#mentalhealth

How long was the recovery time? Tips? What worked well?

I genuinely can't sleep. I'm trying so hard. But I just can't. It's 2:20 am.

I don't even know what to check my email. I don't know what to do anymore. I lost. I feel dead inside.

I know this is just a job. But it's also livelihood.

i feel so alone in this

Her company’s in worse shape, and the chances of her getting let go are even higher. The odds aren’t looking good for us. If we both lose our jobs, we’re honestly sc--wed. I don’t know what we’ll do if at least one of us doesn’t find something new fast. We’ve both worked hard and done everything right. This just shouldn’t be happening. Ever.

I’m numb at this point. Whatever happens, happens. I just want it to be over fast. The toll this whole thing is taking on our health is off the charts. Sc--w this company.

It’s a better option than staying in this mess of never-ending anxiety.

Anyone else has stress, mental and anxiety problems. I just cannot work today. I had trouble sleeping over the weekend. My wife says that I should stop thinking about it, but I cannot. Trying to meditate, helps a little bit but it's hard. I am thinking many of us are in the same position. How do you cope????????????????????/

I know a lot of people will jump straight into applying, but I plan to take a week or two to clear my head and just breathe. None of this has been easy, and I think taking a little time to calm down and reset is important. But I don’t have a partner or kids to support, so I know it’s easier for me to say that than for those who do.

I want to be able to sleep through the night again. I haven’t had a proper night of sleep in what feels like months.

With so many long term people who have been there 20+ years getting axed, have there been any RIF induced sueys that anyone has heard of??

I reached out to someone who was still employed there just to see what has been going on but didn’t directly ask about any RIF, it’s been complete radio silence which is kind of unusual for this person. This is really hard for some people so I have really no idea how to approach people about these situations.

It’s almost exactly like not knowing what to say to people who are going through mourning and just had a loved one die or something similar to that, actually maybe even worse???

I always think back to that guy at Dell 2 years ago in Texas, he had been there over 20 years and then got the RIF.

He went right out to the Dell parking lot and said:

“ “this is all I know”…….”

Any tips on keeping the sueys at bay for our fellow colleagues who are going through it right now??

I know everybody is spiraling. I’m up in the middle of the night too, so trust me, I’m not doing great either, but I do have, I wouldn’t say the advantage, but the insight of being laid off twice before, so I have a better idea how this will play out. There are two things I know for sure from personal experience, and also from the experience of a few friends who’ve been through something similar.

1. If you’re laid off, you’ll feel awful. It’ll be like a punch in the gut, and it might take days or even weeks to process the anger, disappointment, fear of the unknown, and all the other emotions.

2. After it’s all said and done, you’ll be okay. You’ll shake it off, start making plans, and before you know it, you’ll have a new job. Both times I was employed again within three months, and the severance was more than enough to get me and my family through it.

And before anyone mentions the job market, I was first laid off in 2008, and trust me, this job market is golden compared to that.

My point is, yes, it won’t be pretty if you’re laid off, but it won’t be the end of the world either. Keep that in mind over the next few days, because losing hope in the future can destroy you mentally in the long run, even if you don’t end up being laid off.

I was laid off within the last 2 years. My experience thus far, has been one of immense relief. If you're lucky to have a good cultural pocket at Nike, I envy you. I was unfortunate enough to be in a toxic one for several years, and it weighed on me heavily. Very glad to be out for that reason alone. The job market is sh-t, and I don't have a ton of leads but I have been trying like he-l. And it's really baffling, because everyone on the inside was so friendly with the "we all have each other's back" sport team analogy vibes....except we really didn't.

The lack of any outward communication from 99% of people I used to work with has been validating, disappointing, and consistent with what everyone's saying on this site.

Nike's culture is so phoney baloney in this regard. It's not a good sign for your company's culture when you rave on and on about people's performance on the job (e.g., "this person's a rock star!", "they're so great", etc.), spend time over countless lunch outings, barbecues, and happy hours outside work, have spent years of hearing about each other's personal lives, families, and weekends, only to completely ghost the ones at work you supposedly "care" about now you don't see them anymore.

If you read the above, and scoff at it for being too "naive", or "soft"....you're part of the problem. We all gave/are giving the company so much of our time and mental energy. For what? To treat each other like Nike treats us all? Aren't we better than that? Despite what Mitt Romney once said, corporations aren't people. We can do better than treating each other the way Nike treats us.

To people who reach out - please continue to do so. Your words have been so helpful. To those who don't / haven't reached out....consider your team members who are now in isolation. They could use a familiar face or a check in from time to time.

