There were many times in my programming career when I wanted to take a mental break and just do some kind of menial job for a few months. There are many routine jobs that don't require much training so it should be easy to do one for 6 months. The problem is generally that most people's career paths do not allow for this kind of thing. It looks bad on your resume to have 'truck driver' or 'shelf stocker' in-between tech jobs.
I solved this by simply getting hobbies that involve manual labor. You get the physical exertion and the ability to see the results of the work of your hands--without the drudgery of a job and the pressure of having your livelihood depend on not wrecking your body. If you're not feeling up to it today, just don't go out to the garage. Need extra zen time to forget your JIRA queue? Spend a few extra hours hobbying.
Started with auto mechanics, learned basic maintenance, moved on to minor, then major auto repairs. Then tried woodworking, built a few pieces of furniture for the house, then moved on to sheet metal. Finally ended up building a two-seat airplane. Physical hobbies are both satisfying AND low-pressure. Plus, you shouldn't have to quit your tech job to get a hobby.
I got deep into homebrewing beer for a while for this reason. It was extremely satisfying to make something tangible and physically taxing after spending all week tapping on a keyboard. Not to say that software isn't "real", but having a physical thing you can show off and share and enjoy hits differently.
Unfortunately having dozens of gallons of good beer on hand at all times led to some pretty bad habits so I had to get out of that game (plus I had kids, so RIP to both hobby time and frequent drinking). Still looking for the next hobby that really clicks with me, the intersection of science and creativity and engineering and socializing that is brewing was pretty perfect.
Genuine question, why does it look bad? I don't think this would be a problem at all where I live (Australia). Worst case you could just leave it off your resume.
