Mental Health

One door has closed. That is sad, and can be scary. May another door (or doors, plural) open for you to far better and brighter things.

Hi there, Please be kind to yourself. How could you do your best at a job that has laid you off? Even if you were planning on leaving, an unexpected layoff is disheartening. And, it is going to trigger old thoughts of not feeling good enough. People are allowed to make mistakes and allowed to dislike their jobs, yet it doesn't make them any less valuable, likeable or enough. If you had a friend in your position, what would you say to them? Don't speak to yourself any differently. You have survived so much and will get through this. You just need some extra kindness towards yourself.

Everything is temporary. These bad feelings will fade and with new employment comes the possibility of meeting new co workers and making new friends. Focus on the path ahead and track down that new job. Allow yourself to feel the negative feelings but don't let them consume you. You've conquered some pretty difficult things in the past and you will be able to do it again. Best of luck!

Many of us have fallen into the trap of building our identity around our work, and that's great until it isn't, which is what you're experiencing right now.

One good thing that might be hard for you to see is that probably many of your coworkers don't care what the bosses think and they don't care about why you're being laid off. With luck, some of them will be your friends after you leave that place.

Another thing to keep in mind is that most of the time when the bosses decide who to promote and who to let go, they're doing so for the wrong reasons. Or at least, they're doing so for reasons that are different from what your reasons would be. Sometimes it's interesting to figure out what their favorite metrics are. Sometimes it's frustrating, though.

It must have been very difficult for you to open up like this, thank you for courageously sharing. This space is created by all of us. In some form or another, we all have been drawn toward this community for a reason. Also a reminder that we are not defined by our job. It's hard to hear how getting laid off has been affecting you, but please be kind to yourself and know that that job was not meant to be your permanent place. As much as therapy can be helpful, the difficult part truly is getting through the painful feelings day by day. Being able to vent like this is important and hopefully you'll be encouraging others to share their feelings as well.