Taking a Career Break for the Holidays Permission Granted | Your Trauma Wise Career Guide Ep 34

If you're exhausted just thinking about the holidays while everyone else seems to be celebrating... this one's for you.

In this episode of Your Trauma Wise Career Guide, I'm giving you explicit permission to take a career break during the holidays - not because you're failing, but because it might be the most strategic career move you can make right now.

What We Cover:
🎯 Why career breaks feel forbidden for trauma survivors (and why your nervous system makes rest feel dangerous)
🎯 What a "career break" actually means during the holidays (hint: it's not quitting your job)
🎯 The strategic value of rest for your professional success (backed by real client stories)
🎯 How to actually take a break when everything in you is screaming to do more
🎯 What to do instead of career development that actually supports your long-term success
🎯 How to return to career focus after the holidays without losing momentum

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Hook: Feeling exhausted about the holidays?
0:07 - Introduction: Why this episode matters right now
1:30 - Why career breaks feel forbidden for trauma survivors
4:30 - What a "career break" actually means
7:00 - The strategic value of rest (Maria's story)
10:00 - How to actually take a break (5 practical strategies)
13:30 - What to do instead of career stuff
15:30 - Returning to career focus after the holidays
17:00 - Call to action & final permission

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:
✓ You feel guilty about not working on your career during the holidays
✓ You're exhausted but feel like you can't afford to rest
✓ You're managing trauma responses while trying to navigate family gatherings
✓ You're worried that taking a break will make you fall behind
✓ You're in early to mid-stage healing and work feels like survival
✓ You need permission to prioritize your nervous system over productivity

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
→ Your body's need for rest is not a character flaw - it's information
→ Rest IS productive. Survival IS an accomplishment.
→ Taking a career break during the holidays doesn't mean you've given up on your goals
→ A regulated nervous system is the foundation for sustainable career success
→ You can pause and restart - rest doesn't destroy what you've built

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Free workplace survival guides and boundary-setting tools: cyndibennettconsulting.com/resources

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Transcript

Taking a Career Break for the Holidays: Permission Granted | Your Trauma Wise Career Guide Ep 34

Cyndi: [00:00:00] If you're exhausted, just thinking about the holidays while everyone else seems to be celebrating, this one's for you.

Did you know that trauma impacts how we navigate our careers, but most career advice ignores this reality? Imagine feeling confident and safe at work while honoring your healing journey. Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide, the podcast that reimagines career development for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Cyndi Bennett, a trauma survivor, turned trauma informed, career coach and founder of the Resilient Career Academy. If you're navigating your career while honoring your healing journey, you are in the right place.

It is Thanksgiving week here in the US and if you are like a lot of the trauma survivors I work with, you might be feeling... complicated about it.

Everyone around you is posting about gratitude and [00:01:00] family gatherings and holiday cheer. Meanwhile, you're just trying to figure out how you're going to get through family dinner without having a panic attack.

Or maybe you're wondering how you'll have energy for work next week when the holidays alone take everything you've got.

And somewhere in the back of your mind, there's this voice telling you that you should be working on your career goals right now. That successful people don't take breaks. That if you pause, you'll fall behind. That rest is for people who have it all together and you need to work twice as hard to make up for... everything.

Today I want to give you something different. I want to give you permission-- explicit, trauma-informed permission-- to take a career break during the holidays. Not because you're failing. Not because you're weak. But because taking a break might be the most strategic [00:02:00] career move you can make right now.

Let's start with why this feels so hard for so many of us. When you've survived trauma, rest can feel dangerous. Your nervous system learned that staying vigilant, staying productive, staying one step ahead of how you survived, stopping felt like giving someone- or something-- an opportunity to catch up with you.

And in professional settings? That gets even more complicated. Many of us carry this deep fear that if we stop working, even for a holiday, we'll be seen as lazy, unreliable, not serious about our careers. We worry that our trauma has already put us behind everyone else, so we can't afford to take breaks that normal people take.

There's also this thing I see all the time with folks in early to mid-stage healing, where [00:03:00] work is primarily about survival and basic security, not advancement.

