Leaving a job can look straightforward from the outside. A resignation is submitted, the final working day arrives and a new chapter begins. But emotionally, the transition can be far more complicated.
One woman has offered an honest glimpse into that complicated period, explaining that quitting her job did not mean she suddenly stopped missing everything associated with working life.
Arushi, a content creator on Instagram, recently shared a candid video reflecting on what she misses after stepping away from her career—and, perhaps more importantly, what she is happy not to deal with anymore.
Her message resonated because it did not present leaving a job as either entirely liberating or entirely regrettable. Instead, she described the conflicting emotions that can exist at the same time: missing parts of a career while still believing that walking away was the right decision.
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Add Hunterfly on Google‘I Miss Earnings, But I Don’t Miss Being Exhausted’
One of the clearest points Arushi made was about money.
She said she missed the earnings that came with having a job, but not the exhaustion associated with earning that income.
The distinction is important because financial independence can be deeply connected to a person’s sense of freedom and security. Leaving employment can therefore involve a genuine financial adjustment, even when someone feels emotionally better after stepping away.
For Arushi, missing the money did not mean regretting the decision to leave.
Her reflection suggested that the income had come with a personal cost that she was no longer willing to accept in the same way.
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Add Hunterfly on GoogleShe also spoke about missing the challenge of solving difficult problems. Having demanding work can provide a sense of achievement and purpose, particularly for people who enjoy their profession.
But she drew a line between enjoying intellectual challenges and allowing work to consume personal time.
She missed solving difficult problems, she explained, but not having to solve them at midnight.
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Add Hunterfly on GoogleThat distinction captures one of the tensions many professionals face: enjoying the substance of their work while struggling with the expectations surrounding it.
She Misses Colleagues, Not Office Politics
Another part of working life that Arushi said she missed was having colleagues.
Workplaces can create social connections that are difficult to replicate after leaving a job. Daily conversations, shared experiences, teamwork and friendships can become an important part of a person’s routine.
Walking away from employment can therefore mean losing not only a salary but also a built-in social environment.
But Arushi was equally clear about what she did not miss.
She said she did not miss the office politics that came with workplace relationships.
Her comments highlight an often-overlooked aspect of career breaks. A person may miss the people they worked with without missing the organisational dynamics that surrounded them.
The two feelings are not contradictory.
Someone can value colleagues, teamwork and professional friendships while simultaneously feeling relieved to be away from workplace competition, conflict or politics.
A Routine Can Be Comforting—Until It Leaves You Exhausted
Arushi also reflected on routine.
Having a job often provides structure to everyday life. There is a fixed time to wake up, responsibilities to complete and a predictable rhythm from Monday to Friday.
After leaving employment, that structure can disappear.
While some people welcome the freedom, others can initially struggle with the absence of a familiar routine.
Arushi acknowledged that she missed having that structure. At the same time, she did not miss waking up tired every morning.
The observation gets to the heart of her larger message: something can provide stability while also contributing to exhaustion.
Leaving a job does not automatically erase the positive aspects of employment. It simply changes the balance between what a person values and what they are prepared to tolerate.
Financial Independence Is Another Difficult Part to Leave Behind
Money was another major theme in Arushi’s reflection.
A regular income can provide independence, flexibility and the ability to make personal decisions without depending on someone else financially.
For someone who has spent years earning their own money, leaving a job can therefore create an emotional as well as practical adjustment.
Arushi acknowledged missing that financial independence.
But she also made clear that she did not miss what she described as “killing myself” to earn that money.
Her comment reflects a broader conversation around the cost of maintaining a particular lifestyle or income level when work begins to affect physical and emotional energy.
It also shows why conversations about career breaks cannot be reduced to a simple question of whether quitting is good or bad.
For different people, the calculation involves money, health, identity, ambition, family responsibilities, time and personal priorities.
She Misses Her Career, But Not the Anxiety
Perhaps the most revealing part of Arushi’s video came when she acknowledged that she misses her career itself.
A professional identity can become closely intertwined with how people see themselves. Jobs can provide status, purpose, achievement and a sense of progress.
