I struggle with unemployment two years after taking a break to de-stress

After six years of working at my old company, I became very frustrated because the environment there was toxic. Although my colleagues were friendly and nice to each other, there was a lot of factionalism, backstabbing, and negative gossip.

Additionally, the lack of recognition for my efforts stressed me out even more. No matter how many good things an employee did, they were not recognized, yet a single mistake, even the smallest one, was constantly brought up in meetings. I would wake up many mornings not wanting to go to work at all.

Despite all that, I stayed in the job to support my family and because I could not afford to quit. At the time, my family was in significant debt, and I needed a stable income to make monthly payments.

After enduring the stress for six years, I paid off the family debt and saved a bit from my side jobs. I decided to resign immediately. I took a gap year to de-stress and traveled on my own to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

However, I did not expect that I would still be unemployed after two years. My friends told me that I am just unlucky and that many companies have stopped hiring and even started laying off employees recently.

Now, I find myself missing my old company despite the toxic environment and questioning my decision to leave.

Reader Thanh Truc

*This opinion was translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.