How are you feeling? Is an important question to answer, especially during a time of change.

Recently in the news Cargill announced their massive layoff impacting 8,000 people.

When you get laid off, especially if you had no idea that it’s coming, it’s hard to know what to do first. The pressure that comes psychologically and financially can sometimes petrify us. This approach can lead to mistakes and unnecessary upheaval in your life, instead pause.

Breathe.

Consider how you are feeling. There’s going to be a wide range of emotions. Give yourself a minute to determine what those feelings are before you decide what to do with them.

Ask yourself:

  1. How am I feeling? Think about what’s happening in your body physically. Jot down what’s coming to your mind. Share what’s happening with a friend or family member and begin your forward momentum.
  2. What will make me feel better? Does it involve an extreme of something? Alcohol, gummies, exercising, eating or sleeping to excess? Ask yourself, will it make me feel better? For how long?

Begin to tell the story.

Share how you lost your job with trusted friends or family members. They can help. AND there is healing in sharing your stress, fear and pain out loud.

Use your resources.

If you have received outplacement services talk to your career coach. Those resources are available to you as part of your severance package. Use them. Outplacement coaches work with countless people going through exactly what you are going through.

The change will be worth it.

Nature shows us the value of evolution. There is healing in growth. A layoff can feel like volcanic eruption on your life, and they create havoc. The environment heals and so will you. Volcanoes calcify wood, we can look to the Petrified Forest National Park to see what happens when it’s locked in place, but when living things remain in motion they can grow and evolve. There’s healing in change.

🌿 JWS Nature Fun Fact 🌿

Happy Birthday to Petrified Forest National Park it joined the park system on this date in 1962. It’s an ecological wonder with signs that its earliest inhabitants lived on the 222,000 acres over 12,000 years ago. The park has designated 50,000 of those acres as a Petrified Forest Wilderness Area.

If you are interested in learning more about how JWS Group can help you, let’s connect: Julie.shipman@jwsgroupllc.com

📷 Pixabay