Comments on: 7 Ways to Cope with a Layoff

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:05:36 +0000

Recently laid off from a company I gave 13 years of service to. I had a solid work history, was always honest and looked out for what was in the best interest of the company. I believed in the people who owned the company, always trusted their word that my job was secure. Then, unexpectedly, I’m called in to do inventory and was told my position is being terminated. No prior warning, never provided any notice that there was a problem. In the parking lot of the company I stood by for over ten years I’m suddenly let go / when this occurred I could no think straight / I was numb / could not believe what they wewre doing to me. I am now consumed with fear and anxiety – my world suddenly turned upside down. I feel people I trusted turned on me with no regard for how my wife would deall with adjusting to being unemployed. I’m approaching 50 – I’m scared what the future may bring – I lost my routine each morning, I am now home and feel like a prisioner in my house being that I have nowhere to go. It’s been nearly two weeks but the pain and confusion has not diminished – at times I break down being that I don’t understand why they did this to me – I was a dedicated employee. I have the opportunity to return to graduate school and complete a masters degree that I was working on years ago / this seems to be my only hope right now to change the direction of my life. I feel lost, cannot think clearly and pray to God that I will find my way thru this mess that I was cast into. The emotions that I’ve dealing with are intense – this will no doubt prove to be one the greatest transistions I was forced to deal with in my life. If there was a reason why I was let go I would probably be better able to accept and cope with what happened, instead, I did my best for the company and in the end what mattered most to the owners was simply money – my dedication, adherance to a strong work ethic, and a genuine commitment to the company meant nothing. I pray for all of you who have shared your thoughts on this forum – I understand the pain you are going thru – I pray we will all come thru this better of in the end. We need to support and encouage one another not to give up – but to move forward as best we can. This has paralized my thinking / there are so many questions I cannot answer as to how I was suddenly put into this position – I feel as though the ground beneath my feet has fallen away – I am groundless and feel my life right now has no direction.

By: RealityCheck

RealityCheck — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:55:57 +0000

I am getting layed off, but I have been anticipating that this might happen, so I have been training for my “dream job”. It’s tough to resist being depressed. Best remedy for me is challenging physical activity, preferably outdoors. While you’re at it, be vocal – shout how awesome you are! You will succeed if you’re psyched. Nobody wants to hire anyone who’s depressed. Finally, realize that this economy is not an accident. Stop voting for people who want to eliminate the middle class!

By: Cissy

Cissy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:59:48 +0000

Two weeks ago laid off from my job. Worked 23 years only job ever had started when I was 17. My husband still works for same company. Half of my life was this company. It was my family . The dedication,loyality and working hard being on time didn’t matter. What mattered to them was the money they were paying me needed to end. I did get a package and it should make me feel better.. Every morning I wake up I ask god to give me the strength to adjust to my new lifestyle until i find a job not going to work and not to feel sorry for myself because at least my husband still has a job. I have read all of your emails and my prayers are with each and everyone of you.

By: chookgoo

chookgoo — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Josie,

I agree with your rant. I got laid off last week. Now I can’t say I was the best employee in our dept of some 50 people, however, I did not have any complaints, no problem during annual reviews, met all deadlines and was flexible to work in other areas and still got the notice.

I look back and see that I didn’t do much of shmoozing and socializing with my bosses and leads because I had work to do until the end of this year but was told to be replaced by someone out of work. Only to find out that there was no one and even my immediate supervisor (I was loaned to another dept) was puzzled and couldn’t believe.

Andre Agassi’s Canon commercial is right. Image is everything what you do or did don’t matter much. Be a laud mouth, smooth talker. If you are tall, thin, good looking, and lighter color, even better. Better appear to be good than work hard and well.

Now don’t tell I’m too much or prejudice. Out of 7 manager/leads in department, 6 were cacsian and 1 were mixed with casian. Non-cacasians made about a half of my dept just to let you know.

