Navigating Layoffs: Advice That Helped Me in November 2023

I was laid off at the beginning of November 2023. It wasn’t my first time being laid off (the last one was January 2015), but it was still a huge shock. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, given the tech landscape in 2023. But, to be honest, it really affected me on a deep emotional level. I had so many thoughts swirling through my head: Who am I outside of my job? Why does this feeling of not having control feel so triggering? What does “productive member of society” mean in late-stage capitalism?

About a month after my layoff, I put together a list of advice that were helpful for me in navigating life post-layoff and now I’m going to share that here with you all:

✨ TAKE BREAKS: Don't spend all day every day on LinkedIn. Get up and do things that feed your soul. Exercise, read a good book, watch TV, laugh with friends, cook dinner, play with your dog, make art. I made it a point to take Sundays off of job hunting, even though it was hard. But this helped my brain get some rest from the endless scrolling on LinkedIn and job boards.

✨ REMEMBER THE BASICS: Drink water and feed yourself. My former manager said this to me one day after my layoff and I was like 🤯 whoa. It might seem obvious but sometimes you get caught up and forget the simple things!

✨ FIND COMMUNITY: Despite the stress that comes from being laid off, there were silver linings. The outpouring of support was incredible. I got to spend time with + meet so many awesome, generous people during my job hunt after the layoff. ❤️

✨ CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: In prepping for interviews, I got to reflect on all of the awesome work I've done in the past few years. Acknowledge your skills and remind yourself, "I'm great at what I do." It's more important now than ever to reflect on that.

✨ FEEL THE FEELINGS: This might be the most important one. It's okay to be angry, sad, disappointed, nervous, and upset. That's normal and totally warranted. It's also okay to feel optimistic, excited, and refreshed. That's also normal and totally warranted. Every emotion is valid. And you will likely feel completely different day to day. That’s also normal and totally warranted.

If you're navigating a layoff right now, know that you're not alone, you're awesome, and you've got this 💪 I hope these small reminders can help during this time.