As we have noted in The Structure of a Sabbatical, a sabbatical goes through three phases, sometimes longer or shorter depending on your circumstances -- the Entry, the Deepening and the Exit. Among these three, the Entry is the most critical. A poorly executed entry into a sabbatical can lead to problems during both the deepening and the exit phases.

The reason the entry is most crucial to navigate well is that this is also the time when you might feel the most anxious and nervous, suffering the most from withdrawal symptoms linked to your stressful environment and hence most likely to spoil your sabbatical by desiring an early exit.

The first point I want to emphasize is that such anxiety is perfectly normal. It's a common reaction to withdrawing from a stressful environment. As seen in the article "Junkie," your body and mind may create stress to obtain their cortisol and adrenaline fixes. This stress often manifests as fear for the future, low self esteem and so on.

This is when we should be glad that we have well-planned our sabbatical, consciously allowing ourselves the time to rest and recover. We don't need to succumb to these fears at this moment. However, it is crucial to bear this in mind as you navigate your entry into the sabbatical: you are likely to feel stressed. Quite stressed.

But recovery from overwork and stress is not the real goal of the sabbatical. The real goal of the sabbatical is to reconnect with your true desires.