But for Australian Paralympian Eliza Stankovic-Mowle it is exactly what she needs.

The Canberran is no stranger to taking time away from her sport. She retired in 2008 and took about 10 years away from wheelchair racing to start a family, before she returned to the world stage.

Her decision to step away from the track this time, however, is being driven by her own wellbeing.

The 40-year-old is prioritising her own mental health and taking a gap year.

"For me personally, it's been a new thing," she said on her anxiety.

"I felt that I didn't have the control, and I didn't have that optimal state of well being to be able to be what I wanted to be.

"There's been many, many changes of so many different aspects in my life. Getting to Tokyo, holding on for that, was something that I was incredibly proud of being able to achieve, however, it took a massive toll.

"It was really during that hotel quarantine period, I did a lot of revaluation and soul searching, and really what else can you do when you're stuck in a hotel room for two weeks?

"I came to the conclusion that I needed to put myself, my family and my mental health first. I wanted to make sure when I came back and did this again that I was in a really good place, physically, emotionally and mentally."

As a result she will miss the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this year, and was set to miss the World Para Championships in Japan before they were cancelled.

But she was not phased by missing either, and hopes athletes taking time away from their sport for their wellbeing became more common place.

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"It's a relatively new phenomenon. I don't think it's that normalised and I want to help create that normalcy," she said.

"In the very early 2000s there was an incredible push and focus on 'You need to be an athlete, and that's all you can be'. There wasn't really the support and the balance and acceptance of having many different aspects of your life.

"I feel so fortunate that I'm in such a great place in my life now that I'm able to say no. Being able to be honest and and owning it ... it's allowing me to feel empowered, and be proactive about what I need to do to get back."

The para-athlete competed in three different T54 events in Tokyo: finishing eighth in the 100m, seventh in the 400m and 13^th in the marathon.

And she wants to do it all again come August 2024 in France.

So while she will be sitting out the Commonwealth Games, and other meets, she will still be staying fit with plans to return in early 2023 for the Australian domestic series.

"I don't intend this to be the end by any means, it is a rewind rather than retirement," she said.

"For me it was the right choice to be very open and honest and transparent. And at the end of the day, if it allows that conversation to be had, well then that's fantastic. And I'm all for that.

"It's allowing me to get back to basics and fall in love with the sport all over again, very much with the view of being in Paris in 2024.

"In such a short space of time, I can see the difference that putting myself first has really made."