gap yearĪ less-formal way to describe taking a year off, particularly before beginning one’s undergraduate education after high school graduation, is with the phrase gap year. A sabbatical is typically understood to be a year-long break, but it can be any length of time. A sabbatical is “any extended period of leave from one’s customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.” As you may have guessed, sabbatical is related to the Sabbath, which literally refers to “the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians,” either Saturday or Sunday, depending. If you work or study in an academic setting, you may already be familiar with the term sabbatical. The word recess comes from Latin recessus, meaning “a withdrawal.” Taking a recess can signal a longer break than a pause. Recess means “temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity.” One could say they are on a recess, taking a recess, or going on a recess. You probably remember recess from grade school, but graduates and other adults can take a recess too.
Most commonly, pause is paired with the verb take, as in I took a pause after graduation. If the word hiatus is a bit too formal for your purposes, you may prefer to use the everyday pause, “a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action.” It is worth noting, however, that pause implies a short break, whereas hiatus implies one of indefinite length. What’s the difference between break and brake? pause
hiatusĪnother term for taking a break is hiatus, “a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.” You can use the verbs take or go with hiatus, as in “I am taking a hiatus” or “I am going on hiatus.” The word hiatus comes from the Latin hiātus meaning “opening, gap.” Before it had its present meaning, the word hiatus in English had a meaning closer to the original Latin to literally describe a “chasm” or “aperture.” The idea expressed by breathing space is that you are pausing-literally or figuratively-to catch your breath and recombobulate yourself. Breathing space, also known as a breathing spell, is “an opportunity to rest or think.” While this expression might sound a little New Age-y to our ears, it was actually first recorded around 1640. Getting some breathing space is important, especially after a sustained period of hard work or accomplishing a major goal. While the term downtime was developed in the context of work, and particularly the industrialized workplace, taking some downtime or getting some downtime has come to describe any temporary pause from work or strenuous activity in order to rest and recharge.
An older term for this practice was dead time, but thankfully this expression has largely passed out of use. The word downtime literally means “a time during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive.” For example, if you are scrolling Insta and drinking a coffee at work, this would be considered downtime. For that, you can use one of the expressions below.
But maybe you want to be more specific or express a particular kind of break. Reading, going on a round-the-world trip, birdwatching, you name it-these could all fall under the heading of taking some time for yourself. Saying “I am taking some time for myself” also has the advantage of being vague enough that it can apply to nearly any activity. It can be found in use as far back as the late 1800s. The expression taking some time is a casual, polite way to express the idea that you will be focusing on your personal needs and wants in the near future.
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