Panic after resigning from a toxic workplace

First of all congratulations! You're out of that hell hole how and you can now recover and realign.

Second - You'll be okay. Anxiety tricks you into thinking the worst possible thing will happen to you. It convinces you that it's the only possible outcome.

I'd say the first couple of days - just be. Do what you want. Decide that in the first week you'll consciously do nothing job related - the one you left and the one you should find. You'll need this time to feel like yourself again. Do things that bring you calm and joy. Nothing to big, could be as simple as a walk or making your favourite kind of sandwich.

After a week - do the following things :

1. List out every single thing you did at this job
2. Use this info to update the CV - it'll take multiple iterations. Send it to people for feedback, ask them to be candid, use chatgpt whenever relevant
3. Make a list of companies you want to work with
4. Visit their portal and other job portals
5. Find relevant jobs
6. Find people in your circle who can refer you. If you do not know any reach out to people on LinkedIn. Send request to multiple people to have a big top of the funnel
7. Simultaneously write down questions that you might be asked in an interview
8. Meet people you like
9. Do some kind of work out
10. Apply to jobs with referal
11. Repeat

Remember - you'll be okay.

Unpopular opinion: Companies with B2B business model sucks and most of the time it is because of clients.

Just FYI, you're not legally bound to serve your notice period, if you can, and feel like it's determental to your mental health, please feel free to quit sooner

I don't know if it's just me or my luck but I personally feel like every workplace I've ever been to is toxic and I can't wait to get out. It's a huge reason why I work from home, so I have the comfort or safety of my family around me. If I have to go to a physical office, I'd constantly be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. You're not the only one and it's not always about work pressure or your ability to handle work, it's a combination of a lot of things

Been in a similar situation.
Consult a therapist if you are actually getting panic attacks.
Read some books, do meditation and have faith in yourself. Books that i can recommend -everything is figureoutable -surrender experiment -dont believe in everything you think -stop overthinking

its normal... i have had the same.. Plan to study something for 2-3 months after you quit. It will feel like you did something and lessen the stress a bit. If you cant find a job in that time, at least you will get an idea of what is the skill they are looking for.

Travel and Reflect back... You will get answer from within.

Read bhagwad Geeta also

Hey, don’t punish yourself too much. Things are worse to people. At least for you decision was in your hands, recently people saw waves of uncertainty where they had no control.

Stay strong, you will emerge stronger!

I have been there - 4 times in my life across 15 years of job+entrepreneurship :)

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First

STAY POSITIVE! See how you can bring your emotions to a happy place

DOs: expose yourself to pleasant people, eat your fav food, watch some light comedy, talk to your best buddies and ask how their life is going.

DONTs: Avoid anything agitating including arguments, thinking about past stressors, drinking, sad/emotional movies etc.

You will notice the change within yourself moving away from agitation and more towards towards pleasantness which is the natural human state just like an infant - happy for no real reason.

Remember no one can bug you without your consent. At this moment don’t draw unnecessary conclusions about people and situations around you. JUST CHILL!

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Second

Once you are in chill zone - now take action. See what you want to do next. You have a long way to go if you finished your MBA just 2 years ago. You will find your next adventure- dont worry about not having a backup etc. Nobody needs to tell you about how India is growing and plenty opportunities around.

This may sound like gyan but trust me - these wounds will make you wise. Be humble. Eventually you will also learn how to smile through unpleasant situations.

When you leave your firm - avoid negative conversations. Say good bye to folks you enjoyed working with.

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Third (and most important)

UPSKILL yourself like a maniac! There is an inherent joy in learning new things - you are young - ride that wave of energy!

CONNECT with random people from LinkedIn, your local neighborhood etc. Its easier than ever now. People go through so much - hearing about how others navigated their job/health/relationship is a humbling experience.

Toxic workplaces have the ability to insidiously erode your confidence. So it’s important for you to recognise that the self doubt is misplaced in your case. Others have already commented on alternatives to explore if there is a job hiatus so best of luck!

I was in your place. Same situation (1.5 years if work ex, first job after mba). I was about to resign, but my loans and emi asked me not to. I suffered the toxicity in silence. Maybe it was my luck that they decided to put me on PIP (even after I met all revenue targets). I was devastated. I cried a lot. I started caluclating my savings and monthly expenses to check how much runway I have till my next job. I cancelled all my subscriptions (Netflix, PS5 plus, prime etc etc).

But that Day I decided to standup and fight the circumstances instead of feeling helpless. I made a plan, did 20 applications per day, left the job early (as I was not interested in clearing that PIP), Stopped picking up their calls, focussed on myself.

Long story short, within a matter of 35 days, I converted 3 job offers. Today I accepted the offer that is in my hometown, and will reject the other two.