I never really get to rest. A day or two off is never enough to relieve all the stress that builds up over the week. The anticipation of next week will probably make it completely consumed by anxiety.

There's a lot of anxiety and speculation going on now, and I just wanted to post a friendly reminder to take care of yourself. You're not alone in being anxious, losing sleep, and struggling to function at work. (I am too!) But so far, all we have are rumors, and nothing is confirmed yet. Time will tell.

Also, getting laid off is better than getting fired or quitting, because getting laid off usually comes with severance pay and potentially qualifies you for unemployment if you can't find another job before the severance runs out. All things considered, I would prefer that over enduring through RTO and other nonsense meant to encourage us to quit. So the best thing you can do for yourself is to try to focus on work and not give them any reason to fire you while we wait this out. (Easier said than done, I know...) Meanwhile, dust off the old resume and make some connections. Collect any personal effects from the office before Tuesday. Take care of your mental health.

Is anyone actually sleeping normally with all of this going on? I’m almost at the point where I just want it to happen tomorrow, whether I’m laid off or not, just so I can move on. This whole situation is taking a toll on my mental health, and that’s starting to spill over into my physical health too. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way.

It looks like Mike is throwing everything at tanking results so he can have easier numbers to beat in 2026. He can blame Frank and Bob for everything in 2025. That is why the Board should of never brought in an outsider. Guy or Bob Hau should of been Frank's successor for exactly this reason. Meanwhile, shareholders are left holding the bag. Doyle and the Board should all be replaced. The only job of the Board is to get succession right and this is a F-!!

Nobody deserves to feel miserable every day. Go find somewhere that treats you like a person, not a robot.

If yes, how long did it take for you to recover?

If you're reeling from the RIF (Reduction in Force) news—feeling betrayed, depressed, or overwhelmed—please know you are not alone. Our mental health is the absolute priority right now.Xerox provides a free, confidential resource to help us process this trauma: the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).What You Get & How to Access It:Service: The EAP provides free, confidential counseling for you and your household members.Sessions: You are entitled to up to five free sessions for each issue (e.g., depression, anxiety, grief, stress from the layoff).Availability: It is available 24/7/365.ResourceContact DetailsDirect EAP Phone Line1-877-335-6031Provider / Web IDGuidanceResources (Web ID: XEROX)

That’s all.

How long did it take for the toxicity to leave your system? When did the happiness start again in your life? I'm going though the 5 stages, but can already tell I am much more calm and don't need the bottle anymore. I'm thinking it just gets better from here. Money? Yep need that, and it is inducing some stress into my life, but it feels much different than the environment at work while I was there.
At least on the money side, I can take personal action to fix it. The office environment? Nope. Just had to endure.....

For those that use or have family members that use the Chevron Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Plan be aware that it is being discontinued as of January 1st, 2026.

In the announcement, individuals that regularly use these services are “strongly encouraged” to review the changes as the costs “may change”.

Laid off on Mon after 6 mo in tech sales... Dell overhired, new leader cut over half the team... now 40% of the group that started with me is gone.

I outsold the 3 peers from my start cohort who were kept.... This now feels targeted. Feels like the mgr did not like me.

she told me she lovd working with me and said I was good at my job. That stings. I suspect she had some say in who stayed. I know resentment hurts me more than them but it is hard to switch off.

Questions for people on this blog:

Have you been through this??

What helped you move past the anger???

How long did it take before the sting faded??

Lay me off or don’t, I don’t give a damn. I’ve been stressing so much and finally realized I’m destroying my health and for what? A company that’s happy to betray not just us but everything we used to stand for. I’m done with that. Yeah, losing my job wouldn’t be great without something lined up, but you know what? Others have been through it over the past few years, and every single one of them ended up doing perfectly fine after a while. So I just don’t give a damn anymore. I do my job, nothing more, nothing less, and that’s it.

I've been working at Jones for nearly my entire professional career, right out of college, for the past decade. I worked hard to prove myself in the eyes of leadership and my peers. Copious amounts of overtime, volunteering for more work repeatedly, going above and beyond in every capacity I could with a ratio of 9 "Exceeds" to every "Meets". Promoted numerous times with several lateral moves, always "working my way up" however I could, because I believed in the company and wanted to be a part of something truly great.

But in that time...

