“I am so sorry Shyamli, but we will not be able to extend your contract. We’re expecting you to wrap up your assignments and leave by the end of the year,” the disembodied voice of my manager trailed off the Skype call. On an autumn afternoon in 2011, I was told that I was being let go. In the moment, contrary to my expectations, I felt relieved. I’d been disengaged and anxious at work for the past few months, and this layoff, I assured myself, was going to be the end of my debilitating anxiety.
Where your work meets your life.
How to Emotionally Process a Layoff
Losing your job may feel like a permanent setback. But it’s not.
February 14, 2023
HBR Staff; Boris Zhitkov/Getty Images
Summary.
Experiencing a layoff can take an emotional toll, especially if you derive a lot of meaning and purpose from work. To move on, it’s critical to process your emotions. The author shares three strategies that can help you cope with the emotional impacts of a layoff.
- Accept your story, but don’t let it define you. Take out time for introspection. Journal, record voice notes, doodle, garden, or engage in any activity that brings you comfort. Ask yourself: What am I feeling? Why am I feeling this way? How do I feel about my former boss, organization, and colleagues? What is the story I’m telling myself about the layoff?
- Build a strong support system. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your friends, peers, family, ex-colleagues, mentors, and loved ones. This support system can help you in so many ways — some may give you a shoulder to cry on while others give you sage advice to move forward in life or become potential employers.
- Consciously build an identity beyond your work life. Think of yourself as a healthy financial portfolio. Just like you’re advised to diversify your portfolio to manage risks, it’s important to diversify your life. Work is one part of it. But what, outside of work, makes you, you?