The Emotional Outlook of a Layoff

You’ve been hearing for months that your company is downsizing, and struggling to survive. Some of your co-workers have already been let go. Now your turn has come. You’ve been told the company that you’ve spent the last few years working at can no longer afford your services. You have been officially laid off.

It’s hard to not take that news personally. The suddenness of no longer having a job to go to everyday can overwhelm you with feelings of fear, hurt, and depression. You may be wondering how you’re going to get your career back on track.

Your outlook may look bleak now, but it may actually be a good time to reflect on what you really want. This may be an opportunity for you to make some changes in your life. Here are some tips on how to stop your emotional roller coaster and start to transform your career.

• Take a deep breath – this may seem like very simplistic advice but it has merit. Practice daily meditation, quiet your mind, or go to church. Do what you need to do to calm your senses. You can’t think clearly if you are uptight and nervous.
• Take Stock of Your Skills – think about what skills you acquired at your job. Did you go on training courses? Do you specialize in using certain software or have a knack for designing? These skills could get you your next job.
• Update Your Resume – while you are listing all the skills you never realized you had, you can update your resume and ‘wow’ your next potential employer at your interview.
• Take The Time To Dream - think about what you’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance. Do you have a dream job? Maybe you’ve always wanted to start your own business? Take a piece of paper and make a list of all your goals and dreams.
• Think Positive – only you can change your situation. You can only feel sorry for yourself for so long. Go to your library or search the internet for personal development cds or books. These can be a wonderful boost to your self-esteem and outlook on life. Make it a habit to read or listen to something positive every day.
• A Grateful List – make a list every day of at least 20 things that you are grateful for. You can list things like your health, your family and your children. It’s ok to repeat these same things every day. This helps to put things into perspective and reminds you of what is really important in life.
• Take Control – you cannot depend on your employer or the government to take care of you and your problems. You must take control of your life. Too many people think ‘the system’ will take care of them in their retirement years, and that simply isn’t true. Pensions are dwindling, and the government just doesn’t have enough money to give its seniors. If you want financial security, you have to be the one to create it.

The key to remember is that things will get better, as long as you are proactive and don’t let your emotions take over. If you follow the above tips, you will soon see that life is for living. Go after it with everything in you!

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