Layoff Lesson One: Experience Your Emotions and Manage Your Mindset.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

​About The Seven Layoff Lessons

Through my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:

• Lesson One: Experience your emotions and manage your mindset. 
• Lesson Two: Keep your mind on your money (and your money on your mind).
• Lesson Three: Ask yourself, “What do I want to be next?”
• Lesson Four: Shape and share your story.
• Lesson Five: Help people help you.
• Lesson Six: Examine your energy to take control of your time. 
• Lesson Seven: Assess, adapt, and rise above.

About Lesson One: Experience Your Emotions and Manage Your Mindset. 

Right after a layoff, people often act hastily out of sheer unbridled panic. Instead, you must attend to two key tasks right away: feeling your feelings and choosing your career transition mindset. Getting your head on straight before springing into action will prepare you for the challenges ahead.
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Let’s look at a few key components of this lesson.

Experiencing Your Emotions

Losing your job, even through no fault of your own, will bring on a myriad of feelings. When someone asks you how you are, you may say “fine,” and you may even think that you are, indeed, fine. In truth, you are pretty far from fine, and you may not be truly fine for a good long while.

Right after a layoff, your mind will be spinning as you process what just happened and figure out what on earth to do with yourself next. Your dominant emotions may include shock, anger, sadness, fear, and possibly even relief. As your career transition continues, you’ll cycle through those emotions as you hit ups and downs.

At every step of the way, you’ll also experience more people telling you no than at any other time in your life. Through all of these feelings, it’s important that you acknowledge each one, and work your way through them.  

Managing Your Mindset

Your mindset is your overall approach to dealing with the world. It includes how you think about your current situation, including your assumptions about what is true.
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When people search for a new role, successful people believe that the future will be good while also acknowledging that there will be challenges along the way. Adopting a mindset that combines optimism and realism will help you weather the challenges you’ll face. Changing your language to support your updated mindset will help you stay motivated, no matter how long your search lasts.

You Are The CEO of You

Along with your mindset, it’s helpful to change how you think about work. Instead of thinking of yourself as an employee who has to do whatever their employer asks or else, you need to give yourself a life promotion.

In reality, your career is your business, and you are the CEO of You. Just like the executive team at a company needs to make tough decisions for the organization’s greater good, you need to make business decisions that are in the best interests of you and your household. 

For The Whole Story

For all the information on each of the seven lessons pick up a copy of my book  Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide. ​

Learn More

• ​The Layoff Lady's Ultimate Guide To Answering The Question, "I Just Got Laid Off--Now What Do I Do?"​
• The Layoff Lady Book: Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide​