What does a three-month sabbatical look like when you’re 25? 

When I was laid off last year, it left me with a gaping hole in my self-worth. If I could get laid off from a dream job, what hope was there for me, really? 

Unfortunately, as an adult you can’t wallow in self-pity – you have to pay your bills. So I fell back on the one job I’ve always enjoyed. Horseback riding. 

How is that a job?

Yes, you can turn that into a job. Not a job that pays good money, but a job that allows you to get outside into nature, play with beautiful creatures, and pay like ⅔ of your bills. (laughs in broke millennial with gaping debt). 

So I spend my days at a ranch, exercising horses and teaching kids how to ride. It’s almost bliss. Almost because it doesn’t pay the bills – and that, my dear friends, is nothing but a huge pile of stress. 

But it’s done huge things for my mental health. As in, I actually have mental health now. I’ve always thought that part-time work was the path for me. But I’d only ever tried hard jobs like part-time barista. Which were not up my alley. So I couldn’t actually test out my theory. 

That was before three months ago. When I was brought into my boss’ boss office, I knew no good could come from that. I was right. One swift conversation later, I found myself unemployed. So I scrambled to find any sustainable work. I called ranches in the area until I found one that was hiring a Western instructor. And I’ve made myself indispensable. 

I love it. Truly, I do.

It’s required me to slow down my pace. My boss is so kind. And the work feels comfortable and safe. I can do it in my sleep. Well, not actually but it feels that way. I know that I can work like this for a sustained period of time. 

I’ve talked to my therapist a lot about what I want my future to look like. And I’ve come back to time and time again that I just want an easy job I can do over and over without getting bored. 

Working with horses seems to be that path. But it’s scary to bet on yourself. I work on commission. Every lesson I give is $20 in my pocket. I work all the time. Today is my first day off since my vacation in early February. It’s sporadic work. And it’s caused me to question what I want to do with my life. 

Considering a future career 

That’s a good thing, I guess. I’ve spent so much time in the personal finance community that it’s hard to imagine a job where I take on more debt to figure out what I want to do. But I’m leaning more and more in that direction. 

Equine therapy – helping people heal through large animals – is more and more appealing to me. My therapist thinks I’d be good at it, too, and has offered to write me a letter of recommendation. 

Unpaid labor sucks… and runs rampant 

But one thing I’ve noticed about any horse work (and correct me if I’m wrong) is that a lot of unpaid labor goes into these types of jobs. And that is simply not up my alley. 

I already know I’ve pulled back from some unpaid labor to help my mental health. 

And I’m looking for jobs. I already know that this work, while enjoyable, isn’t sustainable. At all. 

I interviewed at a few really cool places and made it through the first couple rounds of interviews. 

But for the meantime, I’m establishing solid habits. 

The first thing I adjusted was my bedtime. I go to bed around 10-11 every evening. Next, after getting a new psychiatrist, I established a good med routine. I don’t go to sleep without taking them. Ever. 

Now, I’m working on a solid morning routine. I wake up at 8:05, brush my teeth, and head to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. I don’t know the last time I consistently ate a solid breakfast, and it’s turned my day around. 

With my job, it’s hard to create a day-to-day routine, so I’ve been focusing on resting during the day. I’m finally recovering from burnout and have the energy to do fun things, like blog. (Hi, friends, I missed you!) 

Taking a sabbatical is a bit weird  

This is not where I thought my life was going to be when I turned 25. If I’m being honest, I thought I’d have 100k in the bank like Tori Dunlap, not spending down my savings recovering from some of the worst years of my life. 

My therapist is really proud of me though. So is my mom. 

All that to say, I’m not mad I’m right here. It’s hard to go against the grain – especially in the personal finance community. 

Right now is my best investing years, and I’m stuck digging myself out of work and childhood trauma. It sucks. But I’m trucking through.