I was unemployed for about six months and living off of savings and the occasional side hustle. It was the first time in my life I felt joy and peace. I thought I was just always going to be mentally ill, but the time to sleep enough, eat enough, and spend my time how I wanted totally changed the game.
Now that I'm rejoining the workforce, I feel this deep sense of dread and despair at the thought of how quickly my mental and physical health is going to deteriorate. I'm hoping in time I can reduce my hours or find a less stressful field, but for now I wish I knew I could hold on to my health and a job at the same time.