I recently realized that I don’t know how to define myself or really exist outside of work. I’ve found that I define my self and my self worth by what I do. I’ve been working since I was 15, didn’t take off during college, or anything extended to have kids. I’ve even prioritized work over surgeries and I came back way too soon a few times. It was serving me well for a while (so I thought), worked myself up the tech ladder (software engineer that went the product management to transformation leadership route) and became the bread winner in the family.
Well the inevitable happened and I’ve been laid off. Now I don’t know what to do or how to act. I’ve never taken a break and I honestly don’t know how to relax. I was given a good enough package that I could take a few months off to regroup but I honestly don’t know what I would do because apparently my identity is “work”
I don’t know how it got like this, I don’t want to be like this but I don’t know how to change. I don’t want to get to the next place and just repeat this burning out pattern. Any suggestions would be great, but I’m going through all of the stages of grief with being let go and I’m all out of sorts without a known path forward for the first time.