By: Scared

Scared — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:57:49 +0000

I’ve been laid off for two weeks now. I was told by my supervisor that he feels it will be short term, but in the past the company has told people that and they are still laid off. I do not believe I will be called back. My husband does have a great job and we can almost make it on his check, but I need to work. I can’t get on his health insurance unitl November which will then not take affect until January. Cobra is way too expensive. I hate getting up in the morning having nowhere to go. 18 years at the same place and then nothing is really scary. I haven’t rec’d my first Unemployment check yet but should soon. I’ve put my name in for some jobs but haven’t heard anything. I get depressed, scared and a feeling of doom quite a bit during the day. I cry a lot. This is probably the worse thing I’ve ever had to go through. I feel worthless and not good enough. This has really knocked down my self esteem. I’m trying to keep busy at home, but it still hurts. I am so worried.

By: Death of a Co-Worker

Death of a Co-Worker — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:02:57 +0000

Great tips. Losing a job is never an easy thing. Thanks for sharing your feelings and experiences.

By: AlexStyles

AlexStyles — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:06:21 +0000

Getting laid off is really hard. It can effect your self esteem and your mood. If you feel that this is impacting your life, you should defenitely go to your doctor who may refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist depending on what type of depression you have.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:23:18 +0000

I have been laid off nearly 10 months. It is very hard to take care of my 2 children. I am trying so hard to keep my head up and to stay positive. Everyone keeps telling me things will get better. I feel like I have a really low self esteem right now. I am trying to exercise to stay positive and it does seem to help a little. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in the world who feels this way.

By: sentient

sentient — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:53:31 +0000

I sm laid off too. I am finding it very difficult to believe that this has happened to me. I am trying to survive this one step at a time.

The tips in the article are quite helpful.

I believe that this is a good time to go back to college, if you ever had any such plans. I want to do this.

Also, this is a good opportunity to try and get the kind of career you wanted – something you mght not have done if you were stuck with the current job you hated all along.

By: josie

josie — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:52:10 +0000

I am in the same boat like you…have been laid off 4 days ago…i agreed with wayne H regarding his frustration and anger…i am angry because first of all, all hard working good people who will always be chopped first from the list, for no reason….while others who like bitching all day long, doing nothing at work, doing plenty of mistake…these people their jobs are SAFE…why this injustice and selfishness…In this kind of world nowadays you have to fight for your piece of bread…I wonder why this happen to ME…Me too I am fedup of fighting, the more you strive nothing good happen, you donot see the end of the tunnel..

By: nilesh

nilesh — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:15:27 +0000

nice articles. I think freelancing are best option when layoff’s happen.

By: katy

katy — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:35:55 +0000

Both myself and husband are on unemployment. We have cut back and are into our retirement savings now. The state wont help us until ALL funds are exhausted including life insurance. I ma trying to keep my home from forclosure and keep bills paid but we are 3 months behind in some. I am depressed so isn’t he. Why isn’t there help for people like us who work hard then lose everything?

By: The Emotional Impact of a Layoff | Fiscal Fizzle - Money Blog - The Hottest Personal Finance Blog

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:44:08 +0000

[...] PsychCentral suggests seven ways to cope with a layoff, including not giving up hope: “Although it may be hard to remember, try to keep in mind that layoffs aren’t a judgment about your own abilities, experience or skills that you bring to a position…Although many people define their self-worth and value in this world by their job, it really isn’t everything and doesn’t have to be the defining feature of one’s life.” [...]

By: How to keep your job and survive the downturn | 2.0 Niche Article Directory

How to keep your job and survive the downturn | 2.0 Niche Article Directory — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:01:15 +0000

[...] 7 Ways to Cope with a Layoff (psychcentral.com) Share and Enjoy: [...]

By: PT

PT — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:11:09 +0000

I lost my job in January. It was the second job loss I experienced in less than two years. I wasn’t really given a reason. It was a government job, but I had not yet passed the internship period. Another fear you have is that references will not continue to recommend you indefinitely. But I do believe that God is there and that with faith nothing is impossible no matter how bleak things may seem.