The allure of taking a month-long break from work is obvious. It’s a chance to unwind, recharge creative energy, travel to places you can’t jetset off to in a week, and spend more time with family and friends. For many it’s an elusive dream due to draconian time off policies. But for people with flexible work schedules, longtime employees who have saved their time off, or those who call their own shots, taking a month off can be a reality, which was the case for Nikki Innocent, a holistic coach for career, life, and interpersonal change. Best Life spoke with Innocent to find out how not working for a month was affordable, how it recharged her life and what noticeable changes took place as a result.
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Made Smart Financial Decisions
ShutterstockBefore taking a month-long break from work, Innocent made sure she was financially stable and took steps to ensure she’d be covered during that time.
“I run my own business,” she says. “I had saved money to start the business, and a couple of years into it, I took a sabbatical after selling my condo in the city for a profit to be more liquid to invest in the business.”
In addition, Innocent closed out client projects at the same time she sold her property which “allowed for more logistical freedom and flexibility.”
Toxic Work Environment
ShutterstockDuring her time off, Innocent addressed unhealthy issues she endured as a result of working in a toxic environment and reset her surroundings and got serious about overcoming them.
“I left corporate years before due to burnout and a misaligned environment but somehow found myself repeating similar behaviors as though the toxic work environment was still surrounding me after I left it,” she explains.
“My body broke down with a bizarre anaphylactic reaction and other physical signs of burnout and it wasn’t something I could ignore or work hard through,” Innocent shares. “I had added new areas of expertise, credentials and experience to my toolkit and I knew it was time to pivot my business. All of these elements aligned for a very clear invitation to reset and create space for reassessment.”
Focused on Rest
ShutterstockInnocent made the most of her time off and focused on rest and transforming her surroundings.
“I gave myself 6 weeks off, and I centered on rest and resetting my mindset,” she says. “I sold my condo and moved to a new city. I set up my new home with the intention so I felt settled and secure in whatever was coming next.”
Meditated
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To reset her mind, Innocent began a mindfulness practice through Deepak Chopra's 30-day meditation experience, read often and worked with people that helped her reach her goals.
“I began working with a new therapist and a positive psychology coach,” she explains. “I read a lot of books like Taming the Gremlin, Big Magic, I’m Judging You, and many memoirs to help add to my toolkit and widen my perspective to continue working through the belief and mindset blocks that had come up.”
In addition, Innocent utilized her free time to brainstorm her next moves.
“I wanted to use the skills and strengths that I had to build a resonant, sustainable business,” she says. “I met with people in my life who knew me to ground in who I am and how I’ve shown up most authentically.”
Broke Unhealthy Habits
ShutterstockAnother area Innocent focused on was letting go of unhealthy habits like pleasing people.
“I started embodiment work to tap into the wisdom of my physical and spiritual body rather than blindly following what my mind was telling me,” she says. “I realized there was so much untapped power and potential stuck in my body because so much of life has been in survival mode or people-pleasing mode, this break allowed me to get grounded and center myself rather than everyone else around me.”
Many Notable Changes
Taking a few weeks off of work to concentrate on herself resulted in several notable changes.
Innocent shares, “I had a deeper sense of self-compassion and trust in my intuition. I felt more connected to my body and less driven by the needs, wants, and approval of others. I truly was able to find an aligned way to fold mindfulness into my life when I needed it most. I was able to actively ‘slow down the movie reel,’ as my coach called it, to make values-aligned decisions.Innocent adds, “It also gave me the permission to truly feel the difference from my working self when I was a corporate employee (that had become my autopilot) and the version of myself who is able to do what was best for me instead of what I thought others would approve of or expect of me.”
Positive Mindset Shift
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While there were many positive changes from taking time off, Innocent experienced a major revelation that was life-changing. She says, “One of the biggest shifts was witnessing that when you took extended time, the world didn’t end or fall apart, taking time for yourself is actually a vital practice to refuel and to be open to the right types of opportunities that came my way.”
