2025, we need to talk. It’s not you… it’s, well, complicated.
This year, the workforce has been grim—and it’s felt personal in ways that are hard to ignore.
Moms of young children left the workforce at the highest rate in more than 40 years, and 57% of women told us their work-life balance worsened. Long-term unemployment spiked. And over one million job cuts were announced, largely due to cost‑cutting and AI restructuring. Gen Z employees are over it—almost half want to quit—and with employee engagement at a 10-year low, I can’t blame them.
To put it lightly: Many of us have lost that loving feeling. This year has been disruptive, and not in a good way. Like any bad relationship, 2025 has tested our patience, drained our energy, and left us questioning what we signed up for. It’s high time we break up.
Here’s how to do it, using the only language that seems relevant at this point: breakup lines.
“We want different things”
Translation: My job wants a ladder climber. I want fulfillment.
The breakup: Ask yourself, what does success look like outside of a 40-hour-plus work week? Then read this article on ditching hustle culture. Your career won’t be your parents’ career, and that’s okay.
“I deserve better.”
Translation: I deserve a work-life balance that actually works.
The breakup: Reclaim your time and your mindset. If your life were a pie graph, what percent would your career be? 60? 30? How can you slice it differently in 2026? Sketch it out if you can. Then go for a walk around the block: What percent of the pie would this simple walk be in 2025 versus 2026? Notice your pace—rushed and distracted, or slow and present? Your answer says a lot about what needs to change.
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
Translation: I can’t change 2025, but I also can’t keep reacting to every curveball. I need to step away.
The breakup: Silence notifications, stop streaming, and step away from social media for at least an hour—a whole day if you can. Use that free time to focus on grounding care: Write your thoughts about 2025 and forgive them (a reader recommendation from this poll), clear your desk, declutter your home, or even jot down 2025 goals you didn’t achieve and rip them up. In 2026, you “win the breakup” by choosing yourself—your peace, your pace, your boundaries—every single time.
“We need to take a break.”
Translation: I love what I’ve built, but right now it feels heavy. I need to recenter.
The breakup: Your medicine is play and connection. Put responsibilities on hold, and then: Take a long lunch, play hooky, dance in your kitchen, make a playlist that feels like freedom, or book a coffee chat with a favorite coworker. This relationship isn’t over-over. It just needs to rekindle its spark. Guess who holds the match? (For extra inspiration, explore your play personality here.)
“I need some space.”
Translation: I feel overwhelmed by 2025, my career, or my life.
The breakup: Space isn’t always physical. When overwhelm hits, carving mental space can clarify what matters most. Seek perspective through data that aligns with your experience, career advice from people who’ve been there, or conversations with friends about their own paths. You’re living an old story, told over and over. You don’t need to live it alone.
“I’m moving on”
Translation: What I’m doing right now isn’t working for me or my future.
The breakup: It’s not defeat to recognize when something (a job, a lifestyle, a person) isn’t working for you. It’s self-awareness meeting alignment. Here are some questions to help you make your next work year more harmonious with who you are now:
-
What kind of year do I actually want to create for myself?
-
Which new opportunities or experiences do I want to invite in?
-
What story about my career, life, or self do I want to rewrite?
-
How can I show up for myself differently next year?
Thanks for the lessons, 2025, but it’s over. Cheers to stepping into 2026 on our own terms.
Love what you're reading? From career growth to midday meditations, our email lineup delivers thoughtful insights, relatable data, and space to just be. Add InHerSight to your inbox today. (It's free!)
