[freewilly1040]

"I'm in an abusive relationship, what should I do?"

This type of question defies easy answers on a forum. Anyone with an ounce of self respect and marketability would find a new job in this situation.

The real pertinent part of the question is in the "other obligations" that are keeping the poster from leaving. What are they? Are they really preventing the poster from switching jobs? Is the poster underestimating the difficulty in finding something else?

[throwaway743]

I agree, though having an abusive boss and being burnt out can really hurt one's level of self respect/image of one's self and what's achievable.

That was my situation for 7ish years until getting laid off in Oct 2020 which was a heaven sent. During those 7ish years I had many interviews, many of which seemed to go very well, but upon reflecting since the layoff I can see that it was likely I didnt project a confident enough image mostly due to the conditioning from the abuse and the loss of self esteem.

It's taken a little over a year now to recover, but my outlook and self esteem are quite bright now and I'm excited for the path I'm on.

Tldr: Abusive bosses can demolish one's self esteem which has reverberating effects and can lead to failing to gain alternative means of income/employment. Usually takes time to recover and succeed after such shit experiences