22/06/2025

ON SUNDAY JUNE 22, 2025 VI theSunday Special

W E’RE told to persevere. To stick things out. To hustle, push through and “never give up”. The word quitting often arrives wrapped in shame, as if walking away means you weren’t strong enough, com PLWWHG HQRXJK RU EUDYH HQRXJK WR ¿QLVK But what if that isn’t true? What if sometimes, quitting isn’t weakness, but wisdom? Not all pursuits are worth holding on to. Some relationships reach their natural expiry. Some goals belong to a past version of ourselves. Some jobs, roles or routines may once have served us, but now, they only drain us. Yet still, we stay. Out of habit. Out of guilt. Out of fear that leaving will make us look like failures. This is especially true in cultures like Malaysia’s, where stability and duty are prized. Where expectations from family, employers, even society at large, make quitting anything – a job, a relationship, a long-term plan – feel like a betrayal. “That’s a pity,” they say. “You’ve already put in so much time.” But sunk time isn’t the same as future value. Just because you’ve spent years in a situation doesn’t mean you owe it the rest of your life. Learning to leave without apology, without drama and without turning it into a soap opera is an emotional skill. It takes quiet courage. The kind that doesn’t need applause or closure. Just clarity. We often think of quitting as something sudden or loud. But most exits aren’t like that. Most begin as small, quiet re alisations. A moment of exhaustion that doesn’t go away. A sense of disconnection that lingers. A voice that whispers, “This isn’t working anymore.”

When letting go is wiser than pushing through We’ve been raised to equate quitting with failure, but not everything is worth clinging to, especially when it costs your peace

BY DAVID MOHAN

Learning to leave without apology, without drama and without turning it into a soap opera is an emotional skill.”

Moving on … not all pursuits are worth holding on to.

things without hating them. You can leave something good because it’s no longer right. You can walk away without making a scene. Quiet quitting doesn’t mean ghosting people or abandoning responsibilities. It means thoughtfully exiting with grace, especially from emotionally unsustainable situations. The energy fades Take friendships. Not all of them need a break-up speech. Some drift for a reason. The conversations become one-sided. The H̆ RUW EHFRPHV ORSVLGHG

of quitting that doesn’t burn bridges – it builds boundaries. You can stay kind. Stay respectful. But still say: this isn’t for me anymore. Some call this soft quitting. Others call it conscious closure. Either way, it’s about choosing what you want to carry and what \RX¶UH ¿QDOO\ UHDG\ WR VHW GRZQ Even habits can be quit quietly. Doom scrolling. Sugar binges. Saying yes when you mean no. These don’t need declara tions or dramatic posts. Just quieter decisions. New rhythms. Less noise. A VLQJOH GL̆ HUHQW FKRLFH UHSHDWHG Sometimes, the thing you need to quit isn’t an external role, but an internal belief. You must always be useful. That rest is laziness. That if you’re not impressive, you’re not enough. Letting go of those mindsets may be the most crucial quitting of all. If you still feel unsure, ask yourself: Is this still making me feel alive or respon sible? Am I staying out of love or fear? Do I see a future here that aligns with who I’m becoming? Clarity doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers, gently but persistently, until you listen. In many Malaysian workplaces, staying loyal is seen as a virtue – even when that loyalty comes at the cost of mental health. But the truth is, longevity without alignment is just endurance. While there’s

a time for pushing through, there’s also a time for stepping away. Quitting quietly isn’t giving up. It’s growing up. It’s recognising that your energy, time and presence are limited and precious. It’s knowing when something has run its course and having the grace to exit without bitterness. So if you’re holding onto something that QR ORQJHU ¿WV PD\EH WKH PRVW SRZHUIXO thing you can do isn’t to double down, but to let go, softly. Walk out gently. No slamming doors. No burning bridges. No viral posts. Just one silent step … into a lighter life.

Don’t wait for the burnout You might notice it when you wake up and dread something you once enjoyed, when you pretend to care, laugh and belong, when even small tasks feel impossibly heavy. That’s not laziness. That’s a sign your energy is misaligned. When that happens for too long, you burn out. Some people stay because they fear disappointing others. But what about disappointing yourself, over and over again? What about the quiet grief of living D OLIH WKDW QR ORQJHU ¿WV" Others stay because they’re not “sure enough” to leave. But waiting for perfect certainty is like waiting for silence in a night market. It may never come. Some times you don’t get clarity until after you leave. Sometimes, quitting is what makes space for the answers. We rarely talk about soft exits. Most life decisions are framed as black or white – either you succeed or fail. But real life is more nuanced. You can outgrow

Quitting quietly isn’t giving up. It’s growing up. It’s recognising that your energy, time and presence are limited and precious.”