Maybe your friend should sign up for unemployment compensation immediately and take it easy for awhile. Then she could work on all of her other issues without the stress of job-hunting or working. After a period of time, she can start applying for another job. People get laid off and fired all the time. It's not the end of the world. It sounds like she needs to work on getting her physical and mental problems under control, then she will be ready to re-enter the workforce. I also lost my job and decided to change careers. I am now going to school full-time. (I am well into middle-age) This is not easy for me. I am racking up a sizable debt with student loans, and working crummy, low-paying part-time jobs to try to get by. The point is, stuff happens. There are always options. I think your friend should just take a deep breath, relax, and try to realize that her life is not ending just because of one job. Perhaps she could start by making a list of what her immediate and biggest issues are, and work on solving those. Then she can start thinking about what she wants to do in the future. I guess the point is that there are many, many people who have been in her shoes, but it is not the end of the world, even though it seems overwhelming at first.

Timetogo