Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash
Last Friday I was laid off from the job I’ve had for almost a year.
Believe it or not, this is the second job in a row where I’ve been let go. Uff da.
Let’s talk about it.
Last time I was laid off from my job, I felt so much shame and I was afraid of talking about it because I felt it reflected poorly on me.
This time, after the initial shock wore off, I decided it was time that I felt empowered and took control of my journey moving forward.
So a few hours after it happened, I posted on social media and put out a call for new jobs from my friends and other connections. Connection is my word of the year, of course, so I’m trying to embrace that as much as possible right now.
Then I applied for unemployment. I updated my Facebook and LinkedIn info. I had a friend who works in HR look over my resume and offer some pointers. I applied for several jobs. And then I took a break.
At first I felt overwhelmed and like I wanted to try to do everything all at once right away. It doesn’t matter how many jobs you apply to or how quickly you do it; a new opportunity will pop up whenever it’s supposed to.
Instead of freaking out and worrying about every little thing, I’m letting go. Just like I was let go from a company, I’m letting go of my expectations of my future.
I’m going to do what I need to do to find a new job or career and pay bills and other things like that. But I’m also going to be more mindful of how I spend my time to make sure I don’t get burned out. Now more than ever, I need to practice self-care daily.
Life has been pretty rough lately, and it looks like I’m still in the thick of it for now. But I know I’ll bust through to the other side a better, stronger person.
I’m a different person now than when I was laid off the first time, and whenever I find a new job, I know I’ll be a slightly different person again. I want to continue to focus on growing and challenging myself, and that’s definitely what I’m feeling the most in my life right now.
While my initial reaction to getting laid off is to go into my Cancer shell and retreat and hide, I’m not going to do that this time. I’m embracing the state of life that I’m in and not letting it define me.
If you get let go or laid off, know it doesn’t define you and this isn’t your fault. It’s going to suck for a while, but you will make it through this difficult time.
Maybe you’ll find a new hobby you really enjoy or a show you’ve been wanting to binge. Maybe you’ll have more time to meet up with friends or find a new favorite coffee shop or discover a new author you really enjoy.
Maybe you’ll find a new job in a few weeks or maybe it takes over a year. You never know what life will bring, which is why focusing on self-care is so important.
Always, always, always take care of yourself.
