Something I want to share for anyone here dealing with mental health stuff alongside career struggles.
A few years ago I lost my job as a principal. I was leading an organization of over 400 people and had a mental health crisis that ended my career there. It was one of the most humiliating and disorienting experiences of my life.
Then I spent months of applying to over 130 jobs. Most of them never responded. Some got to the interview stage then went nowhere. I was networking with everyone I knew, beefing up my LinkedIn page, etc. I had been responsible for hundreds of people, but I couldn't get a callback, and it had me questioning a lot of things about myself. I wondered if I was unemployable or unwanted or not as skilled as I thought I was.
The hardest part wasn't just the rejections, it was continuing to put forth the effort after all the rejections when I just wanted to give up and watch movies. Every no can feel like it takes something out of you, and when your mental health is already fragile, the silence from employers hits harder than it would otherwise.
Thankfully, I eventually landed a decent job through a friend of mine who was willing to give me a shot, and I worked my way up from there, and now things are much more stable.
It was really hard and I feel lucky I eventually found something, so I'm not sharing this to toot my own horn or anything, but I see a lot of posts here from people dealing with mental health setbacks who feel like their situation is uniquely hopeless.
I just want to say from someone who has been there that the gap is not as permanent as it feels when you're in it. The rejections are not a verdict on who you are. And the fact that you're here asking questions and trying to figure out next steps is a good step. Please keep going even if it feels pointless for a while.