"Mourning" a lost job. Common?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I was recently RIF’ed from a job I had held for 11 years. (It was inevitable. I’ve become disabled and unable to work. That’s another thread perhaps.)

In any case, the “big day” was last week and I’ve found myself in a strange place emotionally since then. Anxious, sad, depressed maybe? I feel like I’m mourning the end of a relationship if I really look at it. 11 years is a long time. I knew this was coming. Now that it’s here though, I find myself experiencing feelings of loss I never expected. I feel a little strange about it too, in that this is a job, not a family member or a pet.

Has anyone else here ever experienced this? A job ends and you find yourself hit with emotional impacts that you never expected? How long did it last? Any stories or tips on how to deal?

2

Of course you’re mourning. This doesn’t sound like a job you were happy to leave. It’d be strange if you didn’t mourn.

3

I still pine for the fjords.

4

Dude, you’re a parrot.

5

Did you have a disability policy at work?

They will provide a percentage of your salary. Maybe 60%. They’ll also get the application started for SSI. The insurance can fast track that process.

Eventually you may get 50% from SSI and 10% from the insurance. Giving the 60% income you were guaranteed by the policy.

Different policies will offer more or less guaranteed income.

They quit paying when you turn 65 or no longer qualify as disabled.

6

I experienced that. I realized after I left the job that I had a lot of friends and lot of job security. Miraculously, I got the job again 3 years later, but now it’s changed enough that I’m not so keen on it anymore. Such is life.

7

I’m still mourning the loss of my job at Blockbuster, which I would hardly call a “good” job. So… I feel ya.

8

Yes, all the disability tracks are running.

9

I worked with a company for 25 years from the day the doors opened to the day it closed.

Yes I mourned the job. The other employees were like family to me.

10

It’s normal to mourn a little over a job loss. Esp for Americans, our jobs are a big part of a identity and social contact. Go easy on yourself.

11

Years ago I was sexually harassed at work. While the investigation was happening, I was put on paid leave - it was about six weeks - then went back in a different role in a different part of the company.

Those six weeks were very strange. I discovered that part of my identity was tied up in what I did for a living, and without an answer to that question, I felt a little lost. While the job was there, it was a stable point (maybe screwed up, but stable) , I knew what I was going to do tomorrow and next week. When I didn’t have that anymore, it was tough. The uncertainty. Plus the loss of people I liked and saw regularly - I knew when they sent me home that those relationships I wouldn’t be able to keep.

12

Without going into too many details, I’ve been through that myself.

Yes, it’s normal, especially if you weren’t expecting it, for whatever reason.

13

I’ve been a freelancer for my entire work life. For 37 years. When I’ve been fortunate enough to lock into a long-term gig ( 9 months… a year… ), it’s become very important to me in a way that the usual day playing does not. Connections are formed, etc.

It’s not just the steady paycheck though that’s lovely. It’s the people and the shared experiences. I’ve been at my current gig for 19 months and am DREADING the end of it. Around late Feb into early March, unless I get very lucky, I’m outa there because my contract will end.

I truly love having a steady place to go. Mourning that DISconnect is wholly human and quite normal.