Threw away a promising career

Hello all,

I have suffered from depression/.anxiety most of my life and had periods of stability with occasional depressive episodes. I hadn't had much success in life being financially controlled by a narcissistic father with codependency issues.

About 9 years ago, I got a temp job that turned into a real job, that turned into a career path and was I doing extraordinarily well. My father felt threated when I was becoming too independent and used every trick in the book to work my emotions so I wouldn't leave him. Unfortunately I let the emotional manipulation derail me and send me into a depressive state and I ended up quitting my job. I've been through the darkest depression of my life since then but pulled my way through it.

Since then, I have and continue to do everything I can to research narcissistic parents, codependent relationships, emotional abuse etc. I've gained more clarity and insight into my life than I ever have before and I feel stronger and more confident than ever.

My problem now is that I have no means of supporting myself and getting out of this situation. I'm 45 with only very specialized job skills so finding a job has been difficult. I'm trying to keep faith and am currently looking into anything I can do to build my skills. Any advice/support would be greatly appreciated.

Most people change career paths at some point. I got a chemistry degree but couldn't get a job with it so I ended up as a food service manager for 15 years. Then somehow I was able to get a chemist job. I didn't think it would ever happen.

I also have Narcissistic parents. I'm hoping for you. Thanks for posting here!