they continue working the unsustainably demanding job.

The real solution is to work on refactoring your career. You need to teach yourself how to work sustainably, manage stress, and take vacations. Job won't allow it? Time to start looking for another job. Other jobs pay less? Doesn't matter, it's still more than you'd be paid if you burn out and have to quit to get relief.

Re: Gap years: You can find stories of people taking gap years and then diving right back into the workforce, but many of them are either from young people or people who have a network that can get them back into a job. If you're making a clean break and re-entering the workforce without job connections, it's going to be difficult in your 40s and 50s unless you have some very niche skills that are in demand. Hiring managers might be concerned that you're looking for a cushy semi-retirement job to keep you busy, and that you might simply retire again if the going gets tough. They'd rather hire someone whose career interests are more aligned with staying with the company. Keep this in mind with how you frame your gap year.

[pcglue]

Pre-pandemic, I'd take 3-4 weeks a year. I've only taken a 2 weeks off this past year, mainly because there's no where to go, so I've taken the 2 weeks just for mental health.

Everything you say makes sense and I am considering all of it, especially taking a lower paying, lower stress job.

[ghaff]

This is the first time in my rather long career when I haven't taken effectively every day I was owed. Couldn't go anywhere--or at least didn't feel comfortable doing so--and odd days here and there often ended as at least partial work days.

In a prior life, I took a few month-long trips to Nepal. No one ever complained although a few were a bit surprised I could do so.

[kelnos]

Agreed.

When I was earlier in my career and was fed up at my then-current job, an older, wiser coworker of mine took me aside and advised me to leave for the right reasons. Be sure that I was running toward something new that excited me, and not just running away from something that made me unhappy. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to just accept whatever first job came my way, or quit without any plan for the future at all.

The antidote to unsustainably stressful work is only quitting if you've thoroughly looked at what quitting really means and have decided that will truly make you happy.

Quitting might be an intentionally-short-term fix with a plan to find a better job with a healthier work/life balance. Quitting and retiring could be a long-term fix, too, but it's such a huge lifestyle change that it shouldn't be seen as simply a solution to the problem.