37, single, jobless, starting over — I feel completely lost
Last year I made more money than I ever have — $168k in remote sales. I also dreaded the work every single day. So I quit in February. I knew it wasn't sustainable mentally, and I have enough saved to give myself some runway to figure out my next move.
The first month off was genuinely amazing. Gym, hobbies, breathing. Then the shame, grief, and guilt hit hard.
Now I'm stuck in this exhausting loop — some days I wake up excited about the future, other days I can barely get out of bed. I have a background in sales and copywriting, both of which I was good at, but I don't know what I actually want. Every direction feels equally appealing and equally wrong. I get inspired by an idea, then talk myself out of it 24 hours later.
On top of the career stuff: I'm 37 and single. I had an incredible social life and dating life in my 20s and early 30s, but I never settled down when I could have. Now I feel like time is slipping and I'm going to wake up at 47 alone with no family and even fewer options.
I keep leaning on my mom and friends for reassurance, and I can feel them getting tired of it. I know no one's coming to save me. I know I have to figure this out myself. But I genuinely don't know how to right now.
I just feel so helpless.
I'm not looking for someone to make my decisions for me — I know that's not possible. I'm just looking for some honest, outside perspective. Candid is welcome. I could use a reality check.
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TL;DR: Left a $168k sales job because I was miserable, been unemployed since February, financially okay for now but emotionally spiraling. 37, never settled down, don't know what career direction to take, and I'm exhausted from the constant self-doubt and mood swings. Looking for candid perspective from strangers because the people in my life are probably tired of hearing it.