Fear is the mind killer.

I’ll add another voice to the choir: yes, something else is going on. Before you get a breakdown, do look for a good therapist and most importantly do take a look at what really matters to you. If you are not doing something that really matters to you (this need not necessarily be your job), depression will come

I got fired for being late with no written warnings. They walked me off the campus and everything. I was basically in tears. (In hindsight, they probably didn’t need me anymore, and didn’t want to give me notice. They probably also wanted me to be able to claim unemployment.) I was emotionally wrecked for months, even after I got a new job. The good news for me is that about 6 months after I got fired, I met the woman who would become my wife. We are now happily married. Keep on keeping on, friend!

I’m not a doctor but you should ask yours about depression and take a screening. I felt the same way after leaving a job(albeit by choice) and starting one a million times better. Even after several months, I still had zero interest in anything and realized I was in a “funk” I couldn’t get myself out of this time.

Yah know, I got laid off in 2014 and it still hurts a little.

Bro, you may just hate your new job or the people there?

I’ve been there, done that. Welcome to the club my friend.

The only reason I got through my last layoff without stooping into a deep depression is that I’ve done this dance so many fucking times that I’m tired of it all.

Luckily I had a new job about a month later, which I 100% acknowledge is luck.

I still miss my previous job, it was much better than the one I have now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry at being employed, I’m just sad that I didn’t get to remain employed with the last workplace.

I get it, 100%. Nothing you said is really all that abnormal. You clearly liked the job, and there’s no good way to express that loss. It’s just something you have to go through all the stages of. Eventually the whole ordeal will seem further and further away and you’ll settle into a routine and get your life back to where it should be. You lost something and it’s okay to be sad about that.

What isn’t good is if you start getting any worse than where you are at now. If you start sliding deeper into it, or you feel like you’re drowning, please seek help. The people who care about you don’t want to lose you.

My advice for the future is: never invest more than you’re willing to lose, whether you’re taking about money or emotional investment, the reality is that you can lose it all in a snap. Make sure you know what you’re risking and ensure you can sacrifice what you’ve invested if there’s a sudden change from management. Take care of yourself first, then worry about everything else.

I’ve been there, about a year unemployed and spiralled into depression. Had to see a doctor. Have been working some shit jobs for about another year after that, and here we are, still looking for work.

I do recommend the doctor before it’s too late.

Brother, it sounds like you are depressed. Maybe it’s job related, maybe it’s not. A few things to do are:

1. Talk to your medication provider about these symptoms and consider medication specifically for depression.
2. Talk Therapy. Pills are good, talk therapy is approximately ::checks notes:: 10,000 times better. 2.1. Find a therapist that is a good fit. I’ve had good therapists over the years, and I have had bad therapists. My current therapist is amazing and a the reason why I didn’t die by suicide in January.
3. Don’t ‘should yourself’. Avoid using that word to describe anything, ever. You don’t have to do or enjoy anything right now, and you can’t feel bad for suffering from (probably) depression. It’s a mental illness. You didn’t do anything wrong and you are certainly not to blame.

First of all: As a healthcare professional but not your healthcare professional: What you describe has strong signs of a depressive phase and you should first and foremost seek professional help - don’t trust the internet on this and more importantly don’t start to self treat yourself in any way besides behaviour based measures.

Secondly: It can take ages. I’ve been there. Especially when your new job is similar to the old one it is quite difficult, as you “in theory” know what to do but in reality you still have to find your place in the new company. It will take time. But it will get better.

A lot of people said depression, but instead I want to focus on something else.

For your new job, you talked about how the work is similar, but how do you feel about your new job? Do you have a similar friend network of coworkers? How is your boss compared to your last one? Is the company culture the same or different. I ask because there are a lot of intangibles to a job that may not seem obvious, and the new job may not be as tuned for you as the last one.

Regarding fatigue and lack of desire currently, did you feel these feelings when you were unemployed? Were you working on a limited amount of energy before going to work? Were there cases where you would feel this loss of energy while out of work and looking for a job?

You are focusing on being unemployed, but the issue may be the new job.

I think you’re asking the wrong question. It can take months, years, hell even a whole lifetime to get over something like that. Or maybe you’ll never get over it!

The question you should be asking isn’t “is feeling this way normal,” it’s “what can I do to approach this healthier?” It’s not about what’s normal or understandable, it’s about what you can do with your own autonomy to improve your condition.

And on that, personally I would start by finding and speaking with a counselor who can help you process your thoughts, feelings, and emotions to achieve a sense of clarity and empower yourself to confident decisions moving forward.

How much did the job search burn you out?

The last time I jumped jobs, I was absolutely exhausted from the old job. The new job was perfect, but took another year before I didn’t feel exhaused 24x7.

Greif and loss. The first year is the worst.

Might be time to focus on processing the loss of your previous hopes, dreams, relationships, and projects.

The comments about seeing a doctor for depression are coming from a caring place, but the reality of being without work for a while means it’s hard to afford seeing a doctor.

Chemical depression is not exactly something you can work yourself through, there are some people who claim magic mushrooms can help, but I’ve not seen any conclusive studies.