I was hired with a title and grade two below the role I actually filled, told I had to work my way up only to watch others be hired directly to the higher title at higher pay than I made when I was eventually promoted. I was repeatedly paid less than the minimum for my paygrade, with more than one "Bring to Minimum" increase. I was denied increases outside of annual reviews, despite being below the minimum. I was never offered a partnership. I was converted to salary without my consent, with the expectation I continue working heavy overtime, in addition to regular weekends. I was denied opportunities for promotions due to my volunteer projects. And now, I have been ISP'd.

I stayed all these years because I felt secure, and I truly viewed many of my coworkers as friends. When I first toured the campus, in my interviews, even in the lunchroom I heard repeatedly how Jones was "one of the best places to work" and "never did layoffs", "the culture is incredible", and that "the happiest feeling in life is feeling safe and secure in your job, never worrying about putting food on the table" (exact quote). The older associates said this is somewhere you don't have to job hop, you want to stay here your whole career, it's that good. And, like an absolute mo--n, for the past decade I believed them.

This past month I've felt a lot of things... Anxiety. Shock. Frustration. Fear. Depression. Unappreciated. A number on a spreadsheet. Like my whole career has just been reset. But most of all? I feel betrayed. I've been stabbed in the back, and I feel sick to my stomach for it. And it's not only me - I've spoken to a dozen of my friends who all got the same news, and a dozen more who are heartbroken to see us all leave so suddenly (many of which received demotions). Being locked out of the building, having our names scrubbed from projects and tickets, being forgotten and shown firsthand that we never mattered. Thousands of years of cumulative experience purged in the name of profit for the select few at the very top.

My world view has been shattered. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to treat Jones as a stepping stone and take the opportunities presented elsewhere along the way. Instead, I was walked all over for years and the only thing I have to show for it is a lovely pink slip, and a crippling fear for my family's future. I've put out dozens of applications in the past month, putting my all into finding something new, and haven't gotten a single interview. They let us go into one of the worst job markets they could. At the start of this year, I thought I was going to retire from Jones... Now I don't know what my life will look like 6 months from now, let alone 10 years from now.

My faith in the firm's direction is gone; the company culture is dead.
If you're still there and thought you were safe, you will never be able to feel that way again.

I’ve been working my a-s off for months, convincing myself it might make a difference when they decide who to let go. Deep down I know it doesn’t, but it’s the only way I can ease my mind, telling myself I’ve done everything I could to keep this job. It’s so hard to find something else, and honestly, I’m terrified.

They’re all terrible enterprises that only care about the bottom line, no matter the cost to clients or employees. But Optum has been, hands down, the most exhausting, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The mix of daily toxicity and uncertainty, constant ethical dilemmas, and the pressure to underserve clients has taken a real toll. I don’t know how the rest of you are coping, but I can’t seem to shake it off, even in the little free time I get.

I had a huge fight with my manager yesterday. I didn’t back down for the first time over something important, and it exploded into a huge argument that ended with him walking away. All my expertise was ignored, all my knowledge, over a decade of work here... I’m so tired of this cr-p. I want to quit so badly but I can’t. I need this fu--ing job because losing it would be disastrous for my family right now. I know I’m expected to apologize and I’ll probably have to do it on Monday. But I feel so small, so impotent. I want to scream, tell him to go fu-k himself, and just walk out for the sake of my mental health. But I’ve been taking his cr-p for years, and the one time I stand up to him I know I’ll have to take it back even though we both know I’m right. I’m just so, so tired of this cr-p.

The walls are crashing down around you. The future of a stable, well paying job, in a great city, is over. The vision of a lucrative nest egg is challenged. Your sense of identity and worth is compromised. Your doubts are setting in.

But remember.. you will be okay. You are blessed to live in a great country with free healthcare, and decent safety nets. This is a hole you will climb out of. You are worth it! And you will go on to do amazing things. Just different things and ones you can’t comprehend or envision at this time.

Maintain your physical and mental health and stay strong! The best is yet to come.

Some days I scroll through job postings and it hits me that I’m too old and too tied down to make a move. It’s a strange kind of limbo, wanting out but knowing the odds aren’t in my favor. I should’ve left when I was younger with more options, but hindsight always comes too late.

I have been with this company for five years and waited so long to get into Navi because they actually use to be really selective with who they hire: getting bought out by Optum who in turn got bought out by UHC has been a horrible down spiral and the writing on the wall is clearly seen but with the job market no one wants to take that leap of faith and quit. I am at a lost of what to do. I have never in my life experienced burnout until this year and my god is it fu--ing awful. I love what I do and I excelled at it then this year we went under another pointless restructuring and now I have a supervisor who’s inauthenticity can be seen from space. Which reflex poorly on the team and the people they brought over to ours are just je-ks. They offer one mental health day: always say they will support your career growth but never mention the certifications or classes you can take, leadership is AFK in the chat and these “gimme days” or whatever with the SNF dept only seem to be granted to who’s tongue is in the supervisors butt at the time. Not to mention the mocking emails of how well the company is doing and brown nosing when those surveys come around, which is tomorrow actually! This job has made my mental and physical health take a shape decline and I’m just ready to end it all.

