Logical-Ad947's journey

I was laid off this week after six years at my company, and I'm feeling really confused about everything. The first five years were fantastic—I loved my job and the culture, and I consistently received great reviews. However, things changed when my manager left and a co-worker was promoted to take her place. This new manager was incredibly micro-managing, and I ended up receiving my first poor performance review, which was really disheartening. Over the past year, I faced a lot of personal losses, including the deaths of my brother, an aunt who was like a second mother, an uncle, and a close friend—all within a three-month span. It was tough to keep my spirits up, and I admit I was late to work a few times as it became harder to motivate myself. This led to a write-up and ultimately triggered a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). I had a feeling my days were numbered after that. When I was finally laid off, it felt like I was being treated as if I should be grateful that my position was eliminated rather than being fired. They offered me a small severance package, which wasn’t much to write home about, but what surprised me was a clause stating that I could never work for the company or any of its subsidiaries again. Is this typical for severance packages? I’ve never received one before, and I can’t help but wonder what I did to deserve this treatment. I know I wasn’t a bad employee, especially considering my strong contributions in the past.