Scott Parker will only dive back into football management 'when the time is right' following his sacking by Bournemouth just four games into their Premier League return.
The former England midfielder, 42, was fired three days after the Cherries were thrashed 9-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in late August, having guided them back into the top-flight last season.
Parker admitted he needed downtime from the intensity of football and said Sunday lunchtime's clash between Chelsea and Arsenal, where he was on punditry duty for BT Sport, was his first live game since his dismissal.
He said it was a good time to reflect on his first three years as a manager having gone straight into coaching following his retirement from playing at Fulham in 2017.
He said: 'I have been out now for some months, spent some time with the family and probably not took a lot of football in.
'I'm excited about today, as always you come to these stadiums, get the buzz of it and the blood starts flowing again.
'I was 20 years as a player and three years going into the management straight away, with a couple of promotions and a bit of success but it's been right in the heat of it.
'So it's time to take a little bit of stock. I'm enjoying my time, a lot of things that I probably have not been able to do due to pure routine and certainly when you go from a player when you're more flexible to being a manager these last three years, has been pretty hectic really.
'The little bits with the kids, where you can go and watch them play football, I'm enjoying. Learning still, and this is part of it now.
'But of course, it's what I have always known really since and it's in our blood. No doubt when the time is right and the right opportunity comes up, I would want to get back into it.'
On life without football, Parker added: 'It was something I was always scared of to be fair, hence why I started my coaching badges really early.
'I was at Spurs and started my badges at 30 years of age, probably because of that fear in me that since being a young boy on an estate and all I ever really knew was football and it was that fear of wanting to carry on and do something.
'I must admit since coming out of it and probably just seeing the other side of it.
'When you're in the rat race of it - whatever we do in life, we're in a rat race - and certainly at times the intense nature of what football management brings sometimes you lose sight of things.
'I have four young sons and they're not getting any younger, they are getting older. Time is invaluable really.
'As quickly as I say that, there is a driving ambition what gets you up in the morning.'