I'm in the incredibly fortunate position of being able to live work free for about 2-3 weeks after coming out of an intense year in a specialist position. The change in my mental health has been instant and dramatic – I've been so much more creative, passionate about life, free with my hobbies and friends, and overall I just feel positive and relaxed by having so much control over my day to day activities.
Since leaving the job I've been dabbling in part time work here and there to make ends meet and just dipping my toe back into the work world again has left me terrified of who I am when working full time. I feel so sad that I have to sacrifice my best self for the sake of working to live.