Leaving can mean losing access to some of those feelings.
At the same time, Arushi said she did not miss the anxiety that accompanied her career.
That distinction formed the central idea behind her reflection: missing something does not necessarily mean wanting it back.
A person can remember the rewarding aspects of a job while recognising that the overall experience was no longer sustainable.
This is particularly relevant for people considering a career break and feeling guilty about enjoying life outside traditional employment.
Social Media Users Related to Her Experience
The video struck a chord with viewers who had either taken a career break themselves or were considering stepping away from their jobs.
Some users congratulated Arushi for having the courage to make the decision.
Others appreciated the fact that social media could give people language for emotions they had struggled to express themselves.
One viewer said they did not regret stepping away from earning because they believed they deserved a break as well.
The responses reflected the range of emotions surrounding career changes. Not everyone who leaves a job feels completely free, just as not everyone who continues working feels satisfied.
For many people, the reality lies somewhere between the two.
Why Quitting a Job Can Bring Mixed Feelings
Arushi’s story also points to a broader reality about professional life: employment is rarely just about a salary.
A job can provide:
- Financial independence
- Professional identity
- Routine and structure
- Social interaction
- Intellectual challenges
- Opportunities for growth
- A sense of achievement
At the same time, work can also involve:
- Long hours
- Exhaustion
- Workplace pressure
- Office politics
- Anxiety
- Difficulty maintaining boundaries
- Reduced personal time
When someone quits, they may lose the first set of benefits while simultaneously escaping the second.
That is why a career break can feel both liberating and unsettling.
Missing Work Does Not Mean the Decision Was Wrong
The most relatable part of Arushi’s reflection may be the idea that two seemingly opposite emotions can coexist.
She can miss earning money and still be relieved not to work the same way.
She can miss colleagues without missing office politics.
She can miss solving difficult problems without wanting to deal with them late at night.
She can miss having a routine without missing the exhaustion that routine created.
And she can miss her career without missing the anxiety attached to it.
There is no requirement for a person to completely dislike their former life in order to justify leaving it.
Sometimes, people leave because the negative parts have become more significant than the positive ones. That does not erase the good memories or the achievements that came before.
The Conversation Around Career Breaks Is Changing
Career breaks are increasingly part of conversations about work, personal priorities and wellbeing. People may step away from employment for many different reasons, including family responsibilities, burnout, creative pursuits, education, entrepreneurship or simply the desire to reassess their direction.
Arushi’s video does not suggest that quitting a job is the right choice for everyone. Instead, her experience highlights the importance of recognising the complicated feelings that can accompany such a decision.
There can be relief without complete certainty.
There can be financial concerns alongside a sense of freedom.
And there can be nostalgia for a career without a desire to return to the circumstances that made leaving necessary.
That nuance is what appears to have connected with viewers.
A Reminder That Work and Identity Are Not the Same Thing
For many professionals, the hardest part of leaving a job may not be the work itself. It can be the loss of an identity built around being employed.
When a career occupies much of a person’s time, stepping away can create an unfamiliar amount of space. It can take time to discover what fills that space.
Arushi’s reflection presents that transition honestly. She does not pretend that everything became perfect after quitting. Instead, she acknowledges the things she misses while also recognising the pressures she no longer wants in her life.
That may be the most useful takeaway from her story.
A career can be meaningful without being sustainable forever. A person can be grateful for what a job provided and still decide that it is time to move on.
The Bigger Takeaway
Arushi’s candid reflection offers a more balanced perspective on what happens after leaving a job. Instead of framing career breaks as either a complete escape or a major mistake, she describes the reality as a mixture of loss, relief, nostalgia and freedom.
She misses the earnings, colleagues, challenges, routine and parts of her professional identity.
But she does not miss the exhaustion, midnight work, office politics, constant tiredness or anxiety.
For anyone questioning whether it is possible to miss a former career while still being happier without it, her answer is clear: yes.
Sometimes, moving forward does not require pretending that everything about the past was bad. It simply means recognising which parts were worth keeping—and which ones were no longer worth the cost.