When you're in this place, you're using so much energy just to appear functional at work, that the thought of taking a break feels terrifying. What if you can't get back into the rhythm? What if the break makes it even harder to mask when you return? What if people notice how exhausted you really are?

Here's what I want you to understand: your body's need for rest is not a character flaw. It's information.

When you need a break, especially during the holidays when you're navigating family dynamics, travel stress, or the emotional weight of this season, that need is real. It's not something you need to overcome or push through. It's something you need to honor.

Now let's get clear on what I mean by a career break during the holidays, because I'm not talking about quitting your job or [00:04:00] abandoning your goals. A career break during the holidays might look like:

Pausing professional development activities. That means you're not listening to career podcasts-- well, except this one, if it feels supportive. You're not reading business books. You're not working on your LinkedIn profile or researching your next career move. You're giving yourself permission to just... be.

Not networking. You don't have to turn every holiday gathering into a networking opportunity. You don't have to ask your uncle about job openings at his company. You don't have to pitch yourself to your cousin's friend who works in your industry. Social events can just be social events, even if they're difficult ones.

Letting go of productivity metrics. You're not tracking your accomplishments. You're not setting new goals for January. You're not beating yourself up for not being [00:05:00] "productive" with your time off. Rest is productive. Survival is an accomplishment.

Doing the absolute minimum at work if you're working. If you have to work through the holidays, you're giving yourself permission to do exactly what's required and not one thing more. No going above and beyond. No volunteering for extra projects. No staying late to impress anyone. You show up, you do your job, and you protect your energy.

Here's what a career break does not mean. It doesn't mean you've given up on your career. It doesn't mean you're not ambitious. It doesn't mean you'll never make progress. It means you're recognizing that sustainable career success requires periods of rest and the holidays- especially when you're managing trauma responses- are an appropriate time to rest.

[00:06:00] I want to shift your thinking about rest from something that holds you back to something that actually moves you forward. When you're exhausted, truly exhausted in that bone deep way that trauma survivors know so well- everything is harder. Decision making becomes nearly impossible. You can't access your creativity or strategic thinking. Your emotional regulation takes more effort. Your performance at work declines even as you're trying harder. Rest, real rest, gives your nervous system a chance to regulate. And when your nervous system is more regulated, you show up differently in your professional life.

You might notice that you can: think more clearly about what you actually want in your career or set boundaries without guilt spiraling for days afterward, recover from workplace stress more quickly. Make decisions from a [00:07:00] place of clarity rather than survival mode. Show up as more of your authentic self. 

These aren't small things. These are the foundations of sustainable career success.

Let me tell you about a client I worked with- i'll call her Maria. Maria was in early stage healing, working in a demanding corporate environment, and she came to me in November, absolutely burned out. She was terrified that if she took time off during the holidays, she'd lose momentum, fall behind, maybe even lose her job. I encouraged her to truly rest during her week off. No career development, no networking, no productivity. Just rest, family time, and taking care of herself.

When she came back in January, she told me something that actually surprised her. She said, I actually had the energy to speak up in a meeting about something that wasn't right. I wanted to do that for [00:08:00] months, but I never had the capacity. The break gave me that capacity back.

That's the strategic value of rest. It doesn't just help you survive-- it helps you build the capacity to do the things that actually move your career forward.

Okay, so maybe I've convinced you that taking a break is okay. But how do you actually do it when everything in you is screaming that you should be doing more?

First set micro expectations. Don't tell yourself, "I'm going to rest for two weeks". That might feel overwhelming or impossible to enforce. Instead, try this: "I'm going to rest today. Just today." And then tomorrow you can make that same decision again.

For some of you, it might be even smaller: "I'm going to rest for the next two hours", or "I'm going to let myself watch this [00:09:00] movie without also scrolling LinkedIn."

Second, create a not doing list. We are used to to-do lists, but for this break, I want you to make a "not doing list." Write down all the career related things you're intentionally NOT doing during this time. This helps your brain recognize that this is a choice, not a failure.

Your list might include: not checking work email outside of work hours, not researching job postings, not attending networking events, not feeling guilty about resting, not comparing my career progress to others on social media.

