Dealing with Emotions of Being Laid Off

So many questions, but I had to keep going.

I was taken aside into a conference room at the end of the day after all of my coworkers had gone home or were out on assignments to “go over some things,” sat down with the new sales manager to and she informed me this was my last day with the company, and that the owner had decided they didn’t need a full time person to do what I was doing. They didn’t need me. I went back to my cubicle and my computer had been logged out by IT, I guess they didn’t want me to get back into it. I packed my things into a cardboard box just like you see it happen on TV, and I left.

The first thing I did when I got home was call my dad. Later I called my mom, and my boyfriend took me out to dinner because it had been a crappy day. I also texted all my coworkers to let them know they wouldn’t be seeing me the next day. Everyone seemed surprised. I had really liked that job and was hoping to keep it for a few years at least. The next day was odd, and so were many days afterward.

I can only describe what I went through as a very low period in my life. I went through a lot of phases where I couldn’t sleep, definitely cried once or twice which is unheard of for me, and even tried to induce tears a few times when I was feeling like I was about to burst with emotion and strain and stress. It’s really not fun to suddenly have the foundation of your current existence ripped out from under you with little explanation.

I still went out and explored the city on the weekends with my boyfriend and was really glad I wasn’t totally alone. I visited family more than I had the past couple of years since I had moved away from my home town for this job. The weekdays were hard when I was laying on the couch not having anything productive to do; although my house stayed a lot more clean and I learned how to cook more during this time. I was really lucky and grateful to have one of my best friends to turn to pretty much anytime I needed to, day or night.

Here are the things I did to help keep myself motivated and to feel okay:

1. Watch inspirational career-related TED Talks. See my playlist.
2. Cry it out, watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s or other sad movie if necessary.
3. Have someone to confide in who’s been through it and gets it.
4. Realize it’s not you, it’s them; a business decision. Try not to dwell on it.
5. Do something for yourself. My job broke up with me, so I colored my hair for the first time in my life. I look really cute and more sophisticated.

Those are all things that helped with the emotions, but for someone like me who isn’t happy if they’re not productive and on a mission, it wasn’t really enough. Three months passed and the turn of the new year came. I decided that, to shake the depressive feelings, I would set myself on a mission to re-evaluate what it was I wanted to do with my life and how best to get there. That was an entire process in itself, and is what I will enjoy writing about now.

See my entire series on finding a new job here:

My Process of Finding a new Job