Comments on: I Lost My Job, and I’m Still Mentally Recovering

By: rach

rach — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 12:13:00 +0000

I was made redundant a month ago and this article really resonates with me! Losing a job is hard

By: Anon

Anon — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 13:54:35 +0000

In reply to Carole. This really speaks to me. I was fired from a VP position in 8/18 at age 59. I have worked in a specialized industry for 33 years and my career kept rising in responsibility and salary until that point. At the time I was devastated and shocked. I had just gotten a fat bonus for renewing my company's statewide contract and thought i was doing great. I told myself I had so many connections in my field that I would get another position quickly. Not so. I got several interviews, but no offers for months. Many of the positions were lower in stature than what I had been doing. I finally got a position in another state doing work similar in challenge to what I did just out of school. I continue to have all the negative thoughts you describe and have now managed to convince myself my previous success was a fluke, and that I should just be happy I am employed.

By: Mollie Lager

Mollie Lager — Mon, 21 May 2018 14:54:57 +0000

Thank you for sharing, reading this made me feel less alone. I lost my job on 10/24/17 and I’m still recovering too. It seems like I’ll never recover or be comfortable in the corporate world. Hang in there, you’re not alone!

By: Kacie

Kacie — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 17:29:55 +0000

Wow, this. This is everything I’ve been feeling since losing my job last December…in one of the most expensive cities in the world (NYC), in one of the most subjective fields (graphic design). It’s been hard. And nobody, no matter how supportive and loving they are, understands unless they’ve been there. So thank you for this. For putting it all into words.

Xo, Kacie
http://www.theprettylittlehustler.com

By: Carole

Carole — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 20:28:24 +0000

Thank you for sharing this. This happened to me at age 62. Try getting hired at a new job at that age. My position was eliminated. And to make things even worse, a year later they called me back to work. I had been unable to find a new position so had to go back to a place that had eliminated my job as a VP and work at a staff position for half the salary. Daily humiliation until I retired at age 70.

By: Liz

Liz — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 01:29:48 +0000

In reply to Brooke. Girlfriend - I PROMISE you, it’s going to be okay. The struggle is a process and it helps to accept it as such. Be gentle with yourself and remember that there doesn’t need to be shame in not being compatible with a specific line of work. <3

By: Brooke

Brooke — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:39:10 +0000

I’m living this right now. You sum it up perfectly that you feel like you got dumped by someone you weren’t really interested in, but they took all your money. Yup. Feeling like that right now. I wasn’t happy in my situation, but a week and a half after I’ve been let go, I’m feeling the emotions. What was wrong with me? Why? Will I ever find anything again? Struggling right now, but…one day at a time…

By: Melbourne Expat Diary Blog Series: 22th Month | Kulture Kween

Melbourne Expat Diary Blog Series: 22th Month | Kulture Kween — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 13:03:33 +0000

[…] author other than buying their book. I think we all can relate to the lasting mental torture of a lost job. As a gym newbie, I truly appreciate the value of short […]

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 18:12:29 +0000

I don’t know how but I’m just now seeing this! I’m in the exact same boat, add to the story that two weeks before my lay off I had a a two year review that went great and I got a raise. So, talk about confusion and frustation. At least I got all that holiday vacation? That’s what I kept telling myself anyways. Now it’s back to reality and hopefully finding something out there!

By: Claire

Claire — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 06:36:17 +0000

I’m going through this right now and I have been reading a lot of articles like this lately. This one speaks to me more than any other has. Thank you for writing this.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 12:50:16 +0000

Great piece! I got laid off from my first full time job a few years ago and immediately jumped into another job because I got an offer and the thought of no unemployment seemed too good to turn down. The new job turned out to SUCK majorly and I quit after a few months. In hindsight I wish I would have taken some time off and have had faith in myself that there would be more opportunities. I ignored the red flags about the new position because I just wanted a position and was happy that someone wanted me. It’s hard to not feel desperate when your unemployed but try and remember your value! You are an excelent writer and I wish you the best of luck!

