Husband fired, and so depressed for months?

I've been thinking and reading about this today and remembering...

I got fired once from a job I hated and had had for less than a month because my 12 yr old called to tell me there'd been a fire at our house and her dad was badly burned and I left in mid-workday.

I would have gotten fired soon enough anyway - or quit. That wasn't much of a job, either.

Weirdly, it still knocked me for a loop for a couple of days.

Employment is what we found our financial house of cards upon. When that rug gets yanked out from under us, we realize a lot more than we don't have a job. We realize that money and status and stability are a myth and it's a bandwagon we can fall off all too easily. It's an existential shock, especially to someone riding the crest of a wave who finds himself washed up on shore.

Having said that, I think, with others here, there is likely more going on in your situation, and it is definitely your situation, not just his.

Here is an article by a recruiter who headhunts attorneys for legal firms, [b][i]32 reasons why corporate attorneys lose their jobs[/i][/b], and [b]You take extended leave or too many leaves[/b] is #15 in a list of 32.

https://www.bcgsearch.com/article/900047926/Top-32-Reasons-Attorneys-Lose-Their-Jobs-Inside-of-Law-Firms/

It doesn't really matter now why he got fired except in the context of what to do now.

Since the two of you (and your child) are in marital free-fall, what can you do to get all of you back to earth safely?

It appears he has sole access to what funds are left, or surely you would've known about a discrepancy of $6500. By this point it doesn't matter all that much now. But make sure [b]your[/b] earnings are safe from whatever he is spending on. Less stability will not help.

Consider what you can do to help stabilize the financial tailspin and lessen the stress. Cheaper apartment or home? Sell a car and lease cheaper? Investigate bankruptcy? Don't wait till the wolf is at the door to explore your options. I have zero financial sense - talk to somebody who has some.

A seven+ month crash-and-burn is too long. It's edging on becoming the new normal.

What does his family have to say about this? They've known him longer than you have.

The articles I read were directed at the person who got fired, not their spouse, but they say:

Take a few days to grieve and pound the wall about how it's not fair. ([b]It never was fair, you were just lucky.)[/b]

Bolster your shattered ego by reading about wildly successful people who got fired before they got rich. Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, J.K. Rowlands (Harry Potter) are only a few. [b]It's only total defeat if you roll belly up and surrender.[/b]

Analyze why you got fired. Talk to ex-colleagues and ask for straight up honest assessment of your work and work ethic. Don't argue or defend yourself. Just listen. [b]How those in your work environment see you is more important just now than how you see you.[/b]

The article by the attorney recruiter says [b][i]most[/i][/b] corporate attorneys get fired at some point in their career. Corporations deliberately maintain a slippery slope to keep the rest of the oxen toeing the line.

I wish you luck.