I’ve been there. And it hurts.
If the number of stress dreams that I still have about it is any indication, getting laid off was the most traumatic experience of my life — and I say that as someone who also survived cancer.
When you spend the majority of your waking week devoting your energy, skills, and time to the mission of an employer, it’s natural that the unnatural and immediate separation of a layoff will be a shock to your system.
All the work problems that plagued your after-hours brain and disrupted your dinner conversation with your spouse are no longer your bailiwick. The colleagues that you loved, hated, or indifferent-ed will soon be a memory or an occasional LinkedIn interaction.
But life will go on. All of the things that I said at the top of this post are true.
Getting laid off is not necessarily a referendum on you and your skills (unless that’s what you were explicitly told when you were laid off) as much as it is an indication of the employer’s priorities at a given moment. Expansion, contraction, realignment, etc.
You can’t control that, and you never could. Don’t lie to yourself.
Ever since getting laid off, I no longer fall into a comfortable stasis at work. I understand all too keenly that this job most likely will not be my job forever, these coworkers (and I) could come and go at any moment, and all I can do is give me all while I’m there to do the job to the best of my ability. I am an at-will employee.
Being several years (and a couple of new roles) removed from the trauma of the layoff, I can see what a blessing it really was in the grand scheme of my career and 17
personal life. This road that I never would have chosen for myself has offered less stress, new challenges, incredible opportunities, and few regrets.
If you’re in this situation right now, I’m confident you will someday soon look back in the same way — from a position of strength that you can’t imagine right now.
Keep your chin up and go find the next thing.