Pankaj Tripathi recently opened up about prioritising himself over work, leading a slow life, spending more time in self-introspection, and, hence, not signing any new films in the past year. “No one really knows. I am saying this for the first time. I haven’t done any film for the last year, but I haven’t announced that I am taking a break. I quietly took a back seat. I went on the path of self-realisation and physical healing. That is why I look a little fit. For about 2.5-3 hours, I work out six days a week,” the OMG 2 actor said.
He also travelled. “Something that I was pushing for a long time, I finally got a chance to do it. I went back to my hometown for 15 days. I also got a chance to go abroad for a few days,” he told Hollywood Reporter India.
While admitting that he did “ads from time to time”, and some remaining work for his latest film Metro… In Dino, he said: “I didn’t take up any new films. I was telling everyone that there was no time, but in reality, there was a lot of time. However, I used that time for myself and introspection.”
Reflecting on his decision, Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, healer, and life coach, said that the quiet retreat was probably a step towards rediscovering vitality, not just for work, but for life.
“That’s the kind of courage we don’t talk about enough. In a world that glorifies productivity and constant output, choosing to stop can feel radical. But it is also one of the most powerful healing tools available. Burnout doesn’t announce itself loudly. It creeps in as exhaustion, irritability, restlessness, and numbness. And the antidote is rarely ‘just push through.’ It’s a pause. It’s perspective,” said Delnna.
According to her, introspection isn’t indulgent, it’s essential. “Taking a break gives the emotional brain time to process what the logical brain keeps burying. It’s in the pause that grief is acknowledged. That anger is expressed safely. That joy is rediscovered,” said Delnna.
Travel doesn’t just change the scenery, but it also gives a fresh perspective. “When you change your geography, you disrupt the autopilot mode. New landscapes, new sounds, new rhythms, all activate dormant parts of your brain. Creativity returns. Curiosity returns. You remember that the world is bigger than your inbox,” remarked Delnna.
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Pankaj Tripathi managed to travel (Photo: Freepik)
Stepping back is not a sign of failure. It’s preparation for your next chapter. And not everyone can take a year off. But you can take one day without checking emails. “You can take a weekend offline. You can say no to one more obligation this week. The pause doesn’t have to be long. It just has to be intentional. Because the truth is, no one’s handing you permission to rest. You have to claim it,” said Delnna.
What happens when you take that break?
*You reconnect with your own pace instead of living by someone else’s urgency.
*You return to work with a clearer mind and calmer heart.
*You start to live, not just exist, between tasks.
Most importantly, you remember that your value was never in your productivity. “It was always in your presence, your aliveness, your capacity to feel joy and share it,” said Delnna.