By: Luke Wixo

Luke Wixo — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 07:21:35 +0000

I’d love to say a whole bunch of encouraging things, but honesty is the best. It sucks to lose your job, I know, I’ve been there. What no one tells you is how long it can take to become comfortable in your next job cause that fear that probably hasn’t ever been there before, haunts you at every professional decision now. Hopefully you can regain that confidence in your work back, but don’t be surprised if it takes longer than expected. You will be drawn to security over potential at first and that isn’t a bad thing to boost that confidence in the short term. Good luck with whatever comes next.

By: Kat

Kat — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:14:45 +0000

Liz, I really needed to read this. All of it. Thank you for sharing it. Always remember, you are stronger than you think you are.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 17:45:28 +0000

I was laid off one year ago this week, and I still haven’t fully recovered. You completely nailed it here. It shifts your way of thinking about yourself and your contribution, and who you want to be. I wish you luck as you figure out your next step!

By: Julie Rybarczyk

Julie Rybarczyk — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 15:54:21 +0000

Wow Liz, you are brave and strong and vulnerable in all the best ways. And clearly smart and talented. It would be easy for me to agree with your friends and family that it’s their loss, you’re on your way to better things, blah, blah, blah. But for now, just thanks for being real. The world needs that.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 14:39:30 +0000

Hi Liz,

I’m in the exact same boat as you. I was hired at an agency in NYC in Sept., and they realized that Marketing needed ‘restructuring’ and let me go in November. It’s happened to me 3x in the past 3 years and I hate every single second of it. Your article was quite literally my diary out loud, where you wrote my exact thoughts and feelings. I’m seriously reconsidering ever going into marketing because NO ONE knows what ‘GOOD WRITING’ is and everyone has their own opinion!

Right there with you sister, so glad to feel that I’m not the only one right now going through this!

Best of luck to you,
Ashley xx

By: Gabby

Gabby — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 04:58:23 +0000

Liz, your words mirrored my feelings: I’m going through the exact same thing, only that I’m older than you and somehow that adds to my inner struggle.
I hope that this year brings you (and me) an even better job, where you skills shine through while feeling secure in your position.

Love from Mexico!

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 01:29:25 +0000

In reply to ave. Sending all the good energy back your way. WE ARE GOING TO KICK 2018'S ASS.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 01:07:32 +0000

I never comment on things but I am in a similar profession doing digital design things and also lost my job a few months ago from a well known agency in Minneapolis. Tthis is super refreshing to hear from someone I follow on Instagram. Thanks for sharing. Honesty like this is hard to come by in Minnesota!

By: A

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 22:47:12 +0000

This was a great piece to read and it echoed all my thoughts from a similar experience. I got made redundant at the end of 2016 and I spent the whole of 2017 trying to dig myself out of that weird emotional wreckage. It was tough for me to be in a different country away from family and friends. The mistake I made was shutting myself off from everyone. They support and love you no matter what. It will get better, even if it doesn’t feel like it now, you’ll get to look back eventually as a learning experience. <3

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 22:15:06 +0000

Amazing piece! You said everything I feel. I was laid off from my job after moving to a new city, where I have no network. It has been a real struggle to find something new (still looking) and deal with the emotional impact (feeling like you’ll never be good enough). Thank you for having the courage to write this! <3

By: Kayla

Kayla — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 20:01:48 +0000

thinking of you, Liz. I quit my job in August because it sucked and I was about to have a baby. But now she’s 4 months old and I’m ready to dive back in and just got rejected from an awesome job yesterday. It’s so hard to not equate my worth to this. Ugh. You are super talented and funny and will for sure land on your feet. ❤️

By: CerealStyle

CerealStyle — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 06:26:00 +0000

