[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