Why ‘adult gap years’ may not work for the terminally online

Adult gap years are having a moment.

Last month, the Associated Press published a story about so-called mini sabbaticals, wherein people are leaving a job or making the most out of long-term unemployment. Doing so can greatly improve one’s mental health, according to the AP story, and can help reorient priorities.

““I wish we could have done it sooner,” one sabbatical-taker told the AP.

The story was quickly pilloried on X (formerly Twitter), where users said that the very concept of an “adult gap year” was loaded with privilege. “Those that can afford to do this are already plenty rejuvenated I promise,” one person noted. Many more snarked that the AP story was trying to put a positive spin on the trauma of losing one’s source of income. (The writer of the AP piece, Colleen Tebeau, tells Fast Company that she was trying to report on  those for whom a yearlong break was “more of an intentional choice,” and acknowledges not everyone can afford to do so.)

But at the heart of the minor media drama isn’t just a question of privilege; it’s also one of connectedness. That is, meager finances combined with a propensity to be online (as it is a low-to-no-cost activity) can be a recipe for disaster.

“It is nearly impossible to have a restorative break when one needs to worry about affording their basic needs—watching a paltry savings account dwindle is rarely rejuvenating,” says Renée Zavislak, a licensed therapist based in California. “After more than a decade in private practice, I can tell you there are only two things that cause suffering: trauma and capitalism.”

Zavislak says while separating from a toxic job can greatly improve one’s mental health, the long haul of unemployment can have grave detrimental effects on it, too. For the chronically online, it can be a dangerous trap and an especially challenging time. 

“I would go so far as to say that any time we reject the trappings of capitalism, we are pursuing health,” she says. “The unhealthy aspects pertain to how we navigate the unemployment period that follows.”

Zavislak uses a fake subject she calls “Ari” as an example: “Let’s imagine Ari has quit their job due to a toxic work environment. [That’s] healthy. Now, faced with the aforementioned dwindling savings account, Ari spends the majority of their days online looking for work and otherwise web-surfing; this is by definition unhealthy and will certainly exacerbate unemployment.”

Casie L. Hall, the owner of Three Oaks Behavioral Health & Wellness in Raleigh, North Carolina, tells Fast Company the “anxiety-inducing” unemployment period can make someone prone to more toxic confirmation biases about their struggles when they spend all their free time online—especially in the doomscrolling economy of X. 

“It is important to understand that unemployment can be a time of tremendous vulnerability, making someone more likely to fall down the unhelpful and addictive draws of the internet and social media,” she says. “If we are upset at our circumstance and hop online in that activated state, we will be more vulnerable to hopping into chats, threads, and spaces that further confirm our feelings.”

In this exact way, for those who are prone to being terminally online, an adult gap year can be anything but rejuvenating. 

“The longer we are in it, the deeper and more detailed the online space becomes, and the harder it gets to find our way back out,” Hall explains. Zavislak points to research that shows adults who spend six hours or more on the internet are at a significantly higher risk for depression. Excessive web use often leads to sensory overload, insomnia, and attention deficit issues, she added.

But if you’ve lost your job and have limited financial access to de-stressors like therapy or spa treatments (or even free access to the Great Outdoors, depending on where you live), what are you to do?

She and Hall strongly advise setting firm boundaries with screen time. “Marinating in one’s joblessness within a capitalist society is a straight path to both depression and existential anxiety,” says Zavislak. “Two hours a day is a great place to start. With the rest of the time, focus on the holistic supports for mood and wellness that are so much more accessible to us when we aren’t beholden to a work schedule.” 

She suggests eating well, sleeping sufficiently (and aiming to wake up each day without an alarm), and spending time outside and under direct sunlight (“through the lenses of the eyes which means being outside for an hour daily with no glasses of any kind, no contact lenses”) are necessary antidotes to long, arduous unemployment periods. 

Hall had similar suggestions and pushes strongly for setting firm boundaries around being online or manic job hunting. “As you lean into the job search, set timers—perhaps 60 minutes of hard searching and applying followed by a 30-minute break to do something you enjoy. Walk the dog, play the video game, watch the show. Then back to the job search or the creative brainstorming.”

“The balance will keep you grounded, mindful, and still progressing forward.”

For those privileged enough to enjoy their vocational sabbaticals without deep-seated financial worries, experts also say this should incentivize employers to offer more gap year opportunities to their workers.  

“Employers have a responsibility to understand their employees’ needs, especially when it comes to potential burnout or need for work-life balance,” says Josh Smith, the global head of talent management for Sedgwick, a company that offers business solutions for federal employees. “This new definition of ‘sabbaticals’ could also see employers’ supporting employees in learning new skills online while away from work, turning the so-called ‘terminally online’ topic on its head.” 

https://www.fastcompany.com/91119149/why-adult-gap-years-may-not-work-for-the-terminally-online?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss