I still remember the moment I saw the calendar invite.
No context. No agenda. Just a time, a Zoom link, and my gut saying, “This isn’t good.”
Ten minutes later, I was laid off.
The part no one tells you? It’s not just the job you lose. It’s the routine. The rhythm. The sense of identity.
Even though I’d seen the signs—team budgets slashed, headcount frozen—I still felt shocked. Embarrassed. Uncertain.
And I’m sharing this because if you’re feeling that low-key layoff anxiety right now?
You’re not alone—and you’re not crazy for feeling it.
Whether you’re seeing the writing on the wall or just riding the waves of industry chaos, here’s what I wish I had done before that invite hit my inbox.
✅ Step 1: Professionally—Set Yourself Up Before You Need To
When you’re anxious about job security, the instinct is often to do nothing. To freeze. To hope it passes.
But small steps = big peace of mind. Here’s what helped me:
1. Quietly Build Your Safety Net
Before my layoff, I hadn’t touched my resume in years. I was so focused on “doing a good job” that I forgot to document how good I actually was at it.
Start now—even if you think you’re safe:
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- Update your LinkedIn headline and your about section with real results, not just job titles.
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- Start a brag folder in your email or Drive. Every “great job!” Slack, every data point, every small win—save it.
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- Set up job alerts for roles you’d be excited to land, not just what you think you “should” do next.
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- Understand your benefits: Does your company offer severance? Will unused PTO be paid out? What’s the healthcare backup plan?
These things take 20 minutes now—or 20 hours when you’re in panic mode later. Use my work impact tracker if you want to really be prepared.
2. Warm Up Your Network (Quietly and Authentically)
Right after my layoff, I was overwhelmed with messages from former colleagues saying, “Let me know how I can help!”
But in that moment, I didn’t even know what I needed. I hadn’t talked to half of them in years.
So here’s the move: start reconnecting before you need anything.
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- React to a post.
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- Drop a thoughtful comment.
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- Send a “hey, I saw this and thought of you” message.
Networking doesn’t need to be cringey if you’re just being a decent human.
And when you’re ready to make a move? You’ve already built the bridge.
3. Make Sure People Can Find You and Get You
Ask yourself:
If a recruiter or future boss found your LinkedIn right now—would they know who you are, what you care about, or what you’re good at?
You can post something super simple after my layoff—“Here’s what I’ve done, here’s what I’m looking for, here’s what I value.”
It feels vulnerable.
But it can also help you land interviews in 2 weeks.
Let yourself be visible. You don’t have to go viral—you just have to show up.
🧠 Step 2: Personally—Protect Your Energy
The layoff hit me right as I was adjusting to new motherhood. Talk about identity whiplash.
What I learned the hard way: you can do everything right at work and still lose your job.
You can work late, hit every goal, and still be impacted by forces beyond your control.
Here’s how I stayed grounded—even when everything felt upside down.
1. Mute the Panic
After my layoff, I followed every “how to get hired” account, read every thread about resume gaps, and scrolled until 2am.
Spoiler: It did not help.
You’re allowed to unfollow content that makes your nervous system spike.
Unplug. Take a break from LinkedIn. Mute people who make you compare or spiral.
You need clarity—not cortisol.
2. Control What You Can Control
For me, this meant building a morning routine after I lost my job. I didn’t care about optimizing productivity—I just needed something that felt solid.
Here’s what helped:
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- A slow morning with coffee before checking my phone
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- Moving my body—even if it was a walk with the baby
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- A 3-line journal entry about what I was grateful for, anxious about, and hopeful for
You don’t need a full self-care Pinterest board. You need one or two things that feel like yours.
3. Talk About It—Even If It’s Messy
I wanted to pretend I was fine. I wasn’t.
The people who helped me most were the ones who let me be honest: “I’m scared. I feel embarrassed. I don’t know what’s next.”
Find someone—your partner, a friend, a therapist, even a voice note to yourself.
The stress shrinks when it’s spoken.
Final Thought: A Layoff Isn’t the End—It’s a Fork in the Road
I didn’t think I’d recover after losing a job I worked so hard for.
But here’s the plot twist:
That layoff pushed me to ask better questions.
To get clearer on what I wanted.
To stop tying my worth to a company that saw me as a line item.
Layoffs suck. But they also create space for something better.
You don’t need to panic.
You just need a plan.
And if no one’s told you lately: You’re going to be okay—even if your job isn’t.
Watch my entire series on my Layoff Journey on YouTube.
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