That you for writing such a raw and insightful article. Financial pressures are enormous but nothing in comparison to the weight of high expectations that we place on ourselves. There needs to be a shift in our associations of worth. A job is a superficial mask of our character. It’s in times of strife that we define who we truely are. I tried to remember it was a career detour rather than a decline. Ultimately, the growth and resilience obtained will be invaluable in the future. xx

By: kate

kate — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 04:06:38 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing! I was shockingly fired from a job I thought was going so well.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 22:16:54 +0000

Oh Liz … I thought I had finally reached acceptance (lost my job in November) but you’ve turned me into a puddle. THE PARENT PART. The holidays were relaxing and full of love but I’d be lying if I said it’s easy to look them in the eye. It’s the love part I have to focus on: the love around me and the love I know I still have for myself. If you need another friend or if you’re willing to listen to the crazy new ideas I have in my head, holler at me.

By: R

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 19:16:26 +0000

“It’s weird to realize how much of how we define ourselves is wrapped up into how we contribute to capitalism.”

Thank you for this reminder! I lost one of my jobs an hour ago and reading this felt like the encouraging friend that was right beside me.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:52:37 +0000

Liz, You very accurately conveyed my exact emotions when I was let go from a company I had been at for almost 6 years in 2013. From the outside it was that ‘awesome job’ and at times it really was… but at others times, not so much. And after staying in a similar role for most of my time there and being in a rollercoaster environment of we’re all doing an amazing job and no one is doing good enough… I knew deep down, I could not mentally thrive in that environment, so for the last couple of years I looked for new opportunities and nothing came to fruition. Being let go was so hard for me. It was the hardest thing that had ever happened to me. As a perfectionist, I felt like I had failed beyond repair. I still get butterflies thinking about that day…almost exactly as you described. All that is to say…it happens for a reason and whatever you do next you will be better for going through this experience. And the thing that really got me through… Oprah at one point had been fired. And I think that’s all the evidence we need that sometimes these things are the universes way of saying, “Girl, this job is not for you…We’ve got better plans”

Best of luck! And as crazy as it seems… enjoy the downtime! xo

By: ave

ave — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:30:52 +0000

what a year! we did a really good job with a group of freelancers for a company that considers itself as very employee-friendly––out of the blue they fired us after ten years. no compensation. no explanation. just the end of a great project.
let’s learn our lessons. and move on. let’s have a great 2018 with great new jobs!
sending best energy. xx

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:12:56 +0000

In reply to Vicki. Thank you so much Vicki <3

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:12:36 +0000

In reply to Anonymous. I FEEL THIS ON EVERY LEVEL. I *too* value my connections most, and think it's my most valuable skill. So I will continue on trying to figure out how to blend that in with my passions. <3

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:11:11 +0000

In reply to Amy.

Amy I’m so moved by your comment I’ve read it five or six times. I think I’ll print it off to fold into my wallet. I doubt myself a LOT and attribute my “good writing” to people just not knowing what “good writing” is (ISN’T THAT TERRIBLE) but I’m choosing to believe you.

Also – just checked out your blog – it’s GREAT.

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:07:10 +0000

In reply to KMS. Thank you so much for this. Through all of this it's been most comforting just to know I'm not alone. <3

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:06:13 +0000

In reply to Laura Alejandra. It's a crazy feeling to be very consciously aware of this new life journey you're on; i'm just scared to fail it or something. Thanks for your note, it means a bunch <3

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:05:19 +0000

In reply to Julie. "We praise you when you are one when can’t understand language and then forget to praise you when you need it most." JULIE YOU MADE ME CRY WITH THAT ONE! :) Thank you so much for taking the time to stop, read, and write this comment. It means more to me than you know. <3

By: Liz Welle

Liz Welle — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 03:03:51 +0000

In reply to Mailinh. You are a fucking WARRIOR for being able to carry out your job with poise and grace for the remainder of that shit storm. What a completely difficult situation to be in, for both you AND your colleagues. We're all in this together. I'll be thinking of you! <3