I Quit My Job and Feel Depressed: 6 Ultimate Reasons

When you quit your job, you thought that you were free now and that everything would be ok.

But the reality turned out to be different; you are depressed as when you were working.

You still feel depressed because you second-guess your decision, you don’t know what to do now, and new struggles have appeared.

One study showed that an incredible 85% of people are unhappy at their jobs.

It is easy to be in that majority, so you quit your job.

But unfortunately, now you have encountered new problems and struggles.

In this article, we will point out the reasons why you feel depressed after resigning, but also give you advice on how to turn the situation in your favor.

6 Reasons Why You Feel Depressed After Quitting Your Job

The perfect plan you had in mind failed, and now you find yourself in a completely new and uncomfortable situation.

You were depressed at your job. However, you are still depressed even after quitting your job.

What are the reasons for that:

1. You Second Guess Your Decision

What I’ve Done? Did that thought cross your mind after you quit?

A massive fear for the future appeared.

You think that by quitting your job, you ruined your life.

Now you even consider swallowing pride, returning to work, and begging to be hired back.

SOLUTION: Stand Firmly Behind Your Decision

Every decision in life has its pros and cons.

The fact that you are now second-guessing yourself and your decision is nothing strange.

Until you sail back into safe waters, that doubt can occur.

You made a decision with a clear reason, thought about it before, and now respect yourself and stick to your decision, and good outcomes will come.

2. You Encountered Financial Problems

This is probably the most common reason someone feels depressed after quitting their job.

You thought that with the money saved, you would be able to last a certain period without work, but it is not like that.

The decision to quit your job and do nothing because you have enough money was not good.

You even thought you would find a new job quickly, but it took longer than expected.

SOLUTION: Change Your Priorities

Here, above all, we are thinking of material priorities.

Is it really all about material things?

You don’t always have to wear the latest model of favorite sneakers or order expensive fancy food daily.

And it’s not a sin to buy a product at a discount.

Do you really have to spend as much as you do now?

It is possible to make some changes so that your budget suffers less.

If you also have a family that depends on you, you may have to find a job until you get back on your feet.

3. You Faced Huge Competition in Your Search For a New Job

Most likely, you quit because you thought you would find a new job quickly. 

After all, there are job ads everywhere.

When you casually scroll through Instagram, you will surely see an ad for some fantastic job that has something to do with your interests (ah, that algorithm is doing his work).

But you didn’t count on one thing: the competition.

Whatever job comes to your mind, know that competition can be brutal.

Everyone is perfect; take a look at LinkedIn.

They all have outstanding CVs and portfolios, knowledge, patience, perfect smiles, and professional pictures that make them look like models.

As someone who has been working in one job for a while, you may need to catch up in your own profession, especially if you have been working in a monotonous job for a long time.

Now that you’ve seen how far it all went, you are afraid that you are not up to new challenges.

SOLUTION: Invest in Your Knowledge

We know you thought it was enough to finish college or some training, and now you are ready to do a specific job for the rest of your life.

That system may have worked once, but that is no longer the case today.

Today, it is necessary for an individual to constantly learn and progress to keep up with business trends.

Especially if it is more modern careers such as programming, graphic design, or marketing, where trends are constantly changing.

You can be at the top of the world at one moment and then get lazy and can’t even find a client anymore.

Therefore, understand that it is necessary to constantly improve your knowledge to progress in your chosen career.

4. You Quit Your Job to Chase Your Dreams, But You Ended Up Disappointed

“Chase your dreams, and get out of your comfort zone!”

You must have heard this many times by now.

Ah, that comfort zone is the modern man’s biggest enemy, according to every life coach.

And we are not saying that it is not so, but there can be confusion and disappointment.

You gathered your strength and quit your job to chase your dream, you probably felt liberating at that moment, but disappointment came quickly.

That new life chapter you eagerly anticipated turned out to be not so great.

Here are some popular examples:

Being a travel vlogger looks great on social media and allows you to see the world.

But behind all those amazing adventures are stressful journeys and unpleasant and even potentially dangerous travel situations.

We all know how popular cryptocurrencies are today.

You know those stories where some random guy became a millionaire overnight because of smart investments.

You probably thought you could do it, but then you realized it’s not that easy.

The truth is that you have to learn about the market and how it all works.

SOLUTION: Accept Failure As A Part Of Life

Realizing that your dream job isn’t where you see yourself can be disappointing.

But it’s not the end of the world.

Just because you’ve decided something isn’t for you doesn’t mean you should give up on pursuing your purpose.

And it’s even more important that you don’t give up on the first hurdle.

The road to success is paved with struggles, doubts, and uncertainties.

We know that we often only see the successes of some people but not the path they had to take to get there.

Know that behind every success lies unseen hard work, sacrifice, and persistence.

So ask yourself are you are passionate enough to chase your dreams.

5. You Feel Like You Lost Your Identity When You Quit Your Job

You should count on this, and it can happen, especially if you have worked at the same job for a long time.

Suddenly you have no idea who you really are because everything in your life has been about work.

Maybe even your best friends were colleagues, and now you feel like you’ve lost them too because you’re not up to date with work gossip.

You also feel that you no longer have the same social status you had at work.

SOLUTION: Create a New Image

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” – Albert Einstein.

We’re not saying you should change your hairstyle, and you can do that too.

If you worked where a strict dress code was mandatory, it is undoubtedly liberating that you no longer have to dress like that.

But we do not mean only the physical image, but more importantly, the mental one.

So allow yourself to change.

The power of manifestation is enormous, so if you want to be, for example, a freelance writer, you have to believe in it and take on that identity.

And as for work friends, if you’re really that good friend you’ll stay in touch even if you don’t work at the same place.

If you don’t stay friends, it just means the friendship wasn’t as valuable as you thought.

6. You’ve Entirely Fallen Out of Routine Since You Quit Your Job

We should overwhelm ourselves too much with organization, but there should be some organization during the day.

You’ve completely dropped out of time management since you quit, and that’s why you’re feeling depressed.

You are probably too lazy and unmotivated to look for a new job.

And some days, you don’t even want to get out of bed.

SOLUTION: Maintain a Routine

You need to maintain a healthy routine now more than ever.

If you are used to working hours, it is best to use the time you worked to upgrade your knowledge and skills.

You can also use it to search for a new job; in fact, consider looking for a new job as a job.

The rest of the day should be healthy activities that will keep you busy and benefit your physical and mental health.

Maybe you were always too tired from work, why don’t you use that time smartly and constructively or spend it with your family.

Taking All of This Into Account,

The first period after quitting your job can be confusing and unclear.

But you quit because you weren’t happy there, don’t let yourself be unhappy now.

Look at the new situation you find yourself in as a new beginning full of new possibilities.

If you keep that attitude, constantly improve and work on yourself, we guarantee that better times will come.