Losing Your Job

This is more about how I was able to keep it together mentally after being laid off as opposed to how to job search and find a job. I can really overwhelm someone and send them in a tailspin that doesn’t stop until you hit rock bottom. I used denial as my defense mechanism and it didn’t work until I sought help and took some advice from a third party to see what was really going on and what I needed to do to break the cycle and get myself out of this hole.

Here is a brief description as to how this all went down. My company was part of an acquisition.So many of us had but I had been given some assurance that my job was safe and of course I believed them. I knew that there would be a time when my job would be in jeopardy but I had some time, more time than others, to look for work and be proactive rather than reactive. I was optimistic and kept hoping for the best though and really never took advantage of some of the opportunities out there in the job world and was left standing with no idea of what to do.

My boss flew in from New York and part of the meeting so I thought was going to be an extension that we had discussed just a few weeks earlier. Instead it was my two week notice with just my PTO time and that was it. I guess seven years on the job means very little to a company that only focuses on the bottom line, money. I guess I should have realized that we are all expendable and I should have been more prepared for the unexpected.

Initially I was irrate and wanted to tell my boss what I really thought of him but the cooler head prevailed and I kept my mouth shut and accepted what they had presented to me. Nothing I was going to say was going to change their minds. I walked out of the office calm and felt it is still important not to burn a bridge. I got in my car and drove around the winding country roads listening to some soothing music with the top down and the windows wide open just looking to get some fresh air and breath a little before heading back to the office. I have a wife and child at home that need me and are counting on me for more than just being a dad and husband but an income provider.