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12 Valuable Tips to Cope with Layoff Anxiety

Updated: May 4, 2023

Losing a job can be one of the most stressful situations a person can experience. You have to keep your confidence high as you can still thrive during challenging times.


Tips to Cope with Layoff Anxiety

The term “Layoffs” has become a buzzword at present due to many big tech layoffs in recent times. Tech giants Meta, Twitter, Disney and Amazon, and many other businesses from tech and other industries are on a firing spree. Massive company job layoffs leave employees mentally and emotionally perturbed.


Being laid off is an overwhelming and stressful experience of loss and change. It can crush your confidence, and lead to anxiety, depression and anger; all that while affecting your finances. You may feel helpless and hopeless at the same time, but you have got to learn how to deal with anxiety, rebuild your confidence after a layoff, and bounce back.


12 Effective Tips to Confront the Anxiety Due to Company Job Layoffs


Anxiety due to layoffs and worrying about losing your job to the point of overthinking can be mentally draining. Proactively confronting your layoff anxiety is the best way to save your confidence from deteriorating. You need to give yourself time to handle the shock as you face a layoff and follow these twelve tips on how to deal with anxiety to recover from the mental health effects triggered due to layoff.


1. Take time to adjust


Give yourself some time to accept the initial emotional reactions of yourself and your loved ones. Time is the best healer. You ought to regain a bit of confidence once you get through the initial phase. Be open to discussions with your ex-colleagues.


2. Convey to your family and friends


Seek emotional support from trusted family and friends. Tell them that you have got laid off as soon as possible. Share your feelings with trusted family and friends. Admit your feelings of fear, anger, sadness and frustration. You will immediately gain support that will help you consolidate. Their support is vital to save you from getting deeper into anxiety and stress. It will strengthen you to design and regulate your actions to overcome this situation.


3. Reassure your dependents


Spouses, partners, children and old-age parents also get affected by your job loss. Keep open communication with them. Acknowledge their reactions and concerns. Reassure them to get through this time together.


4. Don’t be ashamed


Do not consider getting laid off as a matter of personal failure. You did nothing wrong, and there is no need to be ashamed. You have to back yourself up before expecting support from others. Keep your head high and focus ahead.

5. Avoid negative thinking


Always seek constructive ideas and talk to those who have positive advice. Avoid negative thinking and people who can hinder your efforts and progress. Determine the positive aspects of your traits and skills that can help you overcome the job crisis.


6. Consider job loss as a temporary obstruction


Setbacks are parts of life. You need to accept setbacks to overcome them. Consider your job loss as a temporary setback, not the “end of the world.” Think positively that you can handle this. Take one step at a time to get ahead and develop useful daily habits to manifest your dream life.


7. Use every resource available

Consider this situation as the best time to use your resources, be it your professional network or local community. A job crisis gives you the opportunity to reach out and use everything that is offered to you. Determine the promising resources and focus more on them to get quick results.


8. Manage your discretionary spends

Comb through your expense statements and identify the discretionary spending that can be put on hold for a while, such as subscriptions, memberships, and avoidable expenses. This approach will enable you to manage your spending better and mitigate the financial anxiety you may be going through because of the layoff.


9. Identify your exact challenges to work on

One of the best ways to reduce your anxiety is to take viable actions on the root cause of the anxiety. You need to identify and tackle your fears directly. Clarify what you are most afraid of and work on a plan to resolve it.


10. Focus on what you can change

Accept what you cannot change and instead of putting your efforts into them, focus on the things you can change. Determine your strength and weakness, find your desired career path and take appropriate actions to get ahead.


11. Take care of your health

Adequate sleep, good nutrition, exercise and relaxation become more important than ever when you experience high stress due to company job layoffs. Don’t resort to drugs and alcohol to deal with stress.


12. Get professional help

If you want to rebuild your career in a more fulfilling way after getting laid off, you should seek professional help. The career and personal growth benefits you can get through a certified Executive Coach might surprise you. Leverage those benefits for establishing an outstanding career ahead.


Getting laid off might be challenging but you need to channel your energy towards professional development. Make adjustments as mentioned above and keep your attention on finding a new job that is a good fit for you. Persistence and focus will help you to create a personalised roadmap to transform your career and life.


Are you in the right job? Take the Free ‘Are You in The Right Career Assessment’ to identify whether you are in the right job and discover what type of jobs you will excel at. The results of this test will be your guide towards a successful career change.

Smita D Jain is a Certified Life Coach, Executive Coach and NLP Practitioner. Smita’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Personal Clarity Coaching Programs enable busy professionals unhappy in their jobs to tap into their passions and transform them into professions so that they work because they want to, not because they have to.


Before her journey as a coach, Smita had extensive experience of 14 years as a corporate and business strategy professional with Fortune 500 companies. She is also a speaker at various public forums, a published writer, and an Amazon bestselling author.


You can learn more about Personal Empowerment Life Coach and Certified Executive Coach Smita D Jain’s ‘Empower Yourself’ Coaching Programs by visiting www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com and book a strategy session at https://www.lifecoachsmitadjain.com/booking.



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