Staff Writer
Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the deputy prime minister and minister of defense for Denmark, started working again on Tuesday after taking a six-month sabbatical due to stress and overwork.
In a Facebook post, Ellemann-Jensen wrote, “So I’m at it again.”
“I’m pretty excited about it! I’m a little anxious as well,” the 49-year-old wrote on Monday night.
Almost two months after a new coalition government, led by Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen, assumed office, Ellemann-Jensen, who is also the party leader of the liberal Venstre, went on sick leave in early February “to unplug” on the recommendation of his doctor.
One of the hardest decisions in his life, he added, was to take time off because of stress.
“I felt like I was failing at a crucial time for Venstre and the Defense,” Ellemann-Jensen remarked.
“I believed I would just be gone for a few weeks before returning. That wasn’t how it transpired, he continued.
The politician, a member of parliament since 2011, claimed that experiencing stress “can feel like a death sentence.”
I started to worry along the road that I would never feel like myself again. that I would never be capable of handling employment once more. But it is possible to overcome it and emerge stronger, the minister added, adding that the support of his friends, colleagues, and family had been helpful.
Troels Lund Poulsen, minister of economic affairs, filled in as defense minister during his absence.
Health officials in Denmark predict that 29% of adults experience severe stress.
