Running on Empty
I got fired from my job at Advance Auto a few days ago. I had been there since 2019. It’s the longest I’ve ever worked for a company. Several years ago, I was excelling to the point of earning consistent awards like Employee of the Quarter and Top Performer, and I was a trainer for new hires. While the job was always very stressful for me, I was able to perform at a level that was acceptable. I did well enough that I was given more responsibility and the possibility of a promotion. I was very proud of my job. It gave me hope that even though I am worn down mentally, physically and spiritually, I might still be able to function at a full-time job, stay employed, get myself together financially, and work on my mental health. Over the past few years, I’ve become far more depressed and anxious than I was before. Going to rehab and quitting drinking made things even worse. The breakdowns were getting more frequent, and I was getting in trouble at work for poor performance. I was on medica...