How To Navigate Losing Your Job

I started off 2020 completely blindsided— after heading in for a regular week in the office after two weeks of holiday work from home time, I found myself sitting across from my account supervisor and HR, being told that I was getting let go. Not the best way to start off a new year and a new decade. I was in such complete shock that I surprisingly didn’t shed a tear until the second I left the building. 

Getting let go, laid off, fired, quitting your job… these are all real life occurrences that I truly wish they prepared us for in college. Jobs can become a huge part of our identities and make up a major chunk of our day. Nothing can really prepare you for it though, until it actually happens. You never think that it will happen to you or your friends, but tough times in our career and periods of unemployment happen and it is no reason to feel ashamed. 

I am a huge believer that what is meant for us will not pass us, and when one door closes, it means that particular chapter was meant to be closed and now it is time for something bigger and better. But honestly, it can be really hard to go from being somewhere every day from 9-5 for however many years to realizing you won’t be going in to the office anymore. I made some amazing friendships at my old job and got to travel to so many wonderful places, and it was a super difficult adjustment to know that I wouldn’t be coming in every day. However, a month and a half after the fact, I feel grateful that this door has closed. The discomfort is gone, and I’m ready for a new chapter. Here are some tips that I have: 

Develop a Routine

It is important to get out and do something during the day and keep up with your hobbies and routine. I think that this is especially beneficial within the first few weeks of not being at work. Whether it is waking up and doing a workout or heading to Starbucks or another coffee shop to write or apply for jobs, there are so many things that you can do to fill your days and keep your brain occupied during this time. I went to Pilates classes, rode my horse, and spent time with friends. 

Surround Yourself With Friends and Family

You will be leaning on your friends and family very heavily during this time. I don’t know where I would be without my mom and my best friend, Michaela. They have been there for me through all of the mood swings and ups and downs that come with losing a job. They forced me out of the house to go to a cute pizza place on a night I felt down, and it turned my whole day around. I got cards in the mail and words of encouragement. It is so important to have a tribe around us during our hard times. 

Journal and Process 

Another important thing to do during this time is to journal ALL of the pros and cons about your old job. What was working, and what wasn’t? Maybe you had a toxic boss or it was a hostile work environment, and now you are finally free. Maybe you enjoyed the work you were doing, but maybe you traveled too much or wanted to switch to doing other work. Now is the time to fully get everything out on paper and out of your head and find the silver linings to the situation (there are ALWAYS silver linings). 

Know That This Isn’t Forever

During the first few weeks, I was very down on myself and it was hard to not feel entirely helpless about losing my job. But the most important thing to realize is that we are young, and we have our whole careers ahead of us. This is just a temporary blip in life. My mom always tells me how life can’t stay peachy and solid all the time. There are going to be those downs, but they make us so grateful for the ups. 

Losing your job is one of the most stressful life events that you can go through, but you will come out on the other side, I promise. Going through these hard times teaches us that we can get through everything and even be there in the future to support friends and family going through the same thing. You may think you have lost something great, but you are on your way to something even better.