It has been all over the news, giant companies like Amazon, Meta, and Twitter recently announced immediately trimming their workforce by thousands of employees. Many more companies across the United States are following suit but avoiding making headlines and spacing out waves of layoffs to remain under the radar of labor statistics. This is all happening during a time of the year when people are supposed to feel jolly, grateful, and hopeful. After all, it is the Holiday season. 

If you have ever been made redundant in your career, there is no sugar-coating it. You know that the feeling sucks. I was laid off twice from executive jobs and went from star performer to being escorted out of the building like a criminal who is about to go ballistic. It is a humiliating experience. If the layoff happens during the Holidays, insult was just added to injury.  So how is one to respond after receiving the news that your services are no longer needed? How can you turn this perceived tragedy into a triumph?

It is normal to experience anger and frustration towards your employer. After all, you invested your time and energy and gave your organization your best efforts. It is understandable to feel guilt and shame when delivering the news to your family and friends. If you are really lucky, they will withhold judgment, but their understanding is bound to vanish when they start asking questions projecting into the future, such as “how are we going to pay the bills?”, “Can we still afford to buy Christmas presents?” or “Where and when are you going to find another job?”. This is fear that is spreading about the uncertainty of what is to come next. 

Fear is never a good advisor. Did you know that there are only two states of being and that they are mutually exclusive? You can either be in an expansive mindset or a protective mindset. The expansive mindset provides experiences such as joy, happiness, love, kindness, and gratitude. It makes you feel creative and productive. When your mind is in a protective state, your thoughts and feelings are focused on victimhood, sadness, worry, anger, and confusion. Making it impossible to think clearly and make decisions that serve you. 

So how can one shift from a protective mindset to an expansive mindset? One that could propel you towards finding not just any job that pays the bills, but might represent an opportunity to steer your career in a direction that is in alignment with your values and purpose? 

Here are the steps I recommend you take:

1. Become fully aware of your feelings and know they are temporary
2. Give yourself grace and accept your current feelings and circumstances just as they are.  Refrain from judging them as “good” or “bad”
3. Choose a thought about your current situation that better serves you, e.g., if you weren’t happy in your job, this is an opportunity to reset and do what you truly love. 
4. Reconnect to your why. When you are ready to start the job search, filter future employers and prospects to make sure they match your expectations

After my last corporate layoff, I took a deep dive into my “Why” and my values, which led me to become a coach, turning my tragedy into triumph. I now help professionals through major transformations in their lives and am trained to help shift mindsets from a protective to an expansive state. If you are ready to experience how working with me could expand your life, reach out to me at angela@belladonnacareercoach.com.