I totally agree. I work in science and after so many years of specialized schooling and chipping away slowly at tiny aspects of big problems - for myself and many others, it’s not just a job, it’s a huge part of your identity.

I took about 18 months off late 2018-early 2020 due to significant health issues that made existence a challenge let alone working. I still felt guilty to not be contributing financially to my marriage, and uneasy about the loss of that aspect of my identity. I’m once again newly unemployed as of last week due to moving XC for my spouse’s job, and it’s amazing how fast I’ve gotten into a funk about it.