Leaving Your Corporate Job Without a Plan? – How Journaling Can Guide Your Next Step
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 3
- 6 min read
Yolan Bedasse started her corporate career 10+ years ago and understands first hand the struggles of navigating a stressful job and the pressures of every day life. She’s been the woman whose image of a “put together life” actually required a careful dance of being kept awake at 2am by her own thoughts and never asking for help.
There comes a moment where the “it’s time to go” creeps in. It’s usually between the after-hours/weekend emails, the endless meetings, and the exhaustion from commuting. And once you reach this point, you start fantasizing about walking away from your job, and you're in a haze. You’re not rational in this space; everything is chaotic. The only thing you seem to have control over is your thoughts, and they are on repeat constantly with no end in sight. So, how do you manage?
Deciding to walk away from a job that seems great on paper (fancy job title, six figures, health insurance, dare I say bragging rights?) is not easy. You’ll make it a thousand times in your head before it’s a done deal, or you change your mind.
This is where putting pen to paper is more than reflection. It’s a chance for clarity, perspective, and emotional processing. Because ultimately, writing builds self-trust, and that’s the number one thing you need to thrive in these moments.
The inevitable chaos that comes with career transition
Career transitions are often positioned as well-calculated, strategic moves. There is this pressure to have “the next” figured out before you resign.
“The sensible thing to do is to have another job lined up before you go.”
“Don’t let anyone make you quit before you’re ready.”
“Just tough it out. Maybe find another role in the company, change teams.”
“It can’t be that bad. You know how many people would love to have the position you have?”
Any of this sound familiar? You may hear variations of these from the people closest to you. But it’s also most likely you’re hearing this from yourself. This can be motivating for some to figure things out quickly. Then there are people like us who have listened to the voices previously. We stuck with the job or found a new one. Then time passed, and here we are again hearing the whispers “it’s time to go”.
So now, the thought of following through with strategizing makes you exhausted. You have no idea what your next move is. You just know you’re tired of thinking and need a break. The only thing that you’re willing to listen to is your gut, and it’s screaming, “time to move on, even with nothing else lined up”.
This can be a lonely experience. Even with support, it’s still just you and your thoughts at 2 AM. Writing gives us the chance to get everything out of our heads and onto paper. It’s okay, let it out. I promise you, by 7 AM, you’ll have a fresh pile of thoughts ready to go again.
Decision-making tool – Shifts your perspective
Have you ever had the urge to go through your home and purge? Maybe it’s combing through your closet and deciding what to donate to Goodwill. Or maybe it’s finally tackling that pile of papers in the corner of your home office that you’ve procured over the past decade. How did you feel after? Lighter and relieved come to mind. I can’t stand clutter, and my tolerance diminishes with age. The peace I feel when I sit in a space I just decluttered is unmatched. I think our minds work the same way. According to this Psychology Today article, improving one’s mental health is a benefit of decluttering:
“Decluttering increases self-worth, creates healthy habits, and boosts productivity. A clean and tidy home can also improve sleep, boost mood, and promote relaxation.”
If this is the effect a clean physical space can have, why wouldn’t it be the same for our mental space? Writing helps us declutter the mind, which frees up capacity and allows us to process and plan more effectively. When you’re in the middle of a major life change, you are your best sounding board. You need to hear yourself think. Journaling helps to create perspective by allowing you to view your thoughts from a different angle.
Processing career identity
A shift in your identity is inevitable, especially if you come from a culture that glorifies long hours and fancy job titles. And if you read this and thought “I don’t care about job titles, it’s not part of my identity” or “I’m not shallow, I don’t value the bragging rights that come with making six figures in a well-respected company”. I understand. I feel the same way.
And yet, when I left my job, I was convinced, hand to God, that my worries would be dominated by financial insecurity. And while those thoughts do cross my mind, what took up residence is “My independence is important to me. I’ve been taking care of myself since I started working. What happens now?” Took me a while to realize I never tied my identity to the job title or the company, but I tied it to my independence, and the fancy job title bankrolled it. It was a reminder that my biggest fear wasn’t losing the corporate label, but losing control. So now what?
Honestly, I don’t know yet – I’m still processing. I’ll let you know when I do. But for now, it doesn’t consume me, and I think that’s because of my daily writing practice for two reasons:
Journaling helps me to confront my fears and shifts my perspective. For instance, I’m still paying my bills, and my lifestyle hasn’t changed.
In the event I’ll need to make adjustments down the line, I know I’m capable. Why? I’m resilient and resourceful. Journaling is not only about brain dumps and perspectives in the moment. It’s also a road map of sorts. It shows you where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. One of my favorite things to do in the quiet, still mornings is to read past journal entries. Seeing where my headspace was at shows me my resilience in those moments I felt weak, and it gives me the confidence that I’ll have what I need when I need it, just like I do now.
Journaling helped me to see that my independence wasn’t solely built on my job but on my resilience and ability to adapt.
Actionable steps to use journaling to guide your decision
1. Incorporate journaling into your morning routine
It’s going to feel awkward at first, putting thoughts to paper. It can feel like you’re talking to yourself, writing in a book that only you can read. But stick with it, and over time you’ll come to crave it. For a deeper look into how journaling has shaped my mornings and given me clarity when I needed it, check out this companion piece, The Quiet Side of Life: How Journaling In The Mornings Changed My Life.
2. Journaling prompts
If you struggle with knowing where to start, here are a few prompts to get things flowing:
What does success look like for me without the fancy job title?
What’s the worst scenario if I walk away? Is there anything I can do to prepare?
What are the hidden costs of staying in my current situation?
And if you ever find yourself awake at 2 AM struggling to quiet the mind, this exercise will do the trick.
Yolan Bedasse, Life Coach: Boundaries & Self Love
Yolan is a certified life coach and loves all things that exude cozy, homey vibes. She started her corporate career 10+ years ago and understands first hand the struggles of navigating a stressful job and the pressures of every day life. She’s been the woman whose image of a “put together life” actually required a careful dance of being kept awake at 2am by her own thoughts and never asking for help. In 2022, she became a certified life coach with the goal of helping women who also know this struggle. Her fellow hyper independent, over-thinkers who want to be self assured, get into a loving relationship with the word no and wear their imperfections proudly. All while finding little moments to exhale.
