Feeling lost in my late 20s after redundancy

[Happyfeet82]

I hope it’s okay to share this here. I’m in my mid 20s and earlier this year, I was made redundant. Since then, life has felt like a bit of a blur. I’ve applied for countless jobs, preparing for interviews and for a while, I had hope that something would stick. I was fortunate enough to land a job a couple of months ago, but it unfortunately fell through very quickly. That experience really hit me hard, more than I expected.

I live at home with family, so I’m lucky in that I’m not struggling financially the way some others might be and I try to remind myself of that. But emotionally, this period has really taken a toll on me. My self-esteem feels like it’s hit rock bottom. I wake up with this heavy, sinking feeling most mornings.

As I approach the latter end of my 20s, I’m seriously starting to question everything and I feel extremelely panicked that I don't have things figured out. To the point if I think about too long, I will completely spiral and have a bit of a meltdown.

It’s especially hard when I look around and see others building careers, buying homes, getting engaged. I know everyone’s journey is different, but I can’t help comparing, and feeling like I’m falling a bit behind.

If anyone else has been through something similar, whether it’s redundancy, unemployment, or a long period of uncertainty, how did you cope? Thank you 🌷

I found my late 20s to be the hardest part of my life.
My circumstances, about age 28, mirrored yours.

I think it’s a time in your life that you grow the most.
Your early 20s is uncertain but you’re having a laugh.

Late 20s, like you say, life is getting more serious.
I found my groove again around 30. Keep the hope!

For me it was the uncertainty that was the real hit. Not easy to deal with but I found keeping busy and making small wins helped keep my mind off the terror of not knowing what the future held. Simple stuff like collecting firewood or mopping the floor and doing a really good job of it.

In your 20's you have plenty of time to get back onto the career ladder or even reinvent yourself into something you enjoy doing (or at least something that doesn't get you down).

Just remember it's all in your mind, don't retreat into yourself, keep sociable and grab opportunities when they present themselves.

This won't be any conciliation, and I appreciate how stressful and depressing it all must have been for you, but mid-20s is SO YOUNG.

You have 40-50 years of work ahead of you. You could start from scratch at this point and that would be totally appropriate.

I'm in my early 40s and know several people (DH included) who have retrained into a completely new line of work and started from the bottom up.

And a lot of those people who you see looking like they're all sorted before 30....a lot of them will get divorced in the next 10 years and have to sell their homes and downsize. I've been with DH for 20 years, and we've seen a lot of relationships fall by the wayside in that time.