Emotionally, I feel great! I had so much anxiety and stress about leaving—what others would think of me, concern about loss of identity, worries about my team, and whether I properly handed everything off to my replacement. Within the first few days, I started feeling physically lighter. I’m not sure how to explain it other than I just felt like a weight I had been carrying around for years was lifted off my shoulders. Anxieties I didn’t even realize were there just suddenly disappeared. The tightness in my shoulders, neck, and chest lifted away and relaxed.

One of the most noticeable moments occurred on Sunday. I was relaxing at home late morning after finishing breakfast, and my brain went into weekly prep mode. I literally sat on the couch and started thinking out loud about all the chores I needed to get done before the end of the day. I had to consciously stop and remind myself that I didn’t need to plan the entire week on Sunday afternoon. Instead, I made sure I had enough for breakfast on Monday and redirected my focus to other projects, like a flooring project I am working on in my laundry room.

I’ve been going to the grocery store about every other day, which is kind of perfect. I buy exactly what I need to prep for the meal I’m cooking each day, which means less waste and fresher ingredients. Additionally, I’ve been prepping things like marinades, dry rubs, etc., each morning so the food has time to absorb the flavors before grilling/cooking in the afternoons.

One of the biggest impacts I’ve noticed so far is the ability to clear my mind and just sit in silence. I did gymnastics, theatre, and sang in multiple choirs throughout my childhood. I was a gymnast until my mid-teens and focused heavily on yoga and meditation in my 20s and early 30s. As my life and career progressed, my idle and meditative thought processes were consumed by the need to constantly chew on tough problems. This was not something specific to my prior company but rather a systemic challenge associated with many modern jobs in our thought-based economy. Big organizational problems require big organizational thoughts, and as a leader in an organization, those thoughts inevitably fill any voids where idleness might exist.

Now, I find myself enjoying the silence, letting my mind wander freely, and reconnecting with the peaceful, contemplative part of myself that had been overshadowed by the demands of my career. It’s a refreshing and deeply satisfying change that I’m embracing wholeheartedly.