Was made redundant back in March after working for the same company for 13 years in a senior role with a reflective salary, I was absolutely devastated, loved my job, colleagues etc , I felt very defined by my job and it was as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. After dealing with the shock and initial upset, I started looking for similar roles, went some interviews, 3 of which went to internal candidates :(, some jobs I applied for I didn't even get an interview or reply, despite being very well qualified for , with up to date professional development. Sometimes there were no jobs suitable, or that I really wanted to do, or even being advertised, after a few months, my boyfriend (lifesaver and shrink!) then told me to really evaluate myself, what did I want to do?, did I really want to go back into managerial roles with all the responsibilities, hours etc, was it important to be in charge or to be seen to be a manager? After a lot of soul searching, I saw a role that appealed to me, it was in a local business with a good reputation for caring for their staff, well within my skill set, I applied, got it and bloody love it there. I work with a small team of lovely people, they are genuinely appreciative of everything I do, I know what time I start and finish, am never expected to do over time, in charge of no one but myself ,in fact I am more qualified than my now line manager, but it is marvellous, I am so much happier and healthier, have a better work life balance, much less money, but have got used to it. Still have a buffer zone of redundancy money as savings and have paid off a lump sum of my mortgage. From being the end of my world, I now realise that redundancy was a great fresh start, a new me, my ego has been sorted and I actually spend quality time with my family, the only thing I regret is the waste of time used doing unpaid overtime for years at work instead of with my family...seize the day and smell the roses, good luck :)