When the Lifeline Disconnects: What Losing a Job Feels Like After Personal Loss

By New Leaf Career Consulting

When my father was dying of cancer, there came a moment no one prepares you for—a point when the doctors gently look at you and say, “It’s time to consider removing the lifeline.” That word—lifeline—cut through me. It was the thing keeping him with us. And it was also the thing reminding us that letting go was inevitable.

We made the decision as a family. It was painful, it was honest, and it was final.

Years later, I lost a job. And unexpectedly, that word came back: lifeline.

Losing a job, especially one where your identity, income, and rhythm are entangled, can feel like being disconnected from a source of life. No, it’s not the same as losing a loved one. But for many of us, especially those who’ve built a sense of stability in chaos, our work is the tether that keeps everything else functioning.

And when it’s gone—often suddenly, often without ceremony—it mimics grief in ways no one talks about.

The Grief of Work Loss Is Real

People often underestimate the emotional impact of losing a job. You hear, “You’ll find something else,” or “This is a blessing in disguise.” But in the quiet, in the moments after you clear your desk or log out for the last time, it doesn’t feel like a blessing. It feels like abandonment. It feels like failure. It feels like something that once gave you a sense of purpose has gone quiet.

Much like when my family stood in that hospital room—surrounded by machines that hummed and beeped until they didn’t—I felt the stillness, the uncertainty, and the terrible emptiness that follows a hard goodbye.

Letting Go Isn’t the End

What I learned in both moments is that letting go, no matter how necessary, always comes with grief. But it also makes room for clarity.

With my father, letting go meant honoring his life and our love.
With my job, it eventually meant rediscovering my own value outside of a title or paycheck.

When the lifeline goes silent, you don’t stop breathing. But you do start asking deeper questions: Who am I without this role? What did I love about this work? What do I want to carry forward—and what needs to stay behind?

Reconnecting with Purpose

Healing from job loss, just like personal loss, takes time. You may cycle through sadness, anger, relief, and fear—sometimes in the same day. That’s normal. It’s human.

And when you’re ready, there are new lifelines to build.

For me, that was starting New Leaf Career Consulting. Not just as a business—but as a way to help others rediscover their own worth and build new chapters after career disruption. Because job loss doesn’t have to be the end of your story. Sometimes, it’s the moment you rewrite it.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve recently lost a job—or feel like your professional lifeline has been cut—know this: You’re not alone. You’re not broken. And you’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.

Your next opportunity may not look like what you imagined. It may be better.

And if you ever need someone to talk to—someone who’s been there, who understands loss and reinvention—I’m here. Reach out at newleafcareerco@gmail.com, or visit www.newleafcareerco.com to explore ways we can move forward, together.

Because even after a lifeline is gone, new roots can take hold. And growth is always possible.