Third, prepare for the guilt. The guilt will probably show up. That voice that says you're being lazy, that everyone else is getting ahead while you rest, that you don't deserve to take a break. When it shows up, you can say something like, " Thank you for trying to protect me, [00:10:00] but right now rest is what will actually keep me safe and help me move forward. I'm making a strategic choice."

Fourth, use the holidays as practice. If you can take a career break during the holidays, you're building a skill. You are learning that you can pause and restart. You're proving to yourself that rest doesn't destroy everything you've built. And that's information you can use throughout the year when you need to take other breaks.

Fifth, tell someone your plan. If you have a trusted friend, therapist, or a supportive family member, tell them you're taking a career break during the holidays. Having someone who knows and supports this decision can help you stick with it when the guilt tries to take over.

So if you're not working on your career during the holidays, what are you doing?

 Here are some trauma-informed suggestions that actually support your [00:11:00] long-term professional success, even though they don't look like "career development":

number one, regulation practices. This might be the most career relevant thing you can do. Spend time doing things that help regulate your nervous system. That might be walking gentle movement, listening to music, spending time with safe people, or just being still. A regulated nervous system is the foundation for everything else in your career.

Two, enjoyment without productivity. Do something just because it feels good, not because it's useful. Read fiction. Watch movies. Cook something you enjoy. Garden. Create art. Play video games. Whatever brings you joy without needing to justify it or turn it into a skill for your resume.

Number three, connection. If you have safe people in your life, spend [00:12:00] time with them. Not networking- just being with people who make you feel seen and valued for who you are, not what you do.

Number four, nothing. Literally nothing. Staring out your window. Sitting with your coffee. Lying on the couch. Doing nothing is not wasting time- it's giving your brain the space it needs to process, integrate and restore.

Number five, tiny joys. Notice the small things that bring you even a moment of peace and pleasure. The way light comes through a window. A warm drink. A soft blanket. A funny meme. These moments matter, especially when the holidays feel hard.

The goal here isn't to fill your break with different productive activities. It is to genuinely rest and let your nervous system know that you're safe enough to not be in constant motion.

Eventually, the [00:13:00] holidays will end and you'll return to thinking about your career. And here's what I want you to know: You will not have lost everything by taking a break. In fact, you might find that you return with: more clarity about what you actually want, more energy to take action on your goals, better boundaries to protect your capacity. Proof that you can pause and restart, a stronger foundation for sustainable success.

When you're ready to reengage with career development, you can start small. Maybe you listen to one podcast episode. Maybe you update one thing on your resume. Maybe you send one networking message. You don't have to make up for "lost time" because rest isn't lost time.

And if you discover that you need more time? That's okay too. Some of you might realize that you need to extend your break into [00:14:00] January or beyond, and that's a valid choice. Your healing timeline and your career timeline don't have to match anyone else's expectations. The most important thing is that you're learning to listen to your needs and respond with compassion instead of pushing through at all costs. That's a skill that will serve you throughout your entire career.

So here's what I want to leave with you today. If you need to take a career break during the holidays, you have permission. From me, from anyone who understands trauma and healing, and most importantly, from yourself.

This isn't giving up, this isn't falling behind. This is honoring your humanity and building the foundation for sustainable success.

If you found this episode helpful, I'd love for you to share it with someone else who might need to hear this message. Sometimes we can accept permission for ourselves more easily when we know we're not [00:15:00] alone.

 And if you're looking for more support in building a career that honors your healing journey, you can find free resources on my website: cyndibennettconsulting.com/resources. I've got workplace survival guides, boundary setting tools, and a supportive community of other trauma survivors who are navigating this same journey.

Thank you for spending this time with me today. However you spend your holidays, whether you're resting, working, surviving, or somewhere in between.

I'm glad you're here. You're doing better than you think you are. Take care of yourself out there.

You're not walking this path alone. Every step you take toward a trauma wise career is an act of courage, and I'm here cheering you on. If today's episode resonated with you, share it with another survivor who needs to hear this message. Together we're rewriting the rules of career [00:16:00] success. Keep rising, keep healing, keep building.