Lots of encouraging posts here. And plenty not so encouraging posts. Kudos to all who dare to share.

Getting employed is hard. Staying employed can be harder still. As a 60+ employee with a subpar job who has been been part of mass layoffs several times over the course of my career (including just two years before a scheduled/planned retirement, now some years in the past), I can offer few pieces of advice that you have not already heard here or elsewhere.

But here's one: remember that You are not your Job.

This can be especially hard over the holidays, when you're worried about the rent or the mortgage and feeling guilty about all the provisioning you would love to provide your family / partners / whomever.

Opportunities will come. They may not be Good Ones ... you may be forced to choose that lower income, lower prestige, lower job satisfaction position to get you back to where you want to be. Just remember to practice all the self-care you can muster. Reach out to friends, family, your special interest or church groups, wherever you need, to help remind you of your self-worth.

If it gets too dark between your ears, do not shy away from seeking mental/emotional help from a professional. I've done it. It really saved me after my pre-retirement layoff. And gave me some coping tools that helped when they laid off my entire department on my next job a couple of years later on.

You will get through this.

#yourcompanyisnotyourfamily #dontgiveup #neversurrender