Job Hunting in 2026

One thing that often isn’t told to you when you’re first made redundant isn’t the depression and sadness, although that is a factor. Instead, it’s the sudden challenge of figuring out what to do with yourself. For me, this meant spending a lot of time staring at the walls, with the aim of figuring out what I wanted to do with myself.

See, when this kind of thing happens, you end up getting a lot of advice, which often includes hearing the same phrases over and over again. You’ll be told to get back on the horse, or to grab some you time, or even look to change career paths completely. However, it’s never as simple as that, as you are grieving what has just been removed, grieving the sense of safety that you once had.

My first couple of weeks were spent in a bit of a haze as I looked into what I wanted to do. Part of this was spent doing the odd stream on Twitch, while also looking to work on the social media side. However, the reality is that my mind wasn’t in the best place, so some days were spent in an exhausted daze. What I needed to do was properly grieve, connect with friends and work on personal hobbies and projects. Not a holiday, per se, but more a mental reset.

The only real advice I wish I had gotten was that it would be okay to grieve the job and the life that came with it. However, let me know what you wish you had been told and how long it had taken you to get over the lost experience.