The office is about to be the most depressing place. More depressing than it already is.

What is next ?
How to combine your s-xual life with AI ?
Cooking with AI ?

The obedience and mindless attempts to align themselves with the latest buzzwords, "putting some Windex" in just anything that comes their way is amazing and it requires some "creativity" that deservers a better target.

OMG what a joke we are becoming

Here are topics that would be much better:
How to cope with id--ts at work?
How to deal with incompetent managers ?
How to preserve your mental health while going through endless LRs rounds?

Are anxiety levels still sky high?

I can feel my lungs collapsing in on me I am freaking out. I'm 50 years old, flat broke after the divorce and everything is collapsing in on me right now. it feels like it's just not going to get better. like I had my chance and I blew it and that was it. all the jobs are disappearing or getting overseas, I feel like this is it like this is the end of the career and I'm never getting hired again I don't even fu--ing know anymore. maybe it's just time for me to go now anyways, what do I have to look forward except waiting to die in the street

one thing i really miss from corporate sales is the slow unraveling of everyone around me.

sales is stressful. the quotas are heavy, the customers are demanding, and the pressure never really ends. the obvious signs of burnout are easy to spot, but there are also quieter ones, little signals that someone is sinking into what you could call corporate depression.

the first is education. when someone suddenly decides they need an online mba, even though they never mentioned it before, that’s not ambition — that’s usually a cry for help.

the second is airline status. when a salesperson becomes obsessed with hitting the next tier, it usually means they’re spiraling. i remember once flying to chicago on december 30th, just for lunch, and flying back the same day. it wasn’t about chicago. it was about the airline points.

the third, and most serious, is whisk-y. not just buying more bottles, but diving deep into regions and styles. i had a friend in seattle who proudly told me he only drank scotch from islay. we even argued about how to pronounce it. the whole conversation was absurd — two burned-out salespeople debating peat while quietly falling apart.

and the company’s answer? quarterly video calls with hr where the sales team does breathing exercises over zoom. lawsuits and mental health claims piling up, and their defense is, “well, we had them exhale together.”

corporate sales was many things, but above all it was a master class in pretending everything was fine while quietly losing your mind.

It’ll be months before this is resolved, and by all accounts the cuts will be massive. That means a long stretch of stress and anxiety, right when keeping your job feels existential. The job market is already a horror show and only getting worse. We’ll all lose it before this is done and over with.

Spoke with an old co-worker last week, who got LR'd last year and still does not have replacement job. Really sad, great worker.

I was LR'd years ago, and moved on luckily to much greener pastures.

I was at Cisco a long time, the last two years were Psychological Warfare. Felt I would get LR'd; sure enough eventually did.

Early in career, was a "highly valued" and highly paid, who then, with time morphed into an older male. Great money. The problems indeed began when new "management" took over our BU. It took a year, but there was a dramatic "change" of "philosophies", which also brought more likeminded folks into the BU. Let me just say, languange became a definite much tougher to navigate challenge. Also, many cultural differences.

That is not a popular opinion, but it was reality. Sounds like it still may be reality. Now even more.

I am SO glad I was removed from the sullbhit and moved on. I am also glad it was years ago, and not in today's market. Times are tough. If I was still there, I do not know what I would do, the opportunites are not there.

Many people will most likely not like this post. I am supportive of all peoples, but skill and job abilities were, and appear to continue to be for the mostpart, completely ignored at Cisco.

To the upper management who sanction and condone this pile of sullbhit, I hope you feel truly proud of your accomplishments, mostly of padding your pockets while picking off other workers, and continuing to foster a culture of misery.

if you come across a better opportunity, move on. Your sanity will Thank You.

The office has become a shell. For those who have returned, it feels like working in a morgue — silence, no collaboration, no energy. At least at home people could put the radio on and feel some life around them. We tried free coffee for a week, but once that was gone, so were the people. Now we have staff commuting in only to sit in isolation on video calls. It is soul-destroying, and I worry about the mental impact on those who are complying. If management isn’t prepared to properly enforce office attendance, then this halfway approach is pointless and damaging.