What reasons did you take a break from your forum? I've taken breaks when I've gotten overwhelmed or mentally drained, but I usually come back with a burst of energy.

I took over a year off do to illness. I'm just starting to get back to it.

I've never left a forum without my presence for more than a couple days on vacations etc, but I took a break of around 5-6 years from pretty much all participation on or administering of any forums, blogs or websites, and only recently came back into the world of forums about 3 months ago. I'm really enjoying my experience since gravitating back towards them, and wouldn't completely rule out another crack at a forum in the future.

I don't believe I have taken a break while I was an administrator. Though taking a break while I wasn't administering a forum, I've taken time off due to illness, burnout, and not owning a community.

I took a break for 3 weeks towards the end of 2021, because I was feeling burnt out.

 

I then took another 10-day break in July 2023 - because I was starting to get burned out again - so I thought it was best to take a short break then in order to avoid having to take a longer break later.

I took breaks after I'd had a hysterectomy and after my spouse passed away.

I took breaks due to burnout. There was a time I went years without having a forum. This was in the mid 2010's. I would get discouraged that my forums weren't really growing so instead of looking at ways to promote them and get more activity, I just gave up on them.

I got away from forums for a few years due to my health.

 

I never made teeth cleaning a habit as a kid. So, take that and add being a heavy coffee drinker to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day - needless to say, the inside of my mouth went to hell very quickly.

 

I started getting extreme infections. It was hard to eat anything and nothing worked for the pain. I started drinking heavy just to deal with the pain. I also thought about ending it. :(

 

However, I finally broke down and went to the DR. At first, we thought it was cancerous, and I took a few doses of chemotherapy in pill form. Then it was determined that I had some morphed version of the worst type of gum disease you can have.

 

So, I had 16 teeth pulled in one day (while I was awake and feeling most of it) and got a top denture. It completely fixed everything.

 

I quit forums during that because my life was breaking down.

 

So, I was biking at the time and trying to get healthier. I ended up started hiking too and that changed everything.

 

I don't drink anymore. I don't smoke anymore. I'm healthier than I've ever been. I even found my wife through hiking. Life is awesome now.

 

But I still had a void in my life because I missed forums. Forums give me feelings of excitement and happiness. I just love the aspects of building a community. So, I came back and now I'm enjoying it again without giving myself anxiety of trying to be the biggest forum. I'm just taking it for what it is and going from there.

i took 5 years off due to Depression. something gave me the urge to come back so i did.