I got laid off today from my first job after grad school. I spent six months applying to land this position, and I had only been in the role for six months. In the first three months, I began to notice some troubling signs in leadership. The direction was unclear, expectations were vague, and decisions were made impulsively without proper consideration. It made my time there increasingly uncomfortable, and I was actively seeking a way out. Today, I was called into a meeting where they informed me that they were dissolving my role because it wasn't functioning as they had hoped, and they no longer had the capacity for it. So, as of today, I'm officially laid off. Initially, I felt a sense of relief at being freed from such a toxic environment, but now anxiety is creeping in. I can't shake the feeling that I should have done something differently, and I'm worried about finding another job since I've been passively applying since March. I'm struggling with feelings of regret and self-blame while also trying to figure out how to make the most of my